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| name = David Morris
| honorific-suffix = [[Member of Parliament|MP]]
| honorific-suffix = [[Member of Parliament|MP]]
| image = David Morris MP - official photo 2017.jpg
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|caption=Official parliamentary portrait 2017
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Revision as of 20:52, 2 August 2017

David Morris
MP
Official parliamentary portrait 2017
Member of Parliament
for Morecambe and Lunesdale
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded byGeraldine Smith
Majority1,399 (3.1%)
Personal details
Born (1966-01-03) 3 January 1966 (age 58)
Leigh, Lancashire, England[1]
Political partyConservative
WebsiteDavid Morris

David Thomas Morris (born 3 January 1966, Leigh, Lancashire, England) is a British Conservative Party politician. He is Member of Parliament (MP) for Morecambe and Lunesdale in Lancashire, England.[2]

Early life

The son of an ex-Royal Navy Lieutenant Commander turned civilian harbour master, Morris spent his youth in places as far afield as Hong Kong and the Bahamas, where the family's neighbours included actors Sean Connery and Elizabeth Taylor.[3] He was educated at St Andrew's School in Nassau, Bahamas.

Career

After applying and failing to get into the Royal Navy because of his short sightedness, Morris apprenticed as a hairdresser, eventually working as a stylist for Pierre Alexandre Salon.[3]

His hobby was playing the electric guitar, and he joined a teenage band in which Richard "Rick" Astley was the drummer.[3][4] After leaving school at 16 and whilst training as a hairdresser, Morris and Astley played the Northern club circuit at night in bands including 'Give Way' – specialising in covering Beatles and Shadows songs – and 'FBI', a soul music band which won several local talent competitions.[4] After the lead singer left FBI, Morris also left the band to concentrate on hairdressing. Astley had stepped up to take over vocals, and after being spotted by Pete Waterman was signed by Stock, Aitken and Waterman.[4] Signed under a separate SAW contract, Morris rejoined Astley's backing band, and although being the guitar player, appeared on the BBC's Top of the Pops faking playing a keyboard for the song "She Wants to Dance with Me". Morris also wrote songs, both for Astley and other SAW performers including Sonia, Brother Beyond and Jason Donovan.[3]

After leaving the music industry, Morris returned to hairdressing, where he built up a chain of five salons.[5]

Politics

Selected as the Conservative candidate for Blackpool South in 2001 and Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire in 2005, he failed to win either seat.[6]

Morris won Morecambe and Lunesdale at the 2010 general election, defeating Labour's Geraldine Smith by 866 votes.[3] He was re-elected in 2015 with a majority of 4,590[7] and in 2017 with a majority of 1,399.[8]

Morris is a member of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, for which he has the honorary title Lieutenant Commander.

He employs his girlfriend Emma Smith as member of staff.[9]

Morris was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum.[10] He stated his reason for supporting remaining in the European Union was because he was "standing at the side of the Prime Minister on this one, because the Prime Minister has always stood by me and my people in Morecambe".[11]

Expenses

In November 2016 Morris was accused of claiming £1400 in car mileage for trips in the UK on dates when he was abroad on parliamentary business, for which Morris blamed the expenses watchdog.[12]

Personal life

Divorced, he has two teenage sons.[3] He met with controversy in 2011, after being photographed in a seemingly intimate embrace with his 23-year-old researcher, whilst already having a long-term girlfriend.[13] In the 2015 General Election his girlfriend Emma Smith was also his election agent.[14]

Morris is a friend of the actor and musician David Hasselhoff, whom he welcomed to the House of Commons in February 2011 as part of the campaign to reopen the Morecambe Winter Gardens.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Who's Who". Ukwhoswho.com. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Morecambe & Lunesdale". Election 2017. BBC News. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "MP David Morris on his journey from pop to politics". BBC. 2 March 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "Rick Astley – About". lookstudio.com. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  5. ^ "The Hit Fac-Tory". Lancashire Evening Post. 18 November 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  6. ^ "David Morris – Your Parliamentary Candidate". Morecambe and Lunesdale Conservatives. 2010. Archived from the original on 3 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Morecambe & Lunesdale". Election 2015. BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Morecambe & Lunesdale". Election 2017. BBC News. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  9. ^ https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmsecret/sponsor-04.htm
  10. ^ Goodenough, Tom (16 February 2016). "Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?". The Spectator. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  11. ^ http://www.thevisitor.co.uk/news/eurosceptic-morecambe-mp-backs-david-cameron-over-eu-referendum-1-7744663
  12. ^ "Tory MP David Morris claimed £1,400 for driving in the UK while on official foreign trips". The Daily Telegraph. 20 November 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  13. ^ Ryan Parry (2 July 2011). "Tory MP David Morris seen in clinch with his young researcher – Mirror Online". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  14. ^ "ELECTION UPDATE: Morecambe and Lancaster seats could be crucial to future government". lep.co.uk. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  15. ^ "David Hasselhoff in surprise meeting with David Cameron". BBC News. 8 February 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Morecambe and Lunesdale
2010–present 		Incumbent
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