Nick Brown facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable Nick Brown
Official portrait, 2020
Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
In office 3 October 2008 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Geoff Hoon
Succeeded by	Patrick McLoughlin
In office 2 May 1997 – 27 July 1998
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Alastair Goodlad
Succeeded by	Ann Taylor
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
In office 27 July 1998 – 11 June 2001
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Jack Cunningham
Succeeded by	Margaret Beckett
Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne East Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend (1997–2010)
In office 9 June 1983 – 30 May 2024
Preceded by	Mike Thomas
Succeeded by	Mary Glindon
Chair of the Finance Committee
In office 26 May 2021 – 7 March 2023
Preceded by	Lilian Greenwood
Succeeded by	Sharon Hodgson
In office 21 July 2015 – 17 October 2016
Preceded by	John Thurso
Succeeded by	Rosie Winterton
Junior ministerial offices Minister for the North East In office 28 June 2007 – 11 May 2010 Prime Minister Gordon Brown Preceded by Office established Succeeded by Office abolished Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Commons Treasurer of the Household In office 28 June 2007 – 3 October 2008 Prime Minister Gordon Brown Preceded by Bob Ainsworth Succeeded by Tommy McAvoy Minister of State for Work In office 11 June 2001 – 13 June 2003 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by Office established Succeeded by Des Browne
Shadow portfolios Shadow Cabinet 2016–2021 Chief Whip 2010–2010 Chief Whip 1994–1994 Commons Leader Shadow Frontbench 1995–1997 Deputy Chief Whip 1994–1995 Health 1992–1994 Deputy Commons Leader 1988–1992 Treasury 1985–1988 Solicitor General
Personal details
Born	Nicholas Hugh Brown (1950-06-13) 13 June 1950 (age 75) Hawkhurst, Kent, England
Political party	Labour (until 2023)
Alma mater	University of Manchester (BA)

Nicholas Hugh Brown, known as Nick Brown, was a British politician. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne East from 1983 to 2024. He was a member of the Labour Party until 2023.

Nick Brown was the longest-serving Chief Whip of the Labour Party. This important role involves making sure party members vote as a group in Parliament. He held this job several times between 1997 and 2021. He worked under different Labour leaders, including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and Keir Starmer.

He also served as a government minister. He was the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from 1998 to 2001. Later, he became the Minister for the North East of England from 2007 to 2010.

Early Life and Education

Nick Brown was born in Hawkhurst, Kent, in 1950. He grew up in Tunbridge Wells. He attended Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys. After school, he went on to study at the University of Manchester.

After finishing university, Nick Brown worked in advertising for a company called Procter & Gamble. Later, he became a legal adviser for a large trade union called GMB in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Political Career

Starting in Politics: 1980–1997

Nick Brown began his political journey in 1980. He was elected as a Labour councillor for the Walker area on the Newcastle City Council.

In 1983, he became a candidate for Parliament. The previous MP for Newcastle upon Tyne East had changed parties. Nick Brown won the election easily, becoming the new MP for the area. He was elected in the same year as future Prime Ministers Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.

In 1985, Nick Brown joined the Labour Party's team of spokespeople. He first worked on legal matters as a shadow solicitor general. Later, he focused on money matters as a Treasury spokesperson. From 1994 to 1995, he briefly worked on health issues.

In 1995, he became the Deputy Chief Whip for the Labour Party. In this role, he helped the party challenge the government's plans in Parliament.

Serving in Government: 1997–2010

When the Labour Party won the election in 1997, Nick Brown was appointed as the Government Chief Whip. This meant he was in charge of making sure Labour MPs voted together. He held this role for about a year.

In 1998, he became the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. During his time in this role, there were several animal health problems. The biggest was the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001. This was a serious disease affecting farm animals.

After the 2001 election, he moved to a different role as Minister of State for Work. He left the government completely in 2003.

In 2007, when Gordon Brown became Prime Minister, Nick Brown was appointed to two new roles. He became the Minister for the North East of England. He also became the Deputy Chief Whip again.

In 2008, he was promoted back to his original government job as Government Chief Whip. He kept his role as Minister for the North East at the same time.

In Opposition: 2010–2024

After the 2010 general election, the Labour Party went into opposition. The new Labour leader, Ed Miliband, asked Nick Brown to step down as Chief Whip.

In 2014, Nick Brown disagreed with his party's plan to remove Police and Crime Commissioners. He believed they were doing a good job in the North East of England.

Before the 2016 vote on whether the UK should stay in the European Union, Nick Brown said he supported remaining in the EU.

In 2016, Jeremy Corbyn became the Labour leader. He reappointed Nick Brown as Labour Chief Whip. This meant he was now the Opposition Chief Whip in Parliament.

When Keir Starmer became Labour leader in 2020, he also reappointed Nick Brown as Chief Whip. This made Nick Brown the only person to have held this role three separate times. He served under six different Labour leaders across four decades. He left the Chief Whip role for the third time in May 2021.

In May 2021, Nick Brown became the chair of the Finance Committee. This committee looks at how the House of Commons spends its money.

In 2022, Nick Brown was temporarily suspended from the Labour Party. In December 2023, he resigned from the Labour Party. He also announced that he would not stand for election again.

Personal Life

Nick Brown has received the freedom of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne award. He supports Humanists UK, which promotes a non-religious approach to life. He is also a member of the GMB trade union.

He is known for his love of classical music. He is a governor at Walker Riverside Academy, a school in Newcastle. He also supports the Leeds Youth Opera and is a trustee for an art exhibition called the Biscuit Factory.