Nick de Bois
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Nicholas "Nick" de Bois (born 23 February 1959) is a British
Conservative Party
politician, who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament
for Enfield North, defeating the Labour
incumbent MP Joan Ryan
.
De Bois had previously contested the Enfield constituency in both the 2001
and the 2005
general elections, taking second place to Joan Ryan on both occasions. Prior to this he also stood unsuccessfully for Stalybridge and Hyde in 1997
.
He was also Managing Director of Rapiergroup, a marketing communications company, where he first began working in the mid 1980s, following a brief spell in PR
with the Advertising Standards Authority
.
De Bois has four grown up children. Educated at Culford School
, He has an HND
in business studies
from Cambridge College of Arts and Technology.
, since 2004. Under the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey (BEH) Clinical Strategy, Chase Farm was set to have its services "reconfigured", with its 24-hour A&E department replaced with a 12-hour Urgent Care Centre and its consultant-led maternity unit replaced with a midwife-led unit. The issue of cuts to Chase Farm was a key local issue in Enfield North constituency at the 2010 general election. Following the election in May, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley
visited Chase Farm to call a halt to all hospital reconfiguration plans, stating they could only proceed if the plans passed the four tests he had set down. Since this announcement, NHS London and NHS Enfield have stated, following a review, that they believe the four tests have been met. De Bois said this was an attempt to "bully residents into accepting the changes". De Bois stated in the House of Commons that he believes the cuts to Chase Farm "will cost lives", which drew criticism from a Haringey
GP who supports the changes. The final decision rests with the Health Secretary himself, which at present he has not taken.
Nick de Bois is set to lead a deputation to the Health Secretary on 7 March, along with Enfield's two other MPs David Burrowes and Andy Love, plus the leader of Enfield council and other councillors. He raised the issue of Chase Farm directly with David Cameron
at Prime Minister's Questions.
, Tesco
and Barclays) training providers (such as Southgate College
and Capel Manor College
) and voluntary organisations (such as the British Red Cross
), the event aimed to give people a chance to find a job or training placement.
While originally only expecting attendance of between 150 and 300 people, more than 1,200 attended. Nick promised the jobs fair would not just be a one-off, with regular work clubs being set up as a consequence and another mass event being planned within a year.
As part of his campaign, de Bois has written to both the Prime Minister David Cameron
and the Attorney General Dominic Grieve
, seeking their support. He has also collected signatures for a petition supporting the amendment, to be presented to Parliament.
Distribution Centre in Solar Way, Enfield.
Upon hearing about the potential for disorder in the centre of his constituency via the social networking website Twitter
, de Bois arrived in the centre of Enfield Town
at around 18:00 to find a significant number of youths gathering in the town centre. Up until 19:00 de Bois only witnessed one example of disorder involving approximately 150, youths which was quickly dealt with by the police. During the containment of these youths, further disorder occurred further into the town which resulted in a number of locally owned shops being looted. As the disorder continued, de Bois remained in Enfield Town in order to inform his constituents of the on-going situation via his account on Twitter, as many news organisations had been unable to report all of the on-going disorder.
During the disorder, and following it’s culmination, de Bois called for a re-think in the tactics used by the police which would have allowed for the use of water cannons. He publically supported Prime Minister David Cameron’s statement that if the police required them, they could have water cannons at twenty-four hours’ notice.
As part of the Prime Minister’s statement, he re-called Parliament in order for MPs to discuss the disorder that had been experienced throughout England. In his involvement in the debate, de Bois not only paid tribute to the actions of the local police force in Enfield, but also suggested that schools should play a role in identifying those who were involved in the rioting.
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...
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, who was elected at the 2010 general election as 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,...
for Enfield North, defeating the 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...
incumbent MP Joan Ryan
Joan Ryan
Joan Marie Ryan is a politician in the United Kingdom. She was member of Parliament for Enfield North between 1997 and 2010, and is a member of the Labour Party. She had previously been deputy leader of Barnet Council....
.
De Bois had previously contested the Enfield constituency in both the 2001
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
and the 2005
United 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....
general elections, taking second place to Joan Ryan on both occasions. Prior to this he also stood unsuccessfully for Stalybridge and Hyde in 1997
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...
.
He was also Managing Director of Rapiergroup, a marketing communications company, where he first began working in the mid 1980s, following a brief spell in PR
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
with the Advertising Standards Authority
Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)
The Advertising Standards Authority is the self-regulatory organisation of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation. However, its code of advertising practice broadly reflects legislation in many instances...
.
De Bois has four grown up children. Educated at Culford School
Culford School
Culford School is a coeducational HMC and IAPS public school for pupils age 3–18. Founded in 1881, it is situated in Culford, four miles north of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England.-History:...
, He has an HND
Higher National Diploma
A Higher National Diploma is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom. This qualification can be used to gain entry into universities, and is considered equivalent to the first or second year of a university degree course....
in business studies
Business studies
Business studies is an academic subject taught at higher level in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom, as well as at university level in many countries...
from Cambridge College of Arts and Technology.
Hands Off Our Hospital campaign
He led the Hands Off Our Hospital campaign against changes to services at Chase Farm Hospital, EnfieldChase Farm Hospital
Chase Farm Hospital is a hospital in Enfield, north London, run by Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Hospitals Trust as part of the British National Health Service.The oldest part of the hospital was formerly part of a children's home...
, since 2004. Under the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey (BEH) Clinical Strategy, Chase Farm was set to have its services "reconfigured", with its 24-hour A&E department replaced with a 12-hour Urgent Care Centre and its consultant-led maternity unit replaced with a midwife-led unit. The issue of cuts to Chase Farm was a key local issue in Enfield North constituency at the 2010 general election. Following the election in May, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley
Andrew Lansley
Andrew David Lansley, CBE, MP is the UK Secretary of State for Health, who has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for South Cambridgeshire since the 1997 general election, and was Shadow Secretary of State for Health from June 2004 until becoming Secretary of State for Health in May 2010...
visited Chase Farm to call a halt to all hospital reconfiguration plans, stating they could only proceed if the plans passed the four tests he had set down. Since this announcement, NHS London and NHS Enfield have stated, following a review, that they believe the four tests have been met. De Bois said this was an attempt to "bully residents into accepting the changes". De Bois stated in the House of Commons that he believes the cuts to Chase Farm "will cost lives", which drew criticism from a Haringey
Haringey
Haringey may refer to:*London Borough of Haringey - a local borough in north London, England*Harringay - a neighbourhood within the London Borough of Haringey...
GP who supports the changes. The final decision rests with the Health Secretary himself, which at present he has not taken.
Nick de Bois is set to lead a deputation to the Health Secretary on 7 March, along with Enfield's two other MPs David Burrowes and Andy Love, plus the leader of Enfield council and other councillors. He raised the issue of Chase Farm directly with David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
at Prime Minister's Questions.
Enfield Jobs Fair - January 2011
De Bois organised a Jobs Fair for Enfield in order to help combat unemployment within his constituency that stood at an above average 6.6%. The event was held at Southbury Leisure centre and hosted over 40 local and international companies (such as AsdaAsda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
, Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
and Barclays) training providers (such as Southgate College
Southgate College
Southgate College campus is located in the London Borough of Enfield, and situated beside the Southgate's main shopping centre and within a 200m walk of the Southgate tube station on the Piccadilly Line...
and Capel Manor College
Capel Manor College
Capel Manor is a horticultural further education college based in Bulls Cross, Enfield, London, United Kingdom. The college grounds double as a garden open to the public for most of the year, with a variety of events occurring, including Bushcraft, Lambing weekends, Heavy horse shows , Leatherwork...
) and voluntary organisations (such as the British Red Cross
British Red Cross
The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom branch of the worldwide impartial humanitarian organisation the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with over 31,000 volunteers and 2,600 staff. At the heart of their work...
), the event aimed to give people a chance to find a job or training placement.
While originally only expecting attendance of between 150 and 300 people, more than 1,200 attended. Nick promised the jobs fair would not just be a one-off, with regular work clubs being set up as a consequence and another mass event being planned within a year.
"Don't Carry, Don't Kill" Knife Crime Campaign
Following a significant increase of knife crime in his constituency, de Bois teamed up with a local Newspaper, the Enfield Independent, to seek an amendment to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill currently going through Parliament. This amendment would see an extension of the proposed mandatory prison sentences for those who use a knife to threaten or endanger life, to include individuals aged under eighteen.As part of his campaign, de Bois has written to both the Prime Minister David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
and the Attorney General Dominic Grieve
Dominic Grieve
Dominic Charles Roberts Grieve, QC MP is a British Conservative politician, barrister and Queen's Counsel.He is the Member of Parliament for Beaconsfield and the Attorney General for England and Wales and the Advocate General for Northern Ireland.-Early life:Grieve was born in Lambeth, the son of...
, seeking their support. He has also collected signatures for a petition supporting the amendment, to be presented to Parliament.
2011 Riots in Enfield
On Sunday 7th August, a significant number of violent disturbances erupted in the centre of de Bois’ constituency, which culminated in the looting and arson at the large SonySony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
Distribution Centre in Solar Way, Enfield.
Upon hearing about the potential for disorder in the centre of his constituency via the social networking website Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, de Bois arrived in the centre of Enfield Town
Enfield Town
Enfield Town is the historic town centre of Enfield, formerly in the county of Middlesex and now in the London Borough of Enfield. It is north north-east of Charing Cross...
at around 18:00 to find a significant number of youths gathering in the town centre. Up until 19:00 de Bois only witnessed one example of disorder involving approximately 150, youths which was quickly dealt with by the police. During the containment of these youths, further disorder occurred further into the town which resulted in a number of locally owned shops being looted. As the disorder continued, de Bois remained in Enfield Town in order to inform his constituents of the on-going situation via his account on Twitter, as many news organisations had been unable to report all of the on-going disorder.
During the disorder, and following it’s culmination, de Bois called for a re-think in the tactics used by the police which would have allowed for the use of water cannons. He publically supported Prime Minister David Cameron’s statement that if the police required them, they could have water cannons at twenty-four hours’ notice.
As part of the Prime Minister’s statement, he re-called Parliament in order for MPs to discuss the disorder that had been experienced throughout England. In his involvement in the debate, de Bois not only paid tribute to the actions of the local police force in Enfield, but also suggested that schools should play a role in identifying those who were involved in the rioting.
External links
- Profile at The Telegraph online
- TheyWorkForYou Parliamentary History
- Interview after winning his seat in 2010 at Catch21Catch21Catch21 is a charitable production company and internet based broadcaster which organises and stages shows all over the UK with the key aim of engaging young people with politics, the concept was initially devised by a group of current and former students of the University of Hull.The organisation...