Born into a British Jewish family,[3] Winnick was an advertising manager and a branch chairman of the Clerical and Administrative Workers Union.
After completing a diploma in social administration at the London School of Economics, he stood again unsuccessfully in Croydon Central in October 1974 and was returned for Walsall North in 1979.
That commitment made him a strong voice in the House of Commons against both the Taliban and Saddam Hussein and he supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
In January 2009, he urged the Communities Minister to deplore the fact that Richard Williamson, a British-born bishop and Holocaust denier, had been brought back into the fold by the Vatican.
[5] Winnick played a prominent role in the campaign to force the resignation of the Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Martin.