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Stuart Andrew

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Stuart James Andrew
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 September 2016
LeaderTheresa May
Preceded byChloe Smith
Member of Parliament
for Pudsey
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded byPaul Truswell
Majority331 (0.7%)[1]
Personal details
Born (1971-11-25) 25 November 1971 (age 52)
Isle of Anglesey, Wales, UK
Political partyConservative (pre 1998, 2000-); Labour (1998-2000)
Residence(s)Guiseley, West Yorkshire, England, UK
Websitestuartandrew.com
parliament..stuart-andrew

Stuart James Andrew (born 25 November 1971) is a Welsh Conservative MP for the Pudsey constituency in West Yorkshire.

Early life

He grew up in the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, and later attended Ysgol David Hughes in Menai Bridge. After leaving school he worked as a fundraiser for the British Heart Foundation. Before being elected to parliament he led the fundraising team for Martin House Hospice.[2]

Career

Andrew was first elected as a Conservative councillor in Wrexham in 1995. He then stood as a Conservative candidate in the 1997 Parliamentary election in Wrexham. In 1998 whilst still serving as a councillor he defected to the Labour Party, citing issues with the "direction of the party".[3]

Two years after losing his council seat, he rejoined the Conservative Party and moved to Leeds. He served as a Leeds City Council Councillor from 2003–2010, initially representing the Aireborough ward, and following boundary changes representing the Guiseley and Rawdon ward. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Pudsey in the general election on 6 May 2010.[citation needed]

In October 2010, it was reported that Andrew joined the Welsh Affairs Select Committee.[4] 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,[5] but the Pudsey MP tweeted the next day that, "I'm OK."[6]

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 Coalition and also the Labour Party with Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Sadiq Khan saying he backed the bill.[7]

At the 2015 general election, the Pudsey seat was considered to be one of the most marginal in the country. However, Andrew retained the seat through increasing his majority to 4501. He now serves as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Patrick McLoughlin, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Chairman of the Conservative Party.

Andrew is a patron of LGBTory.[8][9]

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”.[10]

Andrew was appointed Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party, with particular responsibility for cities, on 23 September 2016.[11]

Andrew supported Brexit in the 2016 referendum.[12]

At the 2017 general election, Andrew was re-elected with a slightly increased vote, but a majority of just 331.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Election 2017: Pudsey". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  2. ^ "'Equality' was said so often it became as bruised as an old peach". Daily Mail. London, UK.
  3. ^ "Tory battling in marginal criticised for switching sides". Yorkshire Post. 9 April 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  4. ^ "Yorkshire Tory MP on Welsh Affairs Committee". Wales Online. 28 October 2010.
  5. ^ Watt, Nicholas; Mulholland, Helene (24 February 2012). "Eric Joyce stripped of Labour whip after allegations of Commons assault". The Guardian. London.
  6. ^ Joe Murphy, "MP goes berserk in Commons bar brawl", The Evening Standard, 23 February 2012.
  7. ^ "MP bids to allow prisoners' mobile phones to be sold off". BBC News. 14 September 2012.
  8. ^ "Updated: Out gay Tory shadow ministers retain seats". Pink News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  9. ^ "Patrons". LGBTory. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  10. ^ Blanchard, Jack (22 May 2013). "Leeds MP beaten unconscious in homophobic attack hits out at Tory gay marriage rebels". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  11. ^ "Stuart Andrew MP on Twitter". Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  12. ^ 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.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Pudsey
2010 		Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stuart_Andrew&oldid=787300213"