Bob Ainsworth

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Bob Ainsworth (born 19 June 1952) is a British Labour politician who was the Member of Parliament for Coventry North East from 1992 to 2015. He served as Secretary of State for Defence from June 2009 to May 2010 and then as Shadow Defence Secretary from May to October 2010.

Before politics, Ainsworth worked as a sheet-metal worker at Jaguar from 1971 to 1991 and became active in the car workers’ union. He entered local politics in Coventry, was elected to Coventry City Council in 1984, and rose to lead the Labour group’s finance team.

In Parliament, he started as a Labour whip in 1995 and held several junior roles: Environment, Transport and the Regions Under-Secretary in 2001; Home Affairs Under-Secretary (Drugs and Organised Crime) 2001–2003; Deputy Chief Whip (Treasurer of the Household) 2003–2007. He became Minister for the Armed Forces in 2007 and was promoted to Defence Secretary in 2009. After the 2010 election, he served briefly as Shadow Defence Secretary under Ed Miliband.

Notable moments include calling for stronger support for troops in Afghanistan, launching the Safer Clubbing guidance in 2002, and arguing in 2010 for the legalization and regulation of drugs to reduce harm. He was a member of the Privy Council from 2005 and was one of the MPs who faced the 2007–08 expenses scrutiny for second-home claims.

Ainsworth announced in December 2012 that he would not stand in the 2015 election. He is married to Gloria since 1974, and they have two daughters. In 2019 he revealed that he voted for the Green Party in the European Parliament elections.