The Rt Hon Stephen Timms is currently the Member of Parliament for East Ham and the Shadow Minister for Employment. He is also Labour's Vice Chair for Faith Groups.
Stephen entered Parliament in 1994 as Labour's MP for Newham North East through a by-election on 9th June 1994, and was re-elected to the new constituency of East Ham in May 1997. Stephen has concentrated on regeneration in East London - including regeneration partnerships, the Thames Gateway initiative, Stratford international station on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, and the Olympics in Newham in 2012.
Stephen was formerly Financial Secretary to the Treasury after being appointed to the position in October 2008. He had strategic oversight of taxation as a whole, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, and European and international tax issues. In August 2009 he was also appointed as Minister for Digital Britain, and was responsible for coodinating the government's aim to expand broadband access across the UK. After Ed Milliband's election as leader of the Labour Party, he was appointed Shadow Minister for Employment.