Alan Arthur Hurst (born 2 September 1945) is a solicitor and politician in the United Kingdom. He was Labour member of Parliament for Braintree in Essex from 1997, when he caused a stir by overturning Tony Newton's majority of c. 17,000, by a majority of just over 1,400; Braintree had been Conservative since 1955. Almost as surprising (though not with hindsight, since the Tories made next to no progress nationally in 2001) was his holding the seat in 2001, though this time with a majority of 358, making it Labour's second-most marginal victory at that election and the sixth-most overall. He lost the seat in the 2005 general election to Brooks Newmark of the Conservative Party. September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years). ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... In the United Kingdom and countries having a similar legal system the legal profession is divided into two kinds of lawyers: the solicitors who contact and advise clients, and barristers who argue cases in court. ... The Labour Party is a centre-left or Democratic Socialist political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics), and one of the United Kingdoms three main political parties. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... There are several places named Braintree, or a variant thereof:- Braintree, Essex - a town in the county of Essex, in the United Kingdom Braintree, Massachusetts - incorporated in 1640, on land which is now part of Braintree, Randolph, Holbrook, the City of Quincy, and part of Milton. ... This article is about the county of Essex in England. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Reef. ... Tony Newton, Baron Newton of Braintree, PC (born August 29, 1937), is a British Conservative politician and former Cabinet member. ... The Conservative Party is the largest political party on the centre-right in the United Kingdom. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Barring a change in the law, the next general election in the United Kingdom must be held some time before June 30, 2006. ... Brooks Newmark is the Conservative MP for Braintree. ... The Conservative Party is the largest political party on the centre-right in the United Kingdom. ...

He never held government office, remaining a backbencher. He served on the Select Committee for agriculture for a time (including during the 2001_UK_foot_and_mouth_crisis) and then on the Speaker's Panel. He occasionally rebelled against the government (see [Public Whip page (http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?firstname=Alan&lastname=Hurst&constituency=Braintree|his)]), often on judicial issues, though not on any high-profile issues or as part of any major rebellions, with the exception of supporting an amendment to the top-up fees bill (Higher Education Act 2004) which would have removed such fees from the bill whilst maintaining other aspects of it, an attempt to have the bill's increased funding for universities without higher fees (presumably by putting up the basic or higher rate of income tax or introducing a graduate tax); the government claimed that the greater funding (almost, though not quite, universally accepted to be necessary) could only be achieved with top-up fees, so the choice was fees or continuing underfunding, but many saw this as a false dichotomy imposed by the government (which had pledged not to raise income tax - indeed, had cut it in its first term - and had already raised National Insurance contributions once, though this move was very popular) to hold funding hostage, as it were, and ensure the bill's passing. This rebellion was not overly important, as the much larger rebellion on the bill's second reading had already failed (by a mere five votes). He did vote for a total ban on hunting with dogs when the government was proposing mere restriction, but this was not, strictly speaking, a rebellion as it was a free vote. A backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislature who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition. ... A Select Committee of the British Parliament is a committee made up of a small number of members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues. ... The outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the United Kingdom in the spring and summer of 2001 caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism. ... Top-up fees (not their official name) are a new way of charging tuition to English, Welsh and Northern Irish undergraduate and PGCE students who study at universities in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland. ... The Higher Education Act 2004 is an Act of Parliament of the British Parliament which sets up the framework for variable student tuition fees in universities. ... Income tax is a direct tax which is levied on the income of private individuals. ... The logical fallacy of false dilemma, also known as fallacy of the excluded middle, false dichotomy, either/or dilemma or bifurcation, is to set up two alternative points of view as if they were the only options, when they are not. ... National insurance is a system of taxes, and related social security benefits, that has operated in the United Kingdom since its introduction in 1911, and wider extension by the government of Clement Attlee in 1946. ... A fox hunt Fox hunting is a form of hunting for foxes using a pack of scent hounds. ... A conscience vote or free vote is a type of vote in a legislative body where legislators are each expected to vote according to their own personal conscience rather than according to an official line set down by their political party. ...

Before his election as MP he had been deputy leader of Southend-on-Sea Council. He continued to practise part-time as a solicitor while an MP. Southend-on-Sea is a resort town in Essex, England. ...

Note: while I have expanded this considerably it is far from complete and I'm not totally sure of certain details, so it remains a stub and what is now here may still require editing, which will be most welcome.