1. Vernon Rodney Coaker, Baron Coaker was born on 17 June 1953 and is a British politician and life peer serving as Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence since 2024.
19 Facts About Vernon Coaker
1. 2.
Vernon Coaker studied for an Economics and Politics BA degree at the University of Warwick, then obtained a PGCE at Trent Polytechnic.
3.
Vernon Coaker worked as a teacher, becoming a history teacher at Manvers Pierrepont School from 1976 to 1982, then head of department at Arnold Hill School from 1982 to 1988.
4.
Vernon Coaker served as a district councillor for the Cotgrave Ward in Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire from 1983 to 1997 and was leader of the Labour group on the council between 1987 and 1997.
5.
Vernon Coaker stood for the Rushcliffe constituency seat in 1983.
6.
Vernon Coaker contested Gedling in 1987 and 1992, before defeating Andrew Mitchell at the 1997 election, becoming the first Labour MP to win the Gedling seat.
7.
Vernon Coaker served as a minister of state at the Home Office between 2008 and 2009 before being moved to take up the role of minister of state for schools and learning between 2009 and 2010.
8.
Vernon Coaker joined dozens of shadow ministers in resigning from his position on 26 June 2016 in Labour's parliamentary disquiet over the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.
9.
Vernon Coaker supported Owen Smith in the failed attempt to replace Jeremy Corbyn in the 2016 Labour leadership election.
10.
Vernon Coaker lost his seat in the 2019 general election.
11.
On 22 March 2021, he was introduced to the House of Lords as Baron Vernon Coaker, of Gedling in the County of Nottinghamshire.
12.
Vernon Coaker made his maiden speech on 17 May 2021 during the Queen's Speech debate, and was later appointed to the front bench as a Home Affairs and Defence spokesperson.
13.
Vernon Coaker was found to have claimed large sums every month in cash for his second home without submitting any receipts.
14.
Vernon Coaker belongs to the Labour Friends of Israel lobby group.
15.
Vernon Coaker's admission was made during a nationwide tour to evaluate the effectiveness of the government's drugs strategy.
16.
In January 2010, Vernon Coaker apologised for remarks that misled MPs.
17.
Vernon Coaker had earlier told MPs that 70 police officers were hurt as a result of a global warming protest at Kingsnorth power station.
18.
Vernon Coaker married Jacqueline Heaton on 23 December 1978 in Basford; the couple have a daughter and a son.
19.
Vernon Coaker's wife, who is a teacher, was a town councillor in Cotgrave, where they live in the district of Rushcliffe.