Born on the St Matthews estate and grew up in Highfields and Braunstone. Worked in a factory at 16, became an infantryman at 17 and a toolroom operative at 18. My father was sent to this country in the 60s as a labourer to escape unpaid national service in Italy – he'd been doing a man's job from the age of 6 and his parents relied on his income. Similarly, my mother came from Scotland with her family to work in the Corby steelworks. I would describe myself as a nonpartisan libertarian. Peace