Born in Durham, he was jailed for his role in the Poulson scandal of 1974.
At the height of his career in 1971 he held the following positions: His role with the GMWU in particular gave him considerable influence, via the Trade Union block vote, in the selection of Labour Party parliamentary candidates.
The Poulson scandal also destroyed the careers of T. Dan Smith and the Conservative Home Secretary, Reginald Maudling.
Cunningham was sentenced to five years imprisonment, reduced to three on appeal.
[1] He was the father of Labour politician Jack Cunningham and two other children.