Jump to content

Tom Hunt (politician)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Trueblueipswich (talk | contribs) at 19:49, 13 October 2020. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Tom Hunt
MP
Hunt in 2019
Member of Parliament
for Ipswich
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded bySandy Martin
Majority5,479 (11.0%)
Personal details
Born
Thomas Patrick Hunt

(1988-08-31) 31 August 1988 (age 36)
Ely, Cambridgeshire, England
Political partyConservative
Alma materUniversity of Manchester
University of Oxford
OccupationPolitician
WebsiteOfficial website

Thomas Patrick Hunt[1] (born 31 August 1988)[2] is a British Conservative politician and the serving Member of Parliament for Ipswich.[3] He was elected in 2019 general election with a majority of 5,479, winning 50.3% of the vote.[4]

Earlier in his career, Hunt was also involved in East Anglian politics: between 2011 and 2017, he was a councillor on East Cambridgeshire District Council.[5][6][7] Following the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough devolution deal, Hunt also worked as the Chief of Staff to the elected Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.

Early life

Hunt was born and raised in Ely, Cambridgeshire. His father is a long-serving councillor on Cambridgeshire County Council and East Cambridgeshire District Council. Hunt attended school at King's Ely and Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge. He went on to study at the University of Manchester and Oxford University.[8]

Political career

Local and regional government

In 2011, Hunt was elected as a district councillor for Ely South in East Cambridgeshire. He served on East Cambridgeshire District Council until 2017.

After working for Oliver Dowden MP and the Countryside Alliance, Hunt worked as chief of staff to the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. In July 2020, a government minister Simon Clarke criticised the appointment, saying that the legal advice behind it "contained significant omissions".[9] Some of the Combined Authority's priorities included construction of a metro system for Cambridge, upgrading the A47 in Cambridgeshire to dual carriageway, delivering Peterborough's first university with degree-awarding powers and building more affordable homes.[10] None of these goals was achieved.

2019 general election

Hunt was selected as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Ipswich by the local ImConservative Association in September 2018.[11]At the time, Hunt held a politically restricted post as Chief of Staff for Mayor James Palmer, making it unlawful for him to engage in any political activity. Despite this legal prohibition, Hunt continued to canvass for the Conservative Party in Ipswich until he was elected as an MP in December 2019.

During the run up to the 2019 general election, Hunt said he would prioritise more investment in public services in Suffolk. This was to include more funding for Suffolk Constabulary to tackle county lines gangs and knife crime.[12] He stated that Ipswich had not had a fair deal regarding police funding, and also called for tougher sentencing for those found guilty of serious crime.[8]

Hunt's also wants infrastructure upgrades. He has expressed his support for an Ipswich northern bypass,[13] a solution to closures of Orwell Bridge due to high winds,[14] in addition to better and more reliable rail services.[15]

Hunt was elected as the Member of Parliament for Ipswich on 12 December 2019, defeating the incumbent Labour MP Sandy Martin. He received 24,952 votes, a 50.3% vote share.

Hunt identified Brexit and the unpopularity of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as issues behind the Conservatives' victory in Ipswich. He said being elected to represent Ipswich was the greatest honour of his life.[16]

Member of Parliament for Ipswich

After his election to Parliament in 2019, Hunt said his priorities for Ipswich included anti-social behaviour (against), ensuring good hospital and GP services in the constituency (in favour), and seeking greater investment in roads and the rail network (in favour, if Suffolk).[17]

In his maiden speech, Hunt said that he had been diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia. He supports support of children with special educational needs.[18]

In January 2020 Hunt wrote in an article for the local East Anglian Daily Times newspaper on crime and anti-social behaviour in Ipswich that "It is impossible to start thinking about remedies to these issues without also being ready to confront the possibility that a disproportionate number of crimes are committed by individuals from certain communities. This is something we should be open and honest about. Brushing it under the carpet will not get us closer to solving the issue."[19]

Hunt received largely positive messages from Ipswich residents in response to his article and his stand against minorities,[20] although he was criticised in certain quarters. The Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality called his comments "at best disappointing and at worst an ill-judged piece of dogwhistling."[21] Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner, Tim Passmore, referred to them as "very unhelpful". [22]

Personal life

Hunt has lived in Ipswich since 2018.[16] He is a Newcastle United fan, but he has naturally expressed an affinity for Ipswich Town, where he says he attends matches.[18] Hunt is dyspraxic and dyslexic.[23]

References

  1. ^ "Members Sworn". Hansard.parliament.uk. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  2. ^ Hunt, Tom. "Meet Tom".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Tom Hunt MP". UK Parliament.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "Election 2019". BBC News.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Local Election Results 2011 East Cambridgeshire". Local Elections Archive.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "District Council Election Results - 7th May 2015". East Cambridgeshire District Council.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Ely South Ward - 7th September 2017". East Cambridgeshire District Council.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ a b Jolley, B (13 December 2019). "Ely-born Tom Hunt - until now Mayor James Palmer's chief of staff - is the new Conservative MP for Ipswich". Ely Standard.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ https://www.elystandard.co.uk/news/metro-mayor-james-palmer-dismissive-of-criticism-by-government-minister-1-6752612
  10. ^ "Combined Authority reveals plan for the year ahead". Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. 31 January 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ Geater, P (30 September 2018). "Who'd be a parliamentary candidate? Ipswich Tory Tom Hunt faces a long wait until election". Ipswich Star.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ Hunt, T (13 July 2019). "My Discussion with Boris". YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ Papworth, A (12 August 2019). "Would-be Ipswich MP brands northern bypass opponents 'NIMBYs'". Ipswich Star.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ Noble, J (5 December 2019). "Could major review of Ipswich transport solve town's traffic problems?". East Anglian Daily Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ Geater, P (1 April 2019). "Rail Minister Andrew Jones visits Ipswich to promise improvements in the future". East Anglian Daily Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ a b Geater, P (13 December 2019). "Conservatives take Ipswich from Labour in 2019 General Election". Ipswich Star.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ Geater, P (13 December 2019). "Tom Hunt's first interview as new Ipswich MP". Ipswich Star.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ a b Hunt, Tom (14 January 2020). "Education and Local Government". Hansard.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ Hunt, Tom (10 January 2020). "It's time to rid Ipswich streets of crime". East Anglian Daily Times.
  20. ^ "My latest piece for the Ipswich Star".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ Howlett, Adam (11 January 2020). "Racial equality group criticises Ipswich MP". East Anglian Daily Times.
  22. ^ Geater, Paul (14 January 2020). "Ipswich MP Tom Hunt comes under fire". Ipswich Star.
  23. ^ Papworth, Andrew (10 February 2020). "'I'm very dyspraxic': Ipswich MP Tom Hunt reveals battle with learning difficulties". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Ipswich
2019–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tom_Hunt_(politician)&oldid=983357451"