Billed as a future prime minister, 29-year-old David Lammy is a Tottenham-born and ambitious black lawyer.

Described as a "male style icon natural" the sharply dressed north London MP's biography is text-book new Labour.

"I was born and raised in Tottenham. Brought up in a large family by a working, single mother on a low income, I understand what it means to grow up in a climate of joblessness, crime, social tension and under-funded health and education services," he writes on his website.

"The poverty suffered in Tottenham under the Tories was not just about the denial of a minimum wage, a decent job, the right to the best possible healthcare and education. The Tories created a poverty of self-esteem, a poverty of ambition," he said.

Unlike most of his local peers, Lammy is a barrister who studied at London and Harvard Universities, benefiting by a scholarship as a boarding chorister to Peterborough's King's School.

Taking his seat in parliament following the death of the left wing Bernie Grant in 2000 Lammy became the Commons' youngest MP.

He took the unofficial title of "baby of the house" from Christopher Leslie, now a Cabinet Office minister, by three weeks.

Described as "quite outstanding" by Tony Blair, Lammy is modest about his star status and the black community's focus on him as a role model for the young.

"I've never been too comfortable with the role model tag. I'm just a human being like anybody else and I wouldn't want to say to anyone that they should be like me," he said in March.

"But if in my life I manage to inspire someone to reach their potential and their dreams then I'm very pleased with that."

Rumours of a fast track career to the top were fuelled when the prime minister introduced Lammy to a Glasgow spring conference.

Blair noted that he too had once been the youngest MP. "So look out, David, you never know what might happen to you?," the prime minister said.

With a new Labour eye for a publicity scoop, Lammy invited top US singer Alicia Keys to sing in the House of Commons - saying he wanted to bring the inner city into the corridors of power.

"Soul comes out of the neighbourhood, neighbourhoods just like Tottenham. After so many negative stories from the inner city I thought it was very important to have something positive to say," he said.

"There has been a lot of coverage recently about apathy and the relevance of politics, and I think it's important that the House of Commons is seen as the house of the people - particularly younger people."

Lammy is a member of the all-party group on Rwanda and the Prevention of Genocide, the British-Caribbean all-party group and the all-party group on Aids.

He is a trustee of the international development charity Action Aid and sits on the board of the Church of England.

In July 2001, David was promoted from the backbenches to the position of PPS to education secretary, Estelle Morris.