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Andrew Fisher (political activist)

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Andrew Fisher
Fisher in 2020
Born (1979-12-28) 28 December 1979 (age 44)[1][2]
Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
NationalityBritish
Occupations
  • policy advisor
  • activist
  • writer
  • trade unionist
Political partyLabour

Andrew Fisher (born 28 December 1979) is an English political adviser and researcher, writer, and trade unionist. He was a senior policy adviser to Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn from 2015 to 2019[3][4][5] and was described as Corbyn's head of policy by some sources.[6][7]

Early life

Fisher was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire and grew up in Worthing, West Sussex.[8][9] He holds a Master of Arts in Politics.[10][11]

Professional career

Fisher worked as a parliamentary researcher for six years, and was policy officer at the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) trade union. According to Labour List,[12] in 2006 he co-founded the Left Economics Advisory Panel (LEAP), a body chaired by John McDonnell.[13]

After Jeremy Corbyn became Leader of the Labour Party in September 2015, Fisher was appointed as an adviser.[12] In November 2015, he was suspended from the Labour Party, following complaints from other Labour party members, for appearing to endorse a Class War candidate in the May 2015 general election.[4][6] In a statement, Corbyn stated that he still had full confidence in him.[14][15] Fisher apologised and said that he had been misinterpreted. His suspension was lifted by the Labour National Executive Committee later in the month, and he was issued with a warning.[16]

On 21 September 2019, he announced that he was resigning before the end of the year to spend more time with his family.[17] He had a key role in the party's campaign in the December 2019 general election. [18]

Writing

Fisher has also maintained a blog at LEAP Economics.[10] He is the author of The Failed Experiment: And How to Build an Economy that Works, a book published in 2014 about the financial crisis of 2007–2008. According to one reviewer, the book "argues for the urgent need for a fundamental democratisation of the economy, and recognises this will require a re-intensification of popular struggles."[19]

Fisher wrote an online article for The Guardian in the aftermath of the 2019 general election, published on 17 December 2019.[3] He wrote another which was published on 18 January 2020, regarding the 2020 Labour Party deputy leadership election.[20]

In The i on 17 February 2020, he wrote regarding the legacy of Tony Blair and New Labour.[21]

Television

Fisher appeared on the BBC's Politics Live on 13 January 2020, with Steve Baker, Anneliese Dodds and Sarah Baxter.[22] He was also interviewed by Katie Razzall for the BBC's Newsnight on 17 January 2020, regarding the 2020 Labour Party leadership election.[23]

Personal life

Fisher is married with a son and has lived in Croydon since 2006.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Andrew Jameson, "Croydon man's book sheds light on financial crisis", Croydon Advertiser, 8 June 2014 Archived 24 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 November 2015
  2. ^ Matt Zarb-Cousin (28 December 2018). "@FisherAndrew79 happy birthday chief, 39 today but you somehow still have the complexion of a university fresher". Retrieved 26 December 2020 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ a b Fisher, Andrew (17 December 2019). "There is a lot to criticise. But Corbyn and McDonnell have transformed Labour | Andrew Fisher | Opinion". The Guardian.
  4. ^ a b Sparrow, Andrew; Johnston, Chris (7 November 2015). "Labour suspends Corbyn political adviser Andrew Fisher". the Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Corbyn aide Andrew Fisher suspended by Labour Party". BBC News. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Jeremy Corbyn's adviser Andrew Fisher has been suspended by the Labour Party". The Independent. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Corbyn policy head Andrew Fisher suspended from Labour over tweets". New Statesman. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  8. ^ "Corbyn policy aide Andrew Fisher: 'We changed politics'". Inside Croydon. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  9. ^ Andrew Fisher (4 August 2017). "Tremendous result in the town where I grew up!". Retrieved 26 December 2020 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ a b "About the author", The Failed Experiment, The Radical Read Project deadlink Archived 8 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 November 2015
  11. ^ "People & Politics: The Failed Experiment – Conversation with Andrew Fisher". Book and Kitchen. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Who’s been hired to work in Corbyn’s office?", Labour List, 18 September 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015
  13. ^ "Beyond the conference", LEAP Economics, 26 May 2008. Retrieved 10 November 2015
  14. ^ Toby Helm and Daniel Boffey (6 November 2015). "Corbyn adviser Andrew Fisher faces new claim of disloyalty". The Guardian.
  15. ^ "Jeremy Corbyn criticised for standing by suspended aide". BBC News. 7 November 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  16. ^ "Labour aide Fisher warned over conduct as suspension lifted", BBC News, 27 November 2015
  17. ^ "Andrew Fisher: Jeremy Corbyn's senior aide to quit", BBC News, 21 September 2019
  18. ^ https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jan/21/crushed-by-brexit-how-labour-lost-the-election
  19. ^ Michael Calderbank, Review of The Failed Experiment, RedPepper.org. Retrieved 9 November 2015
  20. ^ Fisher, Andrew (18 January 2020). "Labour's deputy leader has a crucial role. And it's time to define exactly what that is | Andrew Fisher | Opinion". The Guardian.
  21. ^ Fisher, Andrew (17 February 2020). "Labour needs to leave Tony Blair behind - he would never get elected now". The i.
  22. ^ Politics Live on BBC iPlayer, 13 January 2020
  23. ^ Newsnight on BBC iPlayer, 17 January 2020

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Andrew_Fisher_(political_activist)&oldid=1000813206"