Mike Amesbury
Mike Amesbury | |
|---|---|
 Amesbury in 2020 | |
| Shadow Minister of State for Housing and Planning | |
| Assumed office 9 April 2020 | |
| Leader | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Sarah Jones |
| Shadow Minister of State for Employment | |
| In office 10 July 2018 – 9 April 2020 | |
| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Margaret Greenwood |
| Succeeded by | Seema Malhotra |
| Member of Parliament for Weaver Vale | |
| Assumed office 8 June 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Graham Evans |
| Majority | 562 (1.1%) |
| Member of Manchester City Council for Fallowfield Ward | |
| In office 4 May 2006 – 27 July 2017 | |
| Preceded by | John-Paul Wilkins |
| Succeeded by | Ali-Raza Ilyas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wythenshawe, Manchester, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | Bradford University University of Central England |
| Website | www |
Michael Lee Amesbury is a British Labour Party politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Weaver Vale since 2017. He was appointed Shadow Minister of State for Housing and Planning in 2020, previously holding the office of Shadow Minister of State for Employment.
Education
Amesbury was born on 7 May 1969 in Wythenshawe, Manchester.[1][2][3] He was educated at Ilkley College and the University of Central England.[4]
Career
A careers advisor by trade, Amesbury previously worked as a manager with the Connexions careers advice service. He also worked as Senior Parliamentary Advisor to Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner and as political advisor and stakeholder manager on Andy Burnham's successful campaign to become Mayor of Greater Manchester.[5] He was a director of City South Manchester Housing Trust, an award-winning social enterprise providing affordable housing in the Fallowfield, Hulme, Moss Side and Whalley Range areas of south Manchester. He also served as a policy advisor to Tameside Council.
Political career
Amesbury joined the Labour Party as a 17-year-old after moving with his family to Yorkshire, where he says he was politicised by the impact on local families of Margaret Thatcher's political policies and the subsequent miners' strike.[3]
He served as a Regional Officer and Fundraising and Events Manager for Labour and was later elected to the party's National Policy Forum (NPF)—the policy making arm of The Labour Party.
Amesbury was elected to Manchester City Council representing Fallowfield Ward in 2006,[6] defeating the incumbent Liberal Democrat, and subsequently winning re-election in 2010 and 2014.[7][8] Rising to the position of Executive Member for Culture and Leisure, he helped bring the National Football Museum to the city.[9] He stood down following his election to the House of Commons, triggering a by-election in his ward in July 2017.[10]
Amesbury gained the Weaver Vale constituency from the Conservative incumbent Graham Evans in the 2017 general election on a swing of 4.3%.[11] He was named Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Shadow Department for Work and Pensions team in January 2018, and in July of the same year was promoted to Shadow Employment Minister.[12][13]
He is a member of the UNISON and GMB trade unions. He campaigned for 'remain' in the 2016 EU membership referendum.[14]
In 2019, Amesbury apologised for having shared an antisemitic caricature on Facebook in 2013, stating “I apologise unreservedly for this terrible error. I genuinely don’t recall sharing this image and I’m mortified that I did so. This appalling image image contains an antisemitic caricature and a reference to the ‘illuminati’ conspiracy theory. I would never have intentionally shared antisemitic tropes and I am sincerely sorry that I did.”[15]
Amesbury was appointed as Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning in a reshuffle following Keir Starmer's election as Labour leader.[16]
In March 2020, Amesbury put forward a Private member's bill on education for a second reading. The Bill is seeking to reduce the cost of school uniforms.[17]
In 2020 Amesbury became one of four vice-chairs of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Whistleblowing which has been subject to criticism by some campaigners on whistleblowing law reform.[18][19]
Personal life
Amesbury is married with a young son.[3]
He is a Manchester United fan and his interests include rugby league and indie music.[20]
References
- ^ "No. 61961". The London Gazette. 19 June 2017. p. 11780.
- ^ "Mike Amesbury MP". myparliament.info. MyParliament. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ a b c "Interview with Mike Amesbury MP". TalkPolitics. 2017-10-07. Archived from the original on 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
- ^ Amesbury. "Amesbury, Mike". Who's Who. Vol. 2018 (February 2018 online ed.). A & C Black.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: Unknown parameter|accessed=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|othernames=ignored (help) (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2019-12-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Election results - Local elections 2006 | Manchester City Council". www.manchester.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
- ^ "Election results - Local elections 2010 | Manchester City Council". www.manchester.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
- ^ "Election results - Local elections 2014 | Manchester City Council". www.manchester.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
- ^ News, Manchester Evening (2011-09-21). "Mather & Co scores with National Football Museum contract". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Fallowfield By Election 27 July 2017 | Fallowfield By Election 27 July 2017 | Manchester City Council". secure.manchester.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
- ^ BBC News: Election results 2017: Labour gains Weaver Vale, Warrington South and Crewe and Nantwich Archived 2018-10-08 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 9 June 2017)
- ^ "Mike Amesbury promoted to Labour's Shadow team". Northwich Guardian. Archived from the original on 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
- ^ "Appointments to Labour's frontbench – The Labour Party". The Labour Party. Archived from the original on 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
- ^ McDougall, John (12 November 2019). "Here's the Labour candidate's policies for Weaver Vale". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ Sugarman, Daniel (13 March 2019). "Labour Shadow Minister Mike Amesbury apologises for sharing 'antisemitic caricature' – after denying he had". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ "Mike Amesbury given shadow ministerial role by new Labour leader". Northwich Guardian. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
- ^ https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2020-03-13/debates/5B43E213-2C7C-44F7-85BD-C275A27F8B14/Education(GuidanceAboutCostsOfSchoolUniforms)Bill?highlight=mike%20amesbury#contribution-C62F126A-CE31-42F2-BB98-6D96D532273C
- ^ "Meet the team". APPG Whistleblowing. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
- ^ "Home". The Whistler. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
- ^ "Interviewing Mike Amesbury MP". TalkPolitics. Archived from the original on 2018-07-17. Retrieved 2018-10-25.