Chris Leslie (politician)
| Christopher Leslie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leslie (centre) in 2011 | |
| Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 7 October 2013 | |
| Leader | Ed Miliband |
| Preceded by | Rachel Reeves |
| Member of Parliament for Nottingham East | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | John Heppell |
| Majority | 6,969 (21%) |
| Member of Parliament for Shipley | |
| In office 1 May 1997 – 5 May 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Marcus Fox |
| Succeeded by | Philip Davies |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 June 1972 Keighley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour/Labour Co-operative |
| Spouse(s) | Nicola Murphy |
| Alma mater | University of Leeds |
| Religion | None (atheist) |
| Website | www.chrisleslie.org |
Christopher Michael Leslie (28 June 1972) is a British Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nottingham East since 2010. He is currently Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
He was formerly the MP for Shipley from 1997 to 2005, and a minister in the Department for Constitutional Affairs from 2001 to 2005. Between 2005 and his 2010 re-election, he worked as the director of the New Local Government Network think-tank.[1][2][3]
Early life, 1972–1997
Born in Keighley, Leslie went to Bingley Grammar School. He gained a BA in Politics & Parliamentary Studies in 1994 and an MA in Industrial and Labour Studies in 1996 from the University of Leeds.
From 1994 to 1996 he was an office administrator, going on to become a political research assistant in Bradford from 1996-97. He was elected to Parliament a month before his 25th birthday.[1][4]
Parliamentary career, 1997–2005
Leslie won the seat of Shipley as a Labour Co-operative candidate in the 1997 general election by beating Marcus Fox, the seat's Conservative MP since 1970. In the process, he overturned a 12,382 majority, to return a 2,966 majority of his own. It was the neighbouring seat to his hometown of Keighley, another seat won by Labour from the Conservatives in 1997.
Leslie was the Baby of the House upon first entering the Commons.[1] He would then be appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Lord Falconer for three and a half years.
Leslie held his seat again in 2001 with a halved majority of 1,428.
Shortly before his 30th birthday, Leslie became a junior minister in the Cabinet Office in 2001 following the recent election. In 2002, he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. He would then move to spend almost two years as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Constitutional Affairs, working again under Falconer from 2003 to 2005.[1]
He never rebelled against a Government position during his first time in Parliament.[3]
Leslie would then lose his seat to the Conservatives' candidate Philip Davies during the 2005 General Election by fewer than 500 votes.[1]
Out of Parliament, 2005–2010
Leslie led Gordon Brown's successful (though uncontested) campaign for the leadership of the Labour Party in 2007.[5][6]
Having lost his seat in Shipley, between 2005 and 2010, he was the director of the New Local Government Network, which was described in the Local Government Chronicle in 2001 as a "Blairite think-tank."[7]
On 14 April 2010, he was selected as the Parliamentary Candidate for Nottingham East in the General Election campaign.
Return to Parliament
In the 2010 general election Christopher Leslie returned to Parliament representing Nottingham East, taking over from John Heppell.
He supported Ed Balls for the leadership of the Labour Party during the 2010 leadership election following the resignation of Gordon Brown, voting also for David Miliband as his second preference.
In September 2011, he stood in the shadow cabinet elections but missed out on becoming a shadow cabinet minister, however he was promoted to Her Majesty's Opposition becoming Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury. He replaced Stephen Timms, who was made Shadow Minister of State for Employment. On 7 October 2013 he was promoted to Shadow Cabinet, becoming Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Personal life
In February 2005, he was married to Nicola Murphy, a special adviser to Gordon Brown, in Westminster,[8] having got engaged the previous year.[9]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Chris Leslie: Electoral history and profile, The Guardian, retrieved 2 September 2010
- ↑ NLGN website
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Christopher Leslie, They Work For You, retrieved 2 September 2010
- ↑ From campus to Commons in just six months, Leeds University Reporter, 19 May 1997, retrieved 2 September 2010
- ↑ Chris Leslie: Statement in full, BBC News, 29 November 2007, retrieved 2 September 2010
- ↑ Chris Leslie: If Brown is bold, he can make the voters turn back to Labour, The Yorkshire Post, 20 January 2010, retrieved 2 September 2010
- ↑ Brum in turmoil over Mayoral vote, Local Government Chronicle, 21 September 2001, retrieved 30 August 2013
- ↑ MP marries a Treasury adviser at Westminster, Bradford Telegraph and Argus, 24 February 2005, retrieved 2 September 2010
- ↑ 'Yes, Minister' – New Labour proposal wins over MP's girlfriend, The Yorkshire Post, 5 May 2004, retrieved 2 September 2010
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Chris Leslie
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Marcus Fox |
Member of Parliament for Shipley 1997 – 2005 |
Succeeded by Philip Davies |
| Preceded by John Heppell |
Member of Parliament for Nottingham East 2010–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Matthew Taylor |
Baby of the House 1997–2000 |
Succeeded by David Lammy |
|