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Ian McCartney (born 25 April 1951) is a British Labour politician who is the member of Parliament for Makerfield. He is currently the Minister of State for Trade, attending the Cabinet but not actively voting in it.

He was born in Lennoxtown, East Dunbartonshire, the son of Labour MP Hugh McCartney and trade unionist Margaret. He was the leader of a paper-boy's strike at the age of fifteen, and had a number of jobs after leaving school including working as a seaman and a local Government manual worker. He was a councillor for Wigan Borough 1982-1987.

He became the MP for Makerfield in 1987. Ian was the first chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Rugby League Group which was formed in 1987. McCartney held a number of positions in Opposition and was a spokesperson on Health, Employment, Education and Social Services. He ran John Prescott's successful campaign to become Deputy Leader in 1994.

He was a Minister of State at the Department of Trade and Industry from 1997 to 1999. While at the DTI he introduced a major package of new employment rights which including the first ever right to paid holidays, voted for the National Minimum Wage, and steered the Competition Act through Parliament. During this time he was also responsible for employment relations, the Post Office, Company Law and inward investment.

He was then was Minister of State at the Cabinet Office until 2001 where he was responsible for modernising Government and E-Government. He then became Minister of State for Pensions at the Department for Work and Pensions. He entered the Cabinet as Minister Without Portfolio and Party Chair in April 2003.

From October 2004 to October 2005, he was Chairman of the Labour Party in two capacities - as the Party Chair (appointed by the party's leader) with a seat in the Cabinet, and as the Chair of the National Executive Committee (elected by the members of the NEC). He is also chair of the party's National Policy Forum, which formulates Labour Party Policy. The NPF also oversaw the 'Big Conversation' project, which saw the Labour Government try to consult the general public on the future direction of party and government policy. In May 2006, McCartney was appointed Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs.

Trusted by both leadership and membership, he is seen as a key link between the Government and the wider Labour movement. He has worked to make the role of Party Chair a voice for Labour Party members within the Labour Government. Architect of the Warwick Agreement by Labour's National Policy Forum, he was a key figure in co-ordinating the election manifesto for Labour's third term General Election campaign.

Just five feet and one inch tall, he describes himself on his parliamentary notepaper as the 'Socialist MP for Makerfield.'

He recently returned from leave due to heart surgery and has publicly told of his fight to lose weight for the sake of his own health. His return to frontline politics was marked by his speech to the Labour Party 2006 Spring Conference in Blackpool in which he shed a tear while celebrating 100 years of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

• [1] official biography
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Ian McCartney MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Ian McCartney MP
• The Public Whip - Ian McCartney voting record