Editing Kevin Barron (section)

==Parliamentary career==
In 1983 [[Peter Hardy, Baron Hardy of Wath|Peter Hardy]], Labour MP for Rother Valley, decided to switch constituencies to fight the equally safe neighbouring new seat of [[Wentworth (UK Parliament constituency)|Wentworth]]. With NUM backing, Barron secured the nomination, and was duly elected as the Labour MP for Rother Valley at the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983 general election]].<ref>[http://www.blakesparliamentaryyearbook.co.uk/mp/BARRON-Rt-Hon-Kevin-1-3771.shtml Barron profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716230901/http://www.blakesparliamentaryyearbook.co.uk/mp/BARRON-Rt-Hon-Kevin-1-3771.shtml |date=16 July 2011 }}, Blake's Parliamentary Yearbook; accessed 16 June 2014.</ref>

In 1985, Barron was made a [[Parliamentary Private Secretary]] to the [[Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)|Leader of the Opposition]] [[Neil Kinnock]], a position he held until the 1988 election. Kinnock gave Barron a frontbench job in 1988 as an opposition spokesman on Energy. He lost this position when [[John Smith (Labour Party leader)|John Smith]] took over the leadership and he refused another front bench position. Barron was returned to the front bench nine months later as a spokesman on Employment by the new leader [[John Smith (Labour Party leader)|John Smith]], and following  Smith's death [[Tony Blair]] moved Barron to speak on Health matters. {{citation needed|date=September 2014}}

Barron was a leading figure in the campaign to rewrite [[Clause IV]] under the new leadership of [[Tony Blair]], and it came as a surprise that there was no job in government for him after the victorious [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]]. He served for eight years on the senior [[Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament|Intelligence and Security Committee]] and was made a [[Privy Council (United Kingdom)|Privy Councillor]] in 2001. He was made Chairman of the influential [[Health and Social Care Select Committee|Health Select Committee]] following the [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005 general election]].<ref name="mplinks"/>

Barron has been a Member of the [[General Medical Council]] since 1999, and is passionately [[anti-smoking]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/dec/18/smoking.labour Rt Hon Kevin Barron MP – Give us a free vote over smoking ban] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927185034/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/dec/18/smoking.labour |date=27 September 2016 }}, ''The Guardian''; 18 December 2005. accessed 16 June 2014.</ref>

Following the [[United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal|MP's expenses row]], Barron placed his expenses claims cover sheets in the window of his constituency office in Laughton Road, [[Dinnington, South Yorkshire|Dinnington]]. In the review of Past Additional Cost Allowance by Sir [[Thomas Legg]] QC, Barron was found to have no issues and was not required to repay any monies. In May 2010, Barron was returned to Westminster as the MP for Rother Valley with a severely reduced majority. In July 2010, he was appointed chair of the parliamentary [[Standards and Privileges Committee]]<ref name="mplinks">{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/kevin-barron/392|title=Rt Hon Sir Kevin Barron MP|access-date=18 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316130818/http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/kevin-barron/392|archive-date=16 March 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> and was returned unopposed to that post after the 2015 general election.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2015/june/winning-candidates-for-select-committee-chairs-announced/|date=18 June 2015|access-date=19 June 2015|title=Winning candidates for select committee Chairs announced|publisher=UK Parliament|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802162923/https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2015/june/winning-candidates-for-select-committee-chairs-announced/|archive-date=2 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Barron was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] in the [[2014 New Year Honours]] for political and public service.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=60728 |supp=y|page=1|date=31 December 2013}}</ref>

In 2015, three Rotherham Labour MPs, Barron, [[Sarah Champion]] and [[John Healey (politician)|John Healey]], started a [[English defamation law|defamation legal action]] against UKIP MEP [[Jane Collins]] after [[Jane Collins#Defamation action|Collins falsely alleged in a UKIP conference speech]] that the three MPs knew about [[Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal|child exploitation in Rotherham]] but did not intervene, and in February 2017 the MPs were awarded £54,000 each in damages.<ref name=bbc-20170206>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-38884762 |title=Jane Collins defamation case: Labour Rotherham MPs awarded £54,000 |work=BBC News |date=6 February 2017 |access-date=31 May 2020}}</ref>

In October 2016, Barron was found to have broken the parliamentary code in 2011.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37717292 |title=Labour MP Sir Kevin Barron breached code of conduct - BBC News |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=20 October 2016 |access-date=10 January 2019 |work=BBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110200956/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37717292 |archive-date=10 January 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> He was found to have taken funding from the Japanese Pharmaceutical Group to arrange banquets in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], against Commons rules.

In the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] he sat on the Committee on Privileges and Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority and previously sat on the Committee on Standards, Liaison Committee (Commons), Health and Social Care Committee, Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, Environment Committee and Energy Committee.<ref name=parliamentbiobarron>{{cite web|title=Kevin Barron|url=https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/sir-kevin-barron/392|website=Parliament UK|access-date=19 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181120015224/https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/sir-kevin-barron/392|archive-date=20 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Barron campaigned for Remain in the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 referendum on the UK's EU membership]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35616946 |title=EU vote: Where the cabinet and other MPs stand |work=BBC News |date=22 June 2016 |access-date=10 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003020914/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35616946 |archive-date=3 October 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

He supported [[Owen Smith]] in the failed attempt to replace [[Jeremy Corbyn]] in the [[2016 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|2016 Labour Party leadership election]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://labourlist.org/2016/07/which-mps-and-meps-have-nominated-owen-smith/|title=Full list of MPs and MEPs backing challenger Owen Smith|date=2016-07-21|website=LabourList|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-07-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715214543/https://labourlist.org/2016/07/which-mps-and-meps-have-nominated-owen-smith/|archive-date=15 July 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Barron was one of only three Labour MPs to vote for [[Theresa May]]'s Brexit deal in the [[Parliamentary votes on Brexit|Meaningful vote]] on 15 January 2019 (along with [[Ian Austin]] and [[John Mann, Baron Mann|John Mann]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2019/mar/12/how-did-your-mp-vote-in-the-march-brexit-votes|title=How did your MP vote in the March Brexit votes?|work=The Guardian|access-date=13 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190313002653/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2019/mar/12/how-did-your-mp-vote-in-the-march-brexit-votes|archive-date=13 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2019, he was one of only 8 Labour MPs to reject Labour's efforts to stop a no-deal Brexit. This decision was extremely controversial, with Barron being widely denounced by members of his party.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://labourlist.org/2019/06/mps-reject-labour-led-plan-to-take-control-and-block-no-deal/|title=Barron rejects Labour-led bid to stop no-deal|work=Labourlist|access-date=13 June 2019|date=12 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612200014/https://labourlist.org/2019/06/mps-reject-labour-led-plan-to-take-control-and-block-no-deal/|archive-date=12 June 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

In July 2019, he announced he would not be contesting the next general election,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rotherhamadvertiser.co.uk/news/view,rother-valley-mp-sir-kevin-barron-to-step-down-at-next-election_32664.htm|title=Rother Valley MP Sir Kevin Barron to step down at next election|work=Rotherham Advertiser|last=Upton|first=Michael|date=3 July 2019|access-date=30 May 2020}}</ref> which was subsequently held in [[2019 United Kingdom general election|December of that year]].