Toby Perkins
A pragmatic Labour MP from a working-class background who champions vocational skills and his Chesterfield constituents.
Born 1970 (age 56)·British Labour politician·Birthday: August 12·Generation X
Biography
Toby Perkins entered Parliament not as a career politician but as someone with dirt under his fingernails, having run his own small business. Representing Chesterfield since 2010, he brought a grounded, practical perspective to Westminster, shaped by his years before politics in sales and management. His focus has consistently been on economic issues that affect ordinary working people, particularly advocating for better apprenticeships and support for small and medium-sized enterprises. Perkins served in Labour's shadow frontbench teams, holding portfolios for small business and, later, defence. In 2024, he was elected by fellow MPs to chair the Environmental Audit Select Committee, a role that places him at the intersection of economic policy and the UK's green industrial transition, a fitting challenge for his blend of business sense and public service.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Toby was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Toby Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Toby's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Elected as the Chair of the cross-party Environmental Audit Select Committee in September 2024.
- Has served as the Member of Parliament for Chesterfield since winning the seat from the Liberal Democrats in 2010.
- Held the position of Shadow Minister for Small Business during Ed Miliband's tenure as Labour leader.
- Previously served as a Shadow Defence Minister, focusing on armed forces personnel and veterans' issues.
Did You Know?
Before politics, he owned and operated a double-glazing business.
Perkins is a devoted supporter of Chesterfield Football Club and is often seen at their matches.
He was a contestant on the BBC cooking show 'Celebrity MasterChef' in 2013.
“Politics should be about the shop floor, not just the Westminster floor.”
