James Clappison
Encyclopedia
William James Clappison, commonly known as James Clappison, (born 14 September 1956) British
barrister
and Conservative Party
politician
. He is the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Hertsmere
, and serves as Vice Chairman of the Conservative Friends of Israel
group.
farmer
, James Clappison was born in Beverley
, East Riding of Yorkshire
and educated at the independent St Peter's School, York
, before attending The Queen's College, Oxford where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts
in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1978. While at Queen's, he was elected to the presidency of the Junior Common Room as a Conservative. He was called to the Bar
at Gray's Inn
in 1981 and has been a practising barrister since. He married Helen Margherita Carter in July 1984 in Leeds and they have a son (born March 1987) and three daughters (born April 1985, August 1989 and April 1995).
parliamentary seat of Barnsley East at the 1987 General Election
where he came second, some 23,511 votes behind Terry Patchett
. He also contested the Yorkshire South
European Parliament
seat at the Euro elections of 1989. He was selected to fight the May 1990 Bootle by-election following the death of Allan Roberts
. He was defeated by Mike Carr
by 23,517 votes. Carr served as the Labour MP for Bootle
for just 57 days before he died of a heart attack
on 20 July 1990. Clappison contested Bootle again at the November by-election where he was defeated heavily once more by the new Labour candidate Joe Benton
to the tune of 19,465 votes. He was rewarded for his efforts by securing the nomination for the safe Conservative seat of Hertsmere, which became vacant on the retirement of Cecil Parkinson
. James Clappison was safely elected at the 1992 General Election
with a majority of 18,735. He made his maiden speech
on 19 May 1992, during which he spoke of the organised crimes and anti-Semitism
against his Jewish
constituents.
On his election he became the Parliamentary Private Secretary
to Emily Blatch at the Department of Education, and from 1994 at the Home Office
. He was promoted to government by John Major
in 1995 as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment
until the defeat of the Major government at the 1997 General Election
. Since the 1997 general election
, Clappison has been a Shadow Home Office Minister, before being moved to Education and Employment by William Hague
in 1999 and then to be a Shadow Treasury Minister in 2000. Under the leadership of Iain Duncan Smith
he was a Shadow Work and Pensions
Minister until he left the frontbench in 2002, and has been a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee since. He was Shadow Work and Pensions
Minister again until the 2010 general election.
In 2009, Mr Clappison was involved in the Parliamentary expenses scandal
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and Conservative Party
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He is the 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,...
(MP) for Hertsmere
Hertsmere (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:- Notes and references :...
, and serves as Vice Chairman of the Conservative Friends of Israel
Conservative Friends of Israel
Conservative Friends of Israel, abbreviated to CFI, is a British parliamentary group affiliated to the Conservative Party and dedicated to strengthening business, cultural and political ties between the United Kingdom and Israel. CFI is an unincorporated associationIt was founded by the late...
group.
Personal life
The son of a YorkshireYorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
, James Clappison was born in Beverley
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood. The town is noted for Beverley Minster and architecturally-significant religious buildings along New Walk and other areas, as well as the Beverley...
, East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
and educated at the independent St Peter's School, York
St Peter's School, York
St Peter's School is a co-educational independent boarding and day school located in the English City of York, with extensive grounds on the banks of the River Ouse...
, before attending The Queen's College, Oxford where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1978. While at Queen's, he was elected to the presidency of the Junior Common Room as a Conservative. He was called to the Bar
Call to the bar
The Call to the Bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party, and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received a "call to the bar"...
at Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1981 and has been a practising barrister since. He married Helen Margherita Carter in July 1984 in Leeds and they have a son (born March 1987) and three daughters (born April 1985, August 1989 and April 1995).
Parliamentary career
He contested the safe LabourLabour 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...
parliamentary seat of Barnsley East at the 1987 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
where he came second, some 23,511 votes behind Terry Patchett
Terry Patchett
Terry Patchett was a politician in the United Kingdom.Born in Staincross, Barnsley, Patchett served as Member of Parliament for Barnsley East until his death, and was a member of the Labour Party. In Parliament he worked for the mining communities of Yorkshire. He died in office in Sheffield aged...
. He also contested the Yorkshire South
Yorkshire South (European Parliament constituency)
Yorkshire South was a European Parliament constituency covering most of South Yorkshire in England.Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales...
European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
seat at the Euro elections of 1989. He was selected to fight the May 1990 Bootle by-election following the death of Allan Roberts
Allan Roberts
Allan Roberts was a British politician who was a Labour Member of Parliament from 1979 until his death. A teacher and social worker before his election, he was a member of the left-wing of the party.-Early life:...
. He was defeated by Mike Carr
Michael Carr (Labour politician)
Michael Carr was a British Labour Party politician who served as Member of Parliament for Bootle for 57 days in 1990 from his election until his death. He was a dockworker who later became a trade union official, but his political rise was assisted by the help he gave the Labour Party leadership...
by 23,517 votes. Carr served as the Labour MP for Bootle
Bootle (UK Parliament constituency)
Bootle is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. Since 1990 the MP has been Joe Benton of the Labour Party...
for just 57 days before he died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on 20 July 1990. Clappison contested Bootle again at the November by-election where he was defeated heavily once more by the new Labour candidate Joe Benton
Joe Benton
Joseph Edward Benton is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Bootle since 1990.-Early life:...
to the tune of 19,465 votes. He was rewarded for his efforts by securing the nomination for the safe Conservative seat of Hertsmere, which became vacant on the retirement of Cecil Parkinson
Cecil Parkinson
Cecil Parkinson, Baron Parkinson, PC , is a British Conservative politician and former Cabinet Minister.-Early life:...
. James Clappison was safely elected at the 1992 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
with a majority of 18,735. He made his maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
on 19 May 1992, during which he spoke of the organised crimes and anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
against his Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
constituents.
On his election he became the Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to Emily Blatch at the Department of Education, and from 1994 at the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
. He was promoted to government by John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
in 1995 as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment
Secretary of State for the Environment
The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...
until the defeat of the Major government at the 1997 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
. Since the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, Clappison has been a Shadow Home Office Minister, before being moved to Education and Employment by 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...
in 1999 and then to be a Shadow Treasury Minister in 2000. Under the leadership of Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
he was a Shadow Work and Pensions
Department for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
Minister until he left the frontbench in 2002, and has been a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee since. He was Shadow Work and Pensions
Department for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
Minister again until the 2010 general election.
In 2009, Mr Clappison was involved in the Parliamentary expenses scandal
United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal triggered by the leak and subsequent publication by the Telegraph Group in 2009 of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament over several years...
.
External links
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: James Clappison MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - James Clappison MP
- The Public Whip - James Clappison MP voting record
- BBC News - James Clappison profile 10 February 2005