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Richard Howitt (politician)

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For other people named Richard Howitt, see Richard Howitt (disambiguation).
Richard Howitt
MEP
Richard Howitt speaking at the 2016 Labour Party Conference
Member of the European Parliament
for the East of England
In office
10 June 1999 – 2 November 2016
Preceded byPosition established
Member of the European Parliament
for Essex South
In office
9 June 1994 – 10 June 1999
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born (1961-04-05) 5 April 1961 (age 63)
Reading, Berkshire
Political partyPES / Labour
Alma materLady Margaret Hall, Oxford

Richard Stuart Howitt (born 5 April 1961) is Chief Executive Officer of the International Integrated Reporting Council taking over from Paul Druckman.[1] He was Member of the European Parliament for the Labour Party for the East of England between 1994 and 2016.

Background

Howitt was born in Reading, Berkshire. He was brought up in a single-parent family, in a council house, and went to a comprehensive school.[2] He graduated with a BA degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford in 1982 and has a Postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies from the University of Hertfordshire.[3]

After leaving university, he worked for four years in the voluntary sector and eight years for a disability organisation.

Political activity

Howitt served as a councillor on Harlow District Council from 1983 to 1995, including three years as Leader of the council.[3] He was the Labour Party candidate in Billericay in the 1987 general election.[3]

Howitt was elected as a MEP to the European Parliament, representing the Essex South constituency, and served for the East of England constituency from 1999 to 2016. Howitt helped to negotiate a £22 million European Union fund to help finance food banks in the UK, but in 2013 the UK government refused to accept the funds. Howitt stated:

It is very sad that our government is opposing this much-needed help for foodbanks on the basis that it is a national responsibility, when in reality it has no intention of providing the help itself. The only conclusion is that Conservative anti-European ideology is being put before the needs of the most destitute and deprived in our society.[4]

Howitt has been a member of the Labour Party's National Policy Forum since 1994.[3]

In September 2016 Howitt announced his resignation from the European Parliament to become chief executive of the International Integrated Reporting Council. The Labour candidate next on the party list from the 2014 European Elections, Alex Mayer, replaced him as MEP.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ http://www.publicfinanceinternational.org/news/2016/09/iirc-appoints-richard-howitt-new-chief-executive
  2. ^ "biography". Richard Howitt. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d "Richard Howitt". European Parliament. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  4. ^ Watt, Nicholas (17 December 2013). "Government under fire for rejecting European Union food bank funding". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  5. ^ Conor Pope (5 September 2016). "Senior MEP Richard Howitt to quit Brussels for financial services job". LabourList. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  6. ^ Sophie Day (27 October 2016). "East of England MEP bids farewall to European Parliament role". The Hunts Post. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
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