Tony Cunningham was born and educated in Workington, was the first person in his family to go to University. After gaining a degree in History and Politics from Liverpool University, he trained to be a teacher.

Tony took up a teaching position in 1980 at the Mikunguni Trade School in Zanzibar, Tanzania, as part of the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) programme.

Tony’s time in Africa politicized him. Seeing poverty at first hand changed the way he looked at things. He joined the Labour Party soon after he got back. Tony then became a councillor. and from 1992 to 1994 he was the leader of my local authority in Allerdale. Tony was also the mayor of Workington from 1990 to 1991

In 1995 he wrote a report on landmines - the Cunningham Report was the very first to call for an outright ban on landmines - and in 1999 he wrote the development committee budget