Andrew Pelling
Encyclopedia
Andrew John Pelling is a British politician. First elected as a Conservative
he was an independent Member of Parliament
for Croydon Central
and on 30 March 2010 announced his intention to contest the seat as an Independent at the 2010 general election, but lost the seat to his former party. He was also a member of the London Assembly
for Croydon and Sutton
and a councillor in Croydon
.
, Croydon and then New College, Oxford
where he led the Oxford University Conservative Association
He was elected to the position of Librarian of the Oxford Union
, a senior position, and ran for President several times without being elected, on one occasion losing to William Hague
.
Before become a full-time politician, he was an international investment banker.
He was elected to Croydon Council
in 1982 in Broad Green
ward and later represented the ward of Heathfield. He served as Chair first of the Education Committee in the early 1990s and subsequently became Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group when they lost control of the Council in 1994. From 2002 until 2005, he was the leader of the Conservative group in Croydon
and stepped down from the Council in 2006 after 24 years.
Pelling was first elected to the London Assembly in 2000, and retained his seat in 2004. He was a member of the London Development Agency
and chaired the GLA budget committee.
, he won the Croydon Central parliamentary seat by 75 votes, beating the incumbent Labour
's Geraint Davies.
On 28 May 2007 Pelling was one of 18 Conservative MPs to vote in favour of an amendment to the Freedom of Information Act proposed by David Maclean
, which would have seen the Houses of Parliament and MPs exempted from the disclosure requirements of the Act.
However, he is 625th out of 646 MPs in the expenses league table and did not take a second-home allowance.
On 18 September 2007 Pelling was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his wife Lucy after the Metropolitan Police
received a complaint. He was released on bail later that night after being questioned. The police later announced that no charges were to be made against Pelling nor would the Crown Prosecution Service
prosecute. The allegations caused the Conservative Party to suspend the whip
, suspending him from the party.
December 2007, Pelling announced that he would not seek re-election for Parliament nor the London Assembly, but he subsequently decided to contest the Croydon Central seat as an Independent, saying "I am very much up for representing Croydon for another term, there are lots of important issues to speak about." He said that as an Independent, he has the political freedom to best serve Croydon.
He has been quoted as saying "Independence has allowed me to do politics differently, enabling me to put Croydon residents ahead of party politics and to lobby effectively for Croydon by being non-partisan. I do not have to obey party bosses and so can speak out for Croydon and on issues like immigration, an EU membership referendum and foolish overseas wars that the parties prefer not to speak of."
According to Pelling's own website, "The Leader of London’s Green Party once called me 'the acceptable face of Conservatism'." When he was on the GLA, the Mayor Ken Livingstone said "although he is a wicked Conservative, I do suggest you ask your Local GLA Member, Andrew Pelling, because he does take up local issues".
Pelling lost his seat to the Conservatives at the 2010 general election. He is still active in political circles, attending the 2010 Labour Party Conference in Manchester. In February 2011 it was announced that he had joined the Labour Party.
1989 and 2005, and the couple have three children all educated at local schools. In 2006, Pelling married Lucy. They have since separated.
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
he was an independent Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Croydon Central
Croydon Central (UK Parliament constituency)
The comparison is with the notional 2005 result for the new boundaries which made Croydon Central a Labour defence.-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:- Notes and references :...
and on 30 March 2010 announced his intention to contest the seat as an Independent at the 2010 general election, but lost the seat to his former party. He was also a member of the London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
for Croydon and Sutton
Croydon and Sutton (London Assembly constituency)
Croydon and Sutton is a constituency represented in the London Assembly.It consists of the combined area of the London Borough of Croydon and the London Borough of Sutton....
and a councillor in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
.
Education and local government
Pelling and his family have lived in Croydon for six generations. He was educated at the Trinity SchoolTrinity School of John Whitgift
The Trinity School of John Whitgift, usually referred to as Trinity School, is a British independent boys' day school with a co-educational Sixth Form, located in Shirley Park, Croydon. The current building was constructed in 1965 on the site of the former Shirley Hotel...
, Croydon and then New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
where he led the Oxford University Conservative Association
Oxford University Conservative Association
The Oxford University Conservative Association, or OUCA is a student political organisation founded in 1924 whose members are drawn from the University of Oxford...
He was elected to the position of Librarian of the Oxford Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
, a senior position, and ran for President several times without being elected, on one occasion losing to William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
.
Before become a full-time politician, he was an international investment banker.
He was elected to Croydon Council
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
in 1982 in Broad Green
Broad Green (ward)
Broad Green is a ward in the London Borough of Croydon, corresponding to the west Croydon area of London in the United Kingdom. The much smaller area known as Broad Green is divided between this ward and the neighbouring ward of Selhurst. Broad Green extends from central Croydon to the south to the...
ward and later represented the ward of Heathfield. He served as Chair first of the Education Committee in the early 1990s and subsequently became Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group when they lost control of the Council in 1994. From 2002 until 2005, he was the leader of the Conservative group in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
and stepped down from the Council in 2006 after 24 years.
Pelling was first elected to the London Assembly in 2000, and retained his seat in 2004. He was a member of the London Development Agency
London Development Agency
The London Development Agency is the Regional Development Agency for Greater London, England. It is a functional body of the Greater London Authority...
and chaired the GLA budget committee.
Political career
At the 2005 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, he won the Croydon Central parliamentary seat by 75 votes, beating the incumbent Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
's Geraint Davies.
On 28 May 2007 Pelling was one of 18 Conservative MPs to vote in favour of an amendment to the Freedom of Information Act proposed by David Maclean
David Maclean
David John Maclean, Baron Blencathra is a Conservative Party life peer. He was the Member of Parliament for Penrith and The Border from 1983 to 2010.-Biography:...
, which would have seen the Houses of Parliament and MPs exempted from the disclosure requirements of the Act.
However, he is 625th out of 646 MPs in the expenses league table and did not take a second-home allowance.
On 18 September 2007 Pelling was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his wife Lucy after the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
received a complaint. He was released on bail later that night after being questioned. The police later announced that no charges were to be made against Pelling nor would the Crown Prosecution Service
Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
prosecute. The allegations caused the Conservative Party to suspend the whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
, suspending him from the party.
December 2007, Pelling announced that he would not seek re-election for Parliament nor the London Assembly, but he subsequently decided to contest the Croydon Central seat as an Independent, saying "I am very much up for representing Croydon for another term, there are lots of important issues to speak about." He said that as an Independent, he has the political freedom to best serve Croydon.
He has been quoted as saying "Independence has allowed me to do politics differently, enabling me to put Croydon residents ahead of party politics and to lobby effectively for Croydon by being non-partisan. I do not have to obey party bosses and so can speak out for Croydon and on issues like immigration, an EU membership referendum and foolish overseas wars that the parties prefer not to speak of."
According to Pelling's own website, "The Leader of London’s Green Party once called me 'the acceptable face of Conservatism'." When he was on the GLA, the Mayor Ken Livingstone said "although he is a wicked Conservative, I do suggest you ask your Local GLA Member, Andrew Pelling, because he does take up local issues".
Pelling lost his seat to the Conservatives at the 2010 general election. He is still active in political circles, attending the 2010 Labour Party Conference in Manchester. In February 2011 it was announced that he had joined the Labour Party.
Personal life
Pelling was married to Sanae for 16 years c.Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1989 and 2005, and the couple have three children all educated at local schools. In 2006, Pelling married Lucy. They have since separated.