MARK Fisher has continuously served as MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central since he was elected 27-years ago.

He was selected as Labour's Parliamentary candidate for Leek in 1975, but lost in the 1979 general election.

But Mr Fisher, who worked in the film industry for eight years before entering politics, was successful in getting elected to Staffordshire County Council.

He was then put forward as Labour's Parliamentary candidate for Stoke-on-Trent Central in 1981 and tasted victory at the polls in 1983.

Since then, Mr Fisher, who counts among his previous jobs, waiter, golf caddy, fairground worker and folk singer, has lived in the city, mainly in Hartshill, though he also has a property in Oxfordshire.

At Westminster he has served as an opposition Whip (1985-6), was a member of the Treasury Select Committee (1983-5) and then Shadow Arts and Media Minister from 1986-1997, when he became the Minister for the Arts, but was sacked after a year for voting against the Government.

Mr Fisher, a father-of-four and grandfather-of-five, is known as a back bench reformer.

He was responsible for the Right to Know Bill in 1992, which although it failed, became the forerunner of the Freedom of Information Act.

Over the years the Cambridge University graduate has often rebelled on matters such as the Iraq war.

He is rarely in the Westminster spotlight, but is known as a tireless constituency MP.

In the Potteries he has been outspoken in his opposition to Royal Mail plans to close Stoke sorting office and is a strong supporter of the ceramics industry.