Liam comes from five generations of Birmingham engineers, teachers and social workers. He became a Member of Parliament  in East Birmingham in 2004. As a dad with a young family in Birmingham, he stood for parliament because he was sick of nothing getting done. He was elected with a majority of 460 votes - but his 'tell like it is' style and focus on winning new investment has turned that into the biggest Labour majority in the West Midlands.

Liam served as a Cabinet Minister under Gordon Brown, where he pushed through the deal to rebuild New Street station after years of delay. Before becoming an MP, Liam built a successful technology company from scratch - which he started after winning a Fulbright Scholarship to the Harvard Business School. He was the British student who'd gone to a comprehensive school.

Liam has watched with horror as hunger and homelessness have increased under the Tory Government. Watched, and then acted. He has organised 100s of food collections across the West Midlands, supported the homeless and won support for mental health services.

Liam's mom - a comprehensive school science teacher - died of cancer when she was just 52. Her passion for public service fuelled him and he decided to go into politics. Liam's decision to stand for Mayor was driven by a second tragedy. After losing his dad to a lifelong struggle with alcohol, Liam began working with Birmingham's homeless community and was horrified by the struggle of many forced to sleep on the streets. One Sunday morning, on a soup run with a church group, he found a double amputee in terrible pain in an underpass - still dressed in his hospital gown. It took two hours decided to get an ambulance. Liam decided to run for mayor almost on the spot. 'It's just wrong' says Liam 'that we have cranes in the sky - but homeless sleeping in the doorways beneath

Liam has done practically every job under the sun. From flipping burgers to sweeping floors, stacking shelves to advising big technology companies. The jobs he has done are the jobs we all do— ‘tough, long hours, uncomfortable.'

'I know what it’s like to worry about meeting payroll at the end of the month. I know what it's like to skip a salary so everyone in the firm can get paid'.