James Mackay Cousins (born 23 February 1944) is an English Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne Central from 1987 to 2010.
Although Cousins has been described as a member of Labour's so-called awkward squad, his politics and indeed his personality are in reality more complex.
He voted against the war in Iraq in 2003 and opposed the introduction of tuition fees in 2004, but on other matters - such as Tony Blair's reforms of the National Health Service, he remained loyal.
While unsuccessful in defeating Cousins, this result represented one of the largest swings in the country, possibly attributed to Liberal Democrat candidate Greg Stone's student-oriented campaign which focused on issues such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq and Top-up fees.
In June 2009, Cousins announced that he would not be fighting to maintain his seat in the House of Commons at the next general election citing the health of his wife as the reason.