Steve McCabe (politician)

Early life

Born in the shipbuilding town of Port Glasgow on the River Clyde, McCabe attended the town's local secondary school before studying at the Moray House College (later named Moray House School of Education) in Edinburgh, where he was awarded a Diploma in Social Studies (Certificate Qualification Social Work) in 1977 and qualified as a social worker.

He worked initially as a social worker in Wolverhampton for six years from 1977, and from 1978–1982 he served as a shop steward with the National and Local Government Officers Association. In 1983, he was appointed manager of the Priory in Thatcham, providing alternatives to care and custody for young people, for Berkshire Social Services. He left the Priory in 1985 and returned to education, taking an MA in Social Work at the University of Bradford in 1986.

Following his degree, he worked as a social services lecturer at the North East Worcestershire College in Redditch. In 1989, he became a child care worker in Solihull until 1991 when was appointed as an education adviser to the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work (now called the General Social Care Council). He remained in this position until his election to the House of Commons.

He was elected as a councillor to Birmingham City Council in 1990 and served until 1998, during which time he served as the chair of the city's technical services committee (highways are its major function).

Parliamentary career

Steve McCabe was elected as the Labour MP for Birmingham Hall Green at the 1997 General Election when he unseated the Conservative member Andrew Hargreaves by 8,420 votes in the Labour landslide; the first time a Labour MP held the seat.

He served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Charles Clarke in his capacity as Secretary of State for Education and Skills (2003–2004) and as Home Secretary (2004–2005). He joined the government Whips Office in 2006 as an Assistant, and from 2007 was a Lord Commissioner to the Treasury (a full Whip). He also served on various select committees, including Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee (1998–2003) and Home Affairs Select Committee (2005–2006 and 2010–2013).

In October 2006, he applied for selection to the redrawn Birmingham Selly Oak seat, which incorporated much of his existing seat. Following the announcement by Lynne Jones, the sitting member for Selly Oak, in January 2007 that she would stand down at the next election, he became the favourite to be selected for the newly drawn constituency, and was duly selected by the local Labour party. He decided not to apply for the redrawn Hall Green seat on the grounds that its boundaries were significantly different from the existing seat of the same name.

He was re-elected, in Selly Oak, at the May 2010 general election. In 2012, McCabe underwent open heart surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham for a heart murmur.

From 2013 to 2015, he served as a Shadow Minister for Education as part of Ed Miliband's front bench team.

McCabe called in 2013 for a referendum on remaining in the EU to be held "as soon as possible", admitting he found himself "at odds with his party" on the issue. McCabe joined 18 other Labour MPs in backing a referendum on Europe in a House of Commons vote called by rebel Conservative MPs.

Expenses

In the 2009 expenses scandal it was revealed that McCabe had over-claimed on his mortgage by £4,059.

A three-month investigation by the parliamentary fees office resulted in McCabe calling for Commons officials to be sacked. He later admitted: "I did make an error in my claim and, as the letter from the fees office shows, this money was repaid in a deduction from my next claim". Between 2004 and 2008, McCabe claimed £54,699 in expenses for his second home, on which he has a £60,000 mortgage. The claims included £5,500 for a new kitchen.

Assault

On 1 August 2017, McCabe was left with injuries to his face after an individual on a motorcycle in Kings Heath, Birmingham threw a brick at him, leaving him with swelling and bruises to his face. Subsequently, he has given a statement to the police.