IN the run up to the General Election on May 6, the Harrow Times is featuring daily profiles on the candidates vying for your votes in Brent and Harrow.

Today features Tony McNulty, Labour candidate for Harrow East.

For comprehensive election coverage, click here.

Tony McNulty is standing for the fourth time as the Labour candidate for Harrow East, hoping to retain the seat he has held since 1997.

The former lecturer was born and raised in Harrow, and stood unsuccessfully in 1992 before winning the seat in the Labour landslide five years later.

Before being an MP, Tony was the Labour leader on Harrow Council as well as a lecturer at the University of North London.

After his election to Parliament, Tony rose rapidly through the ranks, holding junior ministerial posts in the Home Office and Department of Transport before being appointed Employment Minister and Minister for London in October 2008.

Seen as one of the rising stars of the Labour administration, he sat in on cabinet meetings, but was forced to resign from government in June 2009 after the expenses scandal broke.

Tony is known locally for speaking his mind on issues affecting Harrow, and has promoted increased Labour spending on health, education, and policing.

One of his major campaign victories so far has been the announcement of £81m to rebuild the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, a long-time ambition of his that finally came to fruition.

In his time as a minister, Tony made strong attacks on benefit cheats and was instrumental in the government's controversial ID cards scheme.

He turned 50 last year and is married to Christine Gilbert, who is Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools.