Philip Hollobone

Philip Hollobone MP
Member of Parliament for Kettering
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 May 2005
Preceded by	Phil Sawford
Majority	9,094 (19.2%)
Personal details
Born	7 November 1964 (1964-11-07) Bromley, Kent, England
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Donna Cooksey
Children	One son, one daughter
Residence	Barton Seagrave, UK
Alma mater	Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Website	Kettering Conservatives

Philip Thomas Hollobone (born 1964) is a British Conservative Party politician who is both a Member of Parliament for the Kettering constituency (since the 2005 general election) and a member of Kettering Borough Council for the Piper's Hill ward (since 3 May 2007).

Early life

Hollobone was educated at Dulwich College, London, and Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford where he was awarded a BA degree in Modern History and Economics. He was a prominent member of the Oxford University branch of the Monday Club.

In 1984, he worked as a voluntary teacher in Honduras with a Baptist mission. He worked as an investment banker for 13 years from 1987.^{[citation needed]} and was in the Territorial Army for eight years.

Political career

His elected political career began in the London Borough of Bromley, where he served as a councillor between 1990 and 1994, before unsuccessfully contesting Lewisham East at the 1997 General Election where he was defeated by the sitting Labour MP Bridget Prentice by 12,127 votes. In 1999, he served a one-year term as Chairman of the Bromley and Chislehurst Conservative Association.^{[citation needed]}

He was later selected as the Conservative candidate for the marginal Northamptonshire constituency of Kettering for the 2001 General Election, losing to incumbent Labour MP Phil Sawford by just 665 votes. From this election onwards, Hollobone made Kettering his political base, securing election in 2003 onto Kettering Borough Council (first representing the rural ward of Buccleuch before representing the suburban ward of Piper's Hill) as well as serving as Vice Chairman of the Kettering Conservative Constituency Association since 2002.^{[citation needed]}

Hollobone secured election to the House of Commons at the second attempt, during the 2005 General Election, defeating Phil Sawford by 3,301 votes. He made his maiden speech on May 24, 2005.
Some of his subsequent speeches were not well received. In 2006 he was one of 3 new MPs specifically mentioned in a Times article about manipulating the performance figures for the Theyworkforyou website. The article claimed new MPs boosted “their ratings on the internet by saying very little, very often.” Whilst Hollobone’s frequent “speeches” might give the appearance of “Churchill or Gladstone,” many were interventions of only 2 or 3 sentences. On just one day in February 2006, he made six speeches, one of which, on the Ascension Islands simply noted that a former mayoress of Kettering came from St Helena. In response, Hollobone said that as a new MP he tried to speak as often as possible on behalf of constituents and take part in many different debates.

In April 2009, Hollobone was revealed to be the thriftiest Member of Parliament in terms of expenses: the average MP claimed £144,176 whereas Hollobone's expenses bill amounted to £47,737. Hollobone has condemned Hamas which he has described as "in its entirety... a terrorist organisation proscribed by the European Union". However, he has described Interpal, which has been banned by Canada, Australia and the United States of America for its links with Hamas, as "a worthwhile organisation." Hollobone is a supporter of the Better Off Out campaign.

The eurosceptic United Kingdom Independence Party did not field a candidate against Hollobone in the 2010 general election and subsequently campaigned for his re-election as a result of his Eurosceptic views. Hollobone is rated as the Conservatives' most rebellious MP.

In response to a written question by Hollobone, the expenses claimed for public duties by former Prime Ministers after they had left office was revealed to the public. Lady Thatcher received £535,000 in expenses over 5 years, Sir John Major received £490,000 and Tony Blair received £273,000.

Private members bill to restrict the burka

In February 2010, Hollobone described the wearing of burqas as like "going round wearing a paper bag over your head" and expressed his "huge sympathy" with those calling for a ban on the garments. On 30 June 2010, Hollobone introduced the Face Coverings (Regulation) Bill after coming seventeenth out of twenty in the Private Members' Bill ballot, which would regulate the use of certain facial coverings, including the burka, in public. The bill was on the Order Paper to be read a second time on 3 December 2010.

Personal life

He married Donna in St John's church, Cranford in June 2001. They had a son in June 2004 and a daughter in 2006 and live in Barton Seagrave. Hollobone has also played occasionally for Kettering Rugby Football Club.. Hollobone is a serving Special Constable with the British Transport Police.

External links

• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Philip Hollobone MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Philip Hollobone MP
• The Public Whip - Philip Hollobone MP voting record
• Kettering Conservatives
• BBC Democracy Live Philip Hollobone MP Kettering, Conservative

News items

• Illegal immigrants in October 2007
• Kettering General Hospital in May 2007
• Illegal workers in June 2006

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Phil Sawford	Member of Parliament for Kettering 2005–present	Incumbent