John Eric Austin (born 21 August 1944), formerly Austin-Walker, is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Woolwich from 1992 to 1997 and for Erith and Thamesmead from 1997 to 2010.
Austin gained a Certificate in Community and Youth Work[1] from Goldsmiths College in 1972 and a Master of Arts in Policy Studies[2] from the University of Bristol in 1990.
Austin stood for the seat of Woolwich at the 1992 general election, and won it from independent John Cartwright with a majority of 2,225.
[4] The constituency boundaries for the area were re-drawn for 1997 general election, and Austin won the new seat of Erith and Thamesmead with a majority of 17,424.
[6] Austin was implicated in the 2009 MPs' expenses scandal, he claimed a total of £133,000 in second home allowances since 2001, despite the fact the two London flats he lived in over the period were just over 10 miles away from his main residence in Kent.