Adam went to Carlisle Grammar School and the University of Leeds, from which he obtained a Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.
[1] In August 1973, he was chosen to fight the byelection in Berwick-upon-Tweed caused by the resignation of Lord Lambton, and decided to focus on the issues of housing and prices.
[3] The Times Diary noted that Labour had drafted 13 professionals in to lead their campaign but described Adam as "a charm-free technocrat".
[1] As Deputy Leader of North Tyneside he indicated that the council would aim to comply with the demands of Peter Shore, Secretary of State for the Environment, to restrain spending.
In June 1980 he lauded events in Zimbabwe which had shown how real democracy had triumphed in the end, and urged the government of South Africa to take the same course.
[13] Adam managed to persuade the European Parliament to commission an independent investigation of the British government's decision to close 31 coal mines after the closure was announced in 1992.
[14] Early in 1995 Adam signed a joint letter in defence of Clause IV and opposing Tony Blair's attempt to get rid of it.
In December 2001 Adam caused a stir when he criticised the calls from Ireland for the Sellafield nuclear recycling plant to be closed.
[21] When the directly elected Mayor of North Tyneside resigned in 2003, forcing a byelection for the Mayoralty, Adam was chosen as the Labour candidate.
[23] In April 2004 Austrian MEP Hans-Peter Martin was attempting to expose questionable practices in European Parliament allowances.
Martin filmed Adam signing the attendance book for a Friday session of the European Parliament, thereby claiming a daily allowance, before immediately leaving.