Daniel Zeichner

Early life

Daniel Zeichner was born in Beckenham in 1956. His father was an Austrian immigrant and his mother was the descendant of agricultural workers from Cambridgeshire. As a teenager, Zeichner was a middle-distance runner. He attended Trinity School of John Whitgift, a former grammar school, turned independent school.

In 1976, Zeichner came to the University of Cambridge to read history at King's College. At King's, Zeichner met Barbara 'Budge' Ziolkowska who would become his life partner. They lived in Comberton, a village 6 miles (10 km) south-west of the city of Cambridge and joined the Labour Party in 1979.

Zeichner’s first job after graduation was as a trainee computer programmer, working for Cambridgeshire County Council at the registry office next to Shire Hall on Castle Hill, Cambridge. He would later work in IT for a number of companies, including Norwich Union in Norfolk, Philips in East Chesterton and at Perkins Engines in Peterborough.

In 1992, Zeichner was hired to work for Norwich South MP John Garrett, working for Garrett and his successor Charles Clarke until 1999. In 2002, Zeichner began working for UNISON, the public sector trade union where he served as a political officer until his election as Member of Parliament for Cambridge in 2015.

Political career

Zeichner has served several terms on Labour's National Policy Forum, the Labour Party’s top policy-making body. He was first elected to represent the East of England on the body shortly after it was first established by Tony Blair as part of the 'Partnership in Power' process.

Zeichner was elected as a councillor in Burston, Norfolk, in 1995, a position in which he would serve until 2003. During this time, Zeichner became leader of the Labour group on South Norfolk District Council.

Zeichner stood unsuccessfully for Parliament four times. He contested Mid Norfolk first in 1997, losing by fewer than 1,400 votes. He stood again in 2001 and 2005, being defeated by larger margins. In 2006, he was selected as the candidate for the Cambridge constituency which had been lost by Labour to the Liberal Democrats the previous year.

At the election in 2010, Zeichner came third in Cambridge, polling 24% of the vote. He caused controversy during the election campaign after he criticised the Conservative Party for allying with 'fascists' in the European Parliament. Referring to the Polish Law and Justice Party which sits with the Conservatives in the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists, Zeichner performed a Nazi salute during a debate at the Cambridge Union Society. The incident received national press coverage. Local rabbi Reuven Leigh said at the time, "To make light of the Nazi salute and to accuse these parties, who are not anti-Semitic is absolutely disgusting."

He contested the seat five years later, and increased his vote by more than 11 percentage points, defeating incumbent MP Julian Huppert by 599 votes. He was appointed as a Shadow Transport Minister (with responsibility for buses, bikes and walking) on 18 September 2015. In the snap 2017 general election Zeichner retained his seat with an increased majority, again over Julian Huppert, of 12,661.

Political positions

Zeichner describes his politics as 'socialist in a modern context'. He supported Tony Benn in the 1981 deputy leadership election. In the 2010 Labour leadership election, Zeichner supported Ed Miliband. In the 2015 Labour leadership election he supported Yvette Cooper. Zeichner supported Owen Smith in the September 2016 Labour Party leadership elections. Zeichner opposes Trident renewal.

In June 2017, Zeichner resigned as a Shadow Transport Minister, in order to vote in favour of an amendment to the government's 2017 Queen's Speech supporting the UK's membership of the single market, in defiance of the party whip. The amendment, which was defeated by 322 votes to 101, was tabled by former Shadow Cabinet Minister Chuka Umunna. In justifying his decision, Zeichner explained:

My position on Europe has always been clear. I am a passionate pro-European and a straight-forward politician ... I promised the people of Cambridge I would stick to my principles and I would do right by our city - that means voting with my conscience and doing all I can to oppose the Tories’ extreme Brexit which would, in my opinion, damage our economy, our security and our society as a whole

Zeichner is an Executive Member of SERA - Labour's Environment Campaign.