Tony Benn, the grandson, son and father of MPs retired himself from Parliament, after over fifty years service, in 2001 to devote more time to politics'

A war-time RAF pilot, he was first elected in 1950, served for eleven years in the Cabinet, first as Minister of Technology, then Secretary of State for Industry and later Energy and in 1977 was President of the Council of European Energy ministers.

An elected member of the National Executive Committee from 1959 -1994, he was Chairman of the Labour Party in 1971-2.

He has published eighteen books, many videos, tapes and CDs including nine volumes of political diaries covering sixty years from 1942-2001.

Tony has received nine honorary Doctorates from British and American Universities, was a Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and has been awarded the Freedom of the City of Bristol.

Chosen by Channel 4 as Speaker of the Years in 1999, and as Politician of the Year in 2003, he is a writer and broadcaster on TV and radio and his reputation for speaking his mind has won him receptive audiences nationally and world-wide.

In 1949 he married Caroline DeCamp from Cincinnati, an educationalist and author of the biography of Keir Hardie. Caroline died in 2000.

Tony, who has travelled very widely, speaks on many key themes, including Government, Parliament, Politics, International Affairs, Religion and Democracy.

He always hopes that plenty of time will be set aside, after he speaks, to allow questions and discussion.