Colchester Labour Party

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Lord Bassam visits Colchester

Shadow Cabinet Minister Lord Bassam has been in Colchester today (27 January), at the invitation of Colchester Labour Party.

Lord Bassam, who is Labour's Chief Whip in the House of Lords, started his visit at Colchester's Citizens Advice Bureau, where he met staff and volunteers.

The Labour Peer then went to the Sixth Form College on North Hill, where he took part in a question and answer session with a class of A-Level Politics students. He was joined for the event by Colchester Labour Party Chairman Jordan Newell, who is a former politics student of the college.

In a packed class room, Lord Bassam spent over an hour fielding questions from students on a range of subjects, including the economy and House of Lords reform. He also outlined some of his work as Labour's Chief Whip and recounted some more light-hearted stories of life in the Lords.

Steven Bassam grew up in Great Bentley and went to college in Colchester. With family still living locally, it was his links with the area that prompted the invitation for him to visit the town.

Colchester Labour Party Chairman Jordan Newell said:

“Lord Bassam is our first Shadow Cabinet visitor of 2012 and I am delighted to be welcoming him back to Colchester. With Steve’s links to our area and my own connections with Colchester Sixth Form College, todya has been a trip down memory lane for both of us.”

The Rt Hon Steven Bassam, Lord Bassam of Brighton, is Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords. He was previously the Government Chief Whip 2008-10 and as a Home Office Minister from 1999 to 2001. He is the former Leader of Brighton & Hove Council (1987-99) and served as a Brighton Councillor for nearly 20 years.