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Julie Kirkbride

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Julie Kirkbride
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Shadow Minister for the Olympics (from 2005)
In office
6 November 2003 – 8 December 2005
LeaderMichael Howard
David Cameron
Preceded byJohn Whittingdale
Succeeded byHugo Swire
Member of Parliament
for Bromsgrove
Assumed office
1 May 1997
Preceded byRoy Thomason
Majority10,080 (21.1%)
Personal details
Born (1960-06-05) 5 June 1960 (age 64)
Halifax, West Yorkshire
NationalityBritish
Political partyConservative
SpouseAndrew MacKay
Alma materGirton College, Cambridge

Julie Kirkbride (born 5 June 1960, Halifax, West Yorkshire) is a British politician. She has been Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the Conservative stronghold of Bromsgrove since 1997.

Early life

Her father was a lorry driver who died when she was seven. Her mother was a secretary at Rowntree Mackintosh (now owned by Nestlé). She went to the Highlands School (now North Halifax Grammar School) in Illingworth, Halifax. She studied at Girton College, Cambridge, receiving a MA in Economics and History in 1981. From 1981-2, she worked as a journalist for the Parliamentary Weekly House Magazine. She went to the Graduate School of Journalism of the University of California Berkeley from 1982-3. She was researcher for Yorkshire Television from 1983-6, then a producer for BBC News and Current Affairs from 1986-9, then worked as a producer at the ITN Parliamentary Unit from 1989-92. She was the political correspondent of the Daily Telegraph from 1992-6 and social affairs editor of the Sunday Telegraph from 1996 until 1997.

Parliamentary career

Julie Kirkbride was the Conservative spokesman on Culture, Media and Sport from 2003 to 2004, but was replaced in a reshuffle by the party leader at that time, Michael Howard.

On 10 November 2006, it was revealed that she had previously undisclosed links with the Midlands Industrial Council, which has donated millions of pounds to the Conservative Party.[1]

Expenses claims

Main article: Disclosure of expenses of British Members of Parliament

On May 14, 2009, her husband Andrew MacKay, the Conservative Member for Bracknell, resigned from his position as parliamentary aide to David Cameron, in the wake of the furore over Parliamentary expenses after what was described as an "unacceptable" expenses claim.[2]

MacKay and Kirkbride own two homes: one in her constituency of Bromsgrove; and a flat close to Parliament in Westminster. In a case of so called double-dipping, according to the Daily Telegraph, Mackay had used his Additional Costs Allowance to claim more than £1,000 a month in mortgage interest payments on their joint Westminster flat—even though he did not have a residence in his Bracknell constituency—while Kirkbride used her Additional Costs Allowance to claim over £900 a month on paying off the mortgage for their family home near her constituency. "This means," reports the Daily Telegraph, "they effectively had no main home but two second homes – and were using public funds to pay for both of them".[3] In 2008/9, MacKay claimed a total of £23,083 under Additional Costs Allowance, while Kirkbride claimed £22,575. They also claimed for each other's travel costs, with Kirkbride claiming £1,392 to meet spouse travel, while MacKay claimed £408.[4][5]

Julie Kirkbride employs her sister at taxpayer's expense as her secretary despite her sister living 140 miles from the constituency. Kirkbride also extended her mortgage to pay for an extension to her house, which she said was to provide a separate bedroom for her son, and claimed for this on expenses.[6] She said she allowed her brother to live rent free in her house some of the time so that he could care for her son, Angus, while she undertook constituency work in the evening.

On May 28 2009 Kirkbride cancelled a meeting in her Bromsgrove constituency to discuss the expense claims,[7] and news was announced that owing to public and press criticism of her expense claims, she intended to stand down at the next election.[8] In a letter to Cameron, she said, "My principal concern has to be for my very loyal local supporters in Bromsgrove whose trust in me has been very humbling in the last few weeks ... I also must take into account the effects on my family." [6] A petition in the Bromsgrove constituency demanding Kirkbride's resignation had amassed over 5,000 signatures.[9] Kirkbride also lost the trust of Tory activists: the results of a poll on the ConservativeHome website showed that 81% of party members thought Kirkbride should go and only 6% that she should remain as a Conservative MP. Shortly before her decision to stand down, she had stated that it never crossed her mind that she was doing anything wrong; however, she was also quoted as saying that it was "hugely upsetting to realise I have let people down".[10]

Personal life

She was engaged to Conservative MP Stephen Milligan before his death by auto-erotic asphyxiation in 1994. [11] In August 1997, she married Andrew MacKay MP, the Conservative Member for Bracknell, and they have a son, Angus Robert (born October 2000) [12] .

References

  1. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/politics_show/6135858.stm
  2. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8049614.stm
  3. ^ "Andrew Mackay resigns over 'unacceptable' claims: MPs' expenses". Daily Telegraph. 2009-05-14. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
  4. ^ "Andrew Mackay resigns over 'unacceptable' claims: MPs' expenses". Daily Telegraph. 2009-05-14. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
  5. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8065511.stm
  6. ^ a b "MPs Kirkbride and Moran to quit", BBC News Online. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  7. ^ "Julie Kirkbride to stand down as MP". skynews. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6379896.ece
  9. ^ "Julie Kirkbride stands down to joy of Bromsgrove constituents", Timesonline, 29 May 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2009. The petition was in part organised by then members of the Respect Party. The chairperson of the campaign, Louise Marnell, dismissed claims of party political motivation: "I was just a normal housewife who wants to see a bit of decency and honesty. It’s been astonishing the amount of support we’ve received. And respect to Julie for listening to the people.”
  10. ^ "Expenses scandal MP Julie Kirkbride finally stands down after series of new revelations". dailymail online. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help);"Julie Kirkbride and Margaret Moran to quit over expenses". guardian.co.uk. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |publish date= ignored (help)
  11. ^ "julie kirkbride-she longed to be a politician". halifaxcourier. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "kirkbride julie". politics.co.uk. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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