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Richard Harrington, Baron Harrington of Watford

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Richard Harrington
MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Industry
In office
14 June 2017 – 25 March 2019
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Sec. of StateGreg Clark
Preceded byJesse Norman
Succeeded byTBD
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Pensions
In office
17 July 2016 – 14 June 2017
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Preceded byThe Baroness Altmann (Minister of State)
Succeeded byGuy Opperman
Under Secretary of State for Syrian Refugees
In office
14 September 2015 – 17 July 2016
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Theresa May
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPosition abolished[1]
Member of Parliament
for Watford
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded byClaire Ward
Majority2,092 (3.6%)
Personal details
Born (1957-11-04) 4 November 1957 (age 66)
Leeds, England, UK
Political partyConservative
Alma materKeble College, Oxford
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

Richard Irwin Harrington[2] MP (born 4 November 1957)[3] is a British Conservative Party politician, businessman, and former property developer and hotelier.[4] Since the 2010 general election he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Watford. He was the Minister for Business & Industry from June 2017 to March 2019.

Early life

Harrington was born on 4 November 1957 in Leeds to a British Jewish family.[5] He was privately educated at Leeds Grammar School and Keble College, Oxford University, where he studied Jurisprudence. While at Oxford, he sat on the Executive Board of the Federation of Conservative Students and was a member of the National Union Executive of the Party.[6] He began his career in business with a graduate scheme at the John Lewis Partnership, where he eventually became the assistant to the managing director of Waitrose; this included a period working at Trewins Department Store in Watford.[6]

Career

In 1983, he founded Harvington Properties, a property development company, with two friends from university. In 1990, Harrington became a shareholder and managing director of a company active in the development, sales and management of holiday resorts in both the UK and Europe. The company was sold to a listed American company at the end of the decade. Harrington stayed on as chairman until 2000. When he left, the company employed more than 2,000 people.[6] Other notable work in property development included the restoration of one of Glasgow’s most famous hotels, One Devonshire Gardens.[4]

Harrington supports a range of charities and has been a trustee of the Variety Club Children’s Society.[7] He is also trustee of several charities in Watford.[6]

Politics

Harrington is a long-time member of the Conservative Party, in which he has played an active part since 1983, and supporter of Kenneth Clarke.[8] Until March 2010 he was chairman of the Executive Board of the Conservative Friends of Israel, which, during his tenure, had quadrupled in size financially.[6] He was appointed a treasurer of the Conservative Party in 2008, the role in which he launched the Number 10 Club with Sir John Major.[9]

Harrington won the Watford constituency from Claire Ward at the 2010 general election with a majority of 1425. He was the first of the 2010 intake to make his maiden speech.[10][11]

Since his election, Harrington has also been elected as General Secretary of the All Party Parliamentary Kashmir Group (until 2015), Vice Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Film Industry Group, and a member of the International Development Select Committee between July 2010 - November 2012. He has run a number of successful community projects in Watford including six jobs fairs and a Community Exchange. His main areas of interest are cutting local unemployment, supporting business in the constituency and progressing the significant infrastructure projects in Watford including the redeveloping Watford Junction and the Watford Health Campus. In September 2012, Harrington was appointed as a Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party. In the 2012/2013 Parliamentary Session, Harrington successfully brought in a Private Members Bill to criminalise the unlawful subletting of social housing property.

In May 2015, Harrington was re-elected as Watford's Member of Parliament, with a 9,794 majority, increasing the Conservative share of the vote by 8.5%. A month later, in June 2015, Harrington was appointed as the Prime Minister's apprenticeships' adviser. On 14 September 2015 Harrington was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State with responsibility for Syrian refugees, reporting primarily to the Home Secretary, Theresa May.[12]

Harrington was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions in Theresa May's first government reshuffle on 17 July 2016, with his former position left vacant and effectively abolished.[13][14][1]

In the 2017 snap general election, Harrington was re-elected with a reduced majority of 2,092.[15] Harrington moved to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in the subsequent cabinet reshuffle.

Having helped secure Government funding for the Croxley Rail Link[16] Harrington expressed frustration with Sadiq Khan, the Labour Mayor of London, for not progressing the project in February 2018, despite Harrington securing an extra £73 million from the Government.[citation needed] In response Labour representatives argued that central Government funding should be provided for a project that is located outside of London and that "a more balanced approach, seeking the Department for Transport and TFL to work closely together is what is needed".[17]

In early 2019, Harrington warned of the risks of a "no-deal" Brexit.[18] On 25 March 2019 he resigned from the government to vote for Oliver Letwin’s amendment.[19]

Alternative medicine

In June 2010 he supported and signed an early day motion in support of the continuation of National Health Service funding for homeopathy, a motion sponsored by Conservative MP David Tredinnick.[20]

Personal life

Harrington was married in 1982 to Jessie and they separated in December 2013. They have 2 grown-up sons.[16]

References

  1. ^ a b Walker, Peter (25 July 2016). "Theresa May's scrapping of minister for refugees 'utterly disgraceful'". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 26 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "No. 61230". The London Gazette. 18 May 2015. p. 9122.
  3. ^ "HARRINGTON, Richard : Who's Who". Ukwhoswho.com. 4 November 1957. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  4. ^ a b Sheila Hamilton, "He's welcomed biggest stars on earth to Glasgow – now Stephen faces new challenge", Evening Times, Glasgow, 22 April 2006.
  5. ^ Jessica Elgot. "New Jewish ministers and the Miliband rivalry". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 16 May 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e "Richard Harrington – Parliamentary Candidate for Watford". Conservative Party (UK). Archived from the original on 30 April 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Independent Auditors' Report to the Members, The Variety Club Children's Charity.
  8. ^ Rebecca Paveley, "The Lost Voters Who Prefer Clarke", Daily Mail, London, 10 August 2001.
  9. ^ "Donor Clubs". Conservatives.com. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Parliamentary debates". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 25 May 2010. col. 80–82. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2019. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Richard Harrington, Mark Spencer and David Morris are the first of the 2010 Conservative intake to make their maiden speeches". Conservative Home. Archived from the original on 29 May 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Home Office Minister with responsibility for Syrian refugees appointed". www.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "New ministerial and government appointments announced on July 17 2016". Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. 17 July 2016. Archived from the original on 17 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Theresa May criticised for scrapping Syrian refugees minister post held by Watford's MP". Watford Observer. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ "Conservatives hold on to Watford seat but see majority slashed from 10,000 to 2,000". Watford Observer. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ a b "About Richard". Conservatives.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "MP for Watford slams claims Mayor of London wanted Met Line Extension to go ahead". Watford Observer. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ editor, Michael Savage Observer policy (2 February 2019). "Voters will never forgive Tories for a no-deal disaster, says minister". Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019 – via www.theguardian.com. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help); Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/business-minister-richard-harrington-resigns-from-government-over-brexit-indicative-votes-a4100621.html
  20. ^ Tredinnick, David (29 June 2010). "Early Day Motion #284 British Medical Association Motions on Homeopathy". Edmi.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 22 October 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Watford
2010–present 		Incumbent
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