Robert Flello

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Robert Flello bigraphy, stories - British politician

Robert Flello : biography

14 January 1966 –

Robert Charles Douglas Flello (born 14 January 1966) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stoke-on-Trent South since 2005.

Political activity

Flello was elected as a councillor to the Longbridge ward of Birmingham City Council in 2002, stepping down in 2004. He is a former chairman of the Birmingham Northfield Constituency Labour Party. He served as a governor at the Newman College in Bartley Green, and was Chair of Governors for both Colmers Farm infants and junior schools. He was also a governor at The Meadows primary school. He served as a regional organiser for the Labour Party in 2004 until his election to Westminster.

Controversy

In 2007 Flello was accused of filibustering a fellow Labour backbencher’s private members bill. The bill, introduced by neighbouring Staffordshire MP Paul Farrelly, aimed to give temporary and agency workers similar employment rights to permanent staff. It was backed by the Unite trade union. The incident provoked an angry response in the Daily Mirror.

Parliamentary career

He was elected to the House of Commons at the 2005 general election for Stoke-on-Trent South following the retirement of George Stevenson. Flello held the seat with a majority of 8,681 and made his maiden speech on 19 May 2005.. Publications.parliament.uk (2005-05-19). Retrieved on 2012-01-29.

In parliament he has been a member of the Science and Technology Select Committee, and became the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Lord Chancellor, Charles Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton in 2006 after which he became Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears. In 2009 he became Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Defence, Bob Ainsworth.

He was appointed as a shadow junior minister for Justice in October 2010.

Employment history

After graduating, Flello worked for a short time at Cadbury in Bournville before joining the Inland Revenue. In 1989 he left to join Price Waterhouse accountants as a personal tax advisor. In 1995 he moved to Arthur Andersen then in 1999 he co-founded Platts Flello Limited, tax and financial advisors. In late 2003 he left to work as the CEO of Malachi Community Trust until December 2004.

Early life

Flello was born in Bournville, Birmingham. He attended Bournville Junior and Infant schools before going to King’s Norton Boy’s School. At age 18 he went to University of Wales, Bangor to read Chemistry. He graduated in 1987 with a B.Sc (Hons).