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Nicholas Richard Ainger (born 24 October 1949) is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Carmarthen West and Pembrokeshire South since 1992.

Early life

Ainger was born in Sheffield in 1949, and was educated at the Netherthorpe Grammar in Staveley, Derbyshire and after leaving education in 1967 moved to Milford Haven and became a dock worker at the Marine and Port Services of Pembroke Dock. He was a senior shop steward in the Transport and General Workers Union for fourteen years whilst at the docks, and became elected to the former Dyfed County Council, on which he served from 1981 until his election to Parliament in 1992.

Parliamentary career

Ainger was first elected for the seat of Pembroke at the 1992 general election with a slender majority of 755, but re-elected in 1997 for the re-drawn seat of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire with a majority of 9,621.

From 1997 until 2001 he served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Wales Office (and its predecessor the Welsh Office), serving three successive Welsh Secretaries (Ron Davies, Alun Michael and Paul Murphy). He was promoted in 2001 to Commons Whip and a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury. In 2005 he was promoted to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Wales Office, a position he held until 2007.

Since November 2007 he has been a member of the Treasury select committee. He currently campaigns on fuel poverty and better regulation of the banking industry.

Personal life

Ainger is a member of the RSPB and the Dyfed Wildlife Trust, and his other interests include swimming, walking, agriculture and the arts. He is married to Sally Robinson and they have one daughter.

External links

• Nick Ainger MP official site
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Nick Ainger
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Nick Ainger MP