| Neil Carmichael MP | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Stroud |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | David Drew |
| Majority | 1,299 (2.3%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 April 1961 [1] Hexham, Northumberland, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | University of Nottingham |
| Website | neilcarmichael.co.uk |
William Neil Carmichael[2] (born 15 April 1961[3] in Hexham) is an English businessman, academic, and Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Stroud constituency in Gloucestershire since the 2010 general election.
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Carmichael began his political career after being elected to Northumberland County Council in 1989 on which he served four years,[4] during this time he was an unsuccessful parliamentary candidate in the 1992 General Election in the seat of Leeds East.[5]
In 1999 he moved to Gloucestershire where he was selected to stand for the Conservatives in the parliamentary seat of Stroud, losing to Labour in 2001 and in 2005.[6]
Neil Carmichael managed to win the seat of Stroud in the 2010 General Election, with a 2% swing to the Conservatives from Labour with a majority of 1,299.[7]
On entering Parliament he made his maiden speech on 2 June 2010[8] and became a member of the Environmental Audit Committee,[9] the task of whom is to monitor the worthiness of all government department activity from the perspective of cutting carbon emissions. He also sits on the Education Committee at the House of Commons[10] with the duty to scrutinise the Department for Education and provide oversight on behalf of Parliament.
In 2011 he founded the All Party Group on Education, Governance and Leadership[11] as a consequence of publishing a report seeking to influence the government to enact a policy on the reform of school governance. He is also the Secretary of the Associate Parliamentary Health Group.[12]
Neil Carmichael is recognised to be one of the most active debaters in the House of Commons; the BBC reported in July 2011 that he ranks fourth amongst more than 200 MPs who were first elected in 2010 in the number of debates that they have attended.[13] As of 14 September 2011 he has voted in over 88% of divisions since becoming an MP, far above the average.[14]
In 2010 Neil Carmichael was accused of hypocrisy over wind farms,.[15][16] locals in Northumberland were unhappy over his support on for a wind farm development on land that he owns at Bavington Hill Head Farm in Northumberland while as a Conservative candidate describing a single turbine proposed at Nympsfield as a “monstrosity”, and pledging to work to protect Gloucestershire’s rural landscapes from “excessive” developments. Carmichael's argument is that many proposed schemes in Gloucestershire border on, or are in, the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty whereas the proposed scheme in Northumberland has no such concerns.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by David Drew |
Member of Parliament for Stroud 2010 – present |
Incumbent |