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Stuart Andrew

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The Right Honourable
Stuart Andrew
MP
Official portrait, 2021
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism and Civil Society[a]
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 September 2022
Prime MinisterLiz Truss
Rishi Sunak
Preceded byNigel Huddleston
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 October 2022
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak
Preceded byThe Baroness Stedman-Scott
Minister of State for Prisons and Probation
In office
8 July 2022 – 7 September 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byVictoria Atkins
Succeeded byRob Butler
Minister of State for Housing
In office
8 February 2022 – 6 July 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byChris Pincher
Succeeded byMarcus Jones
Government Deputy Chief Whip
Treasurer of the Household
In office
13 February 2020 – 8 February 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byAmanda Milling
Succeeded byChris Pincher
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
In office
28 July 2019 – 13 February 2020
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byCraig Whittaker
Succeeded byMarcus Jones
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement
In office
19 July 2018 – 28 July 2019
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Preceded byGuto Bebb
Succeeded byAnne-Marie Trevelyan
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales
In office
9 January 2018 – 19 July 2018
LeaderTheresa May
Preceded byGuto Bebb
Succeeded byMims Davies
Member of Parliament
for Pudsey
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded byPaul Truswell
Majority3,517 (6.5%)[1]
Personal details
Born (1971-11-25) 25 November 1971 (age 52)
Isle of Anglesey, Wales
Political partyConservative (before 1998, 2000–present)
Other political
affiliations		Labour (1998–2000)
EducationYsgol David Hughes
Websitestuartandrew.org.uk

Stuart James Andrew (born 25 November 1971) is a Welsh politician serving as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society since September 2022 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities since October 2022.[2][3] Andrew previously served as Government Deputy Chief Whip from 2020 to 2022, Minister of State for Housing from February to July 2022, and Minister of State for Prisons and Probation from July to September 2022.[4] A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Pudsey since 2010.

Andrew was born in Anglesey, Wales. He was a councillor on Wrexham County Borough Council from 1995 to 1999. Elected as a Conservative, he defected to the Labour Party in 1998 before rejoining the Conservative Party in 2000. He was a councillor on Leeds City Council from 2003 to 2010. He was elected for Pudsey at the 2010 general election. He served as Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons from 2020 to 2022 when he was appointed Minister of State for Housing.

Early life

Andrew was born on 25 November 1971 in Anglesey, Wales. He grew up in Anglesey, and was state educated at Ysgol David Hughes in Menai Bridge. After leaving school he worked for the Department of Social Security. In 1994 he took a job with the British Heart Foundation, before roles at Hope House Children's Hospice and East Lancashire Hospice. Before being elected to Parliament he led the fundraising team for Martin House Hospice.[5]

Early political career

Andrew was first elected as a Conservative councillor to represent the Maesydre ward on Wrexham County Borough Council in 1995. He stood unsuccessfully as a parliamentary candidate for Wrexham in the 1997 general election. In 1998, he left the Conservatives and defected to the Labour Party, citing issues with the "direction of the party". Andrew was re-elected as a Labour councillor in 1999, but resigned from the council later in the year.[6][7][8]

He rejoined the Conservative Party in 2000 and, after moving to Leeds, was elected to Leeds City Council between 2003 and 2010. He represented the Aireborough ward and then Guiseley and Rawdon ward, following boundary changes in 2004.

Parliamentary career

Andrew was elected as MP for Pudsey in the 2010 general election, taking the seat from Labour with a majority of 1,659 votes, and subsequently resigned from Leeds City Council.

Andrew served on the Welsh Affairs Select Committee between November 2010 and November 2012.[9][10]

On 22 February 2012 Andrew was headbutted and punched in a House of Commons bar during a disturbance created by Scottish Labour MP Eric Joyce,[11] but tweeted the next day that, "I'm OK."[12] Joyce was charged with common assault,[13] A fourth charge was added on 9 March,[14] and he was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £1,400 in compensation to Andrew and other victims, but not given a custodial sentence.[14] In a statement before the House of Commons on 12 March 2012, Joyce apologised personally to his victims, stated that he had resigned from the Labour Party, and that he intended to complete his current term as an MP but not seek re-election.[15]

In 2012, Andrew brought forward a bill that would create a new power for governors to "destroy or otherwise dispose of any unauthorised property found within a prison or an escort vehicle". The bill was supported both by the government and the Labour Party, with Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Sadiq Khan saying he backed the bill.[16]

During the debates on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, which he subsequently voted for, Andrew responded to comments from Gerald Howarth about "aggressive homosexuals" by telling of a time when he had been attacked in the street and beaten unconscious "because of who and what I am".[17]

At the 2015 general election, Pudsey was considered to be one of the most marginal seats in the country. However, Andrew retained the seat through increasing his majority to 4501.

In January 2016, Andrew was one of 72 MPs who voted down an amendment in Parliament on rental homes being "fit for human habitation" who were themselves landlords who derived an income from a property.[18]

In May 2016, it emerged that Andrew was one of a number of Conservative MPs being investigated by police in the 2015 general election party spending investigation, for allegedly spending more than the legal limit on constituency election campaign expenses.[19] However, in May 2017, the Crown Prosecution Service said that while there was evidence of inaccurate spending returns, it did not "meet the test" for further action.[20]

Andrew was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party, with particular responsibility for cities, on 23 September 2016.[21]

Andrew supported Brexit in the 2016 referendum.[22]

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales and for Defence Procurement

At the 2017 general election, Andrew was re-elected with an increased vote share, but saw his majority cut to 331.[1] He became Assistant Whip (HM Treasury) in June 2017 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office) in January 2018, before moving to be Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence).[9]

In July 2019, Andrew wrote to Bradford Council to oppose plans to introduce a new link road in south east Bradford, impacting the Pudsey constituency.[23]

In July 2019, he moved back to the Whips Office, holding the office of vice-chamberlain of the Household.[24]

In 2019, on both 14 October and 19 December, Andrew was ceremonially taken hostage by the Queen at Buckingham Palace for the duration of her speeches to Parliament.[25]

Treasurer of the Household

Andrew's majority increased at the 2019 general election. In the February 2020 reshuffle he was appointed Deputy Chief Whip and promoted to Treasurer of the Household.[26]

On 10 September 2020, Andrew stood in for Jacob Rees-Mogg as Acting Leader of the House of Commons in Business Questions as Rees-Mogg was self-isolating awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test on his son.[27][28]

During the COVID-19 pandemic emergency arrangements, he held a large number of proxy votes for other Conservative MPs, and at one stage in 2021 personally controlled a majority of votes in the House of Commons.[29] He did not always cast these proxy votes the same way, instead following the instructions of individual MPs.[30]

He was sworn of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in 2021.[31]

Minister of State for Housing

In a cabinet reshuffle on 8 February 2022, Andrew was appointed Minister of State for Housing.[32]

On 6 July 2022, Andrew resigned from the role of Minister of State for Housing due to the recent scandals involving the former Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, most recently the Chris Pincher scandal.[33][34] He stated that "There comes a time when you have to look at your own personal integrity and that time is now. Therefore, given recent events I have no other choice to resign. Our party, particularly our members and more importantly our great country, deserve better."[34]

Minister of State for Prisons and Probation

Andrew was appointed as Minister of State for Prisons and Probation in the 2022 British cabinet reshuffle.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society and for Equalities

Stuart Andrew with Gymnast James Hall during a visit to the 2022 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool

On 8 September 2022, Andrew was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society.[35] His role includes

  • Minister for Equalities
  • Sport
  • Tourism
  • Civil Society (including loneliness)
  • Youth
  • Ceremonials (including the Coronation)
  • Events including Eurovision, Unboxed, City of City of Culture
  • Arts and Heritage in the Commons.

On 27 October 2022, Andrew was appointed to a second ministerial position, as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities.[35]

Personal life

Andrew lives in Guiseley, West Yorkshire and London.[36][37] He is openly gay and a patron of LGBT+ Conservatives.[38][39] During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Andrew expressed his support for the OneLove campaign by publicly wearing an armband at the England v. Wales game.[40][41]

Notes

  1. ^ Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Arts and Ceremonials (September to October 2022).

References

  1. ^ a b "Election 2017: Pudsey". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  2. ^ "Ministerial appointments: September 2022". 6 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  3. ^ "Ministerial Appointments commencing: 25 October 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Ministerial appointments: July 2022". 7 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Hospices (Children and Young People) - Hansard". UK Parliament. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  6. ^ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. Wrexham County Borough Council Election Results 1995-2012 (PDF). The Elections Centre. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Plaid Cymru's Becca Martin wins Maesydre by-election and is Wrexham's newest councillor". Wrexham.com. 18 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Tory battling in marginal criticised for switching sides". Yorkshire Post. 9 April 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Parliamentary career for Stuart Andrew". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  10. ^ "Yorkshire Tory MP on Welsh Affairs Committee". WalesOnline. 28 October 2010. Archived from the original on 3 November 2010. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  11. ^ Watt, Nicholas; Mulholland, Helene (24 February 2012). "Eric Joyce stripped of Labour whip after allegations of Commons assault". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  12. ^ Murphy, Joe (23 February 2012). "MP goes berserk in Commons bar brawl". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012.
  13. ^ "MP Eric Joyce charged with assault". BBC News. 24 February 2012. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  14. ^ a b "Falkirk MP Eric Joyce escapes jail after admitting assault charges in Commons brawl". BBC News. 9 March 2012. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  15. ^ "MP Eric Joyce apologises to MPs over bar brawl". BBC News. 12 March 2012. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  16. ^ "MP bids to allow prisoners' mobile phones to be sold off". BBC News. 14 September 2012. Archived from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  17. ^ Blanchard, Jack (22 May 2013). "Leeds MP beaten unconscious in homophobic attack hits out at Tory gay marriage rebels". Yorkshire Post. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  18. ^ Stone, Jon (13 January 2016). "Tories vote down law requiring landlords make their homes fit for human habitation". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  19. ^ "Election Expenses Exposed". Channel 4 News. 23 June 2016. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
  20. ^ "No charges over 2015 Conservative battle bus cases". BBC News. 10 May 2017. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  21. ^ McIntyre, Annette (23 September 2016). "Horsforth and Aireborough's MP is appointed to key role in charge of cities". Wharfedale Observer. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  22. ^ Goodenough, Tom (16 February 2016). "Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  23. ^ "Pudsey MP objects to 'green belt' link road proposal". West Leeds Dispatch. 1 July 2019. Archived from the original on 16 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  24. ^ "About Stuart". Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  25. ^ Proctor, Charlie (14 October 2019). "Conservative MP Stuart Andrew taken hostage by The Queen at Buckingham Palace". Royal Central. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  26. ^ "Ministerial Appointments: February 2020". GOV.UK. 13 February 2020. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  27. ^ Ovens, Ruth (10 September 2020). "The Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg self-isolating as he waits for child's Covid-19 test result". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  28. ^ "Business of the House - Hansard". UK Parliament. 10 September 2020.
  29. ^ "Members Eligible for a Proxy Vote - Hansard". UK Parliament. 9 March 2021.
  30. ^ Bush, Stephen (8 January 2021). "Why is the most rebellious Conservative MP still in a government job?". New Statesman. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  31. ^ "Orders for 26 May 2021" (PDF). Privy Council Office. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  32. ^ Sagar, Anna (8 February 2022). "Stuart Andrew appointed housing minister amid cabinet reshuffle". Mortgage Solutions. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  33. ^ "Housing minister Stuart Andrew resigns after 148 days". Inside Housing. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  34. ^ a b "Pressure on the PM as Pudsey MP resigns from Government". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  35. ^ a b "The Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  36. ^ "About Stuart". Personal website. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  37. ^ "IPSA record". IPSA. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  38. ^ "Updated: Out gay Tory shadow ministers retain seats". Pink News. 7 May 2010. Archived from the original on 8 May 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  39. ^ "Patrons". LGBTory. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  40. ^ "Gay minister Stuart Andrew to wear OneLove armband to England v Wales match in Qatar". Evening Standard. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  41. ^ "Sport minister Stuart Andrew wears OneLove armband to England v Wales World Cup game". ITV. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Pudsey
2010–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales
2018 		Succeeded by
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Procurement
2018–2019 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
2019–2020 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Treasurer of the Household
2020–2022 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of State for Housing
2022 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons
2020–2022 		Succeeded by


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