Alan Haselhurst

The Right Honourable
Sir Alan Haselhurst
Chairman of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 July 2011
Deputy Nafisa Shah
Preceded by Shafie Apdal
Chairman of the Administration Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office
27 July 2010
Preceded by Frank Doran
Chairman of Ways and Means
In office
14 May 1997 – 14 June 2010
Preceded by Michael Morris
Succeeded by Lindsay Hoyle
Member of Parliament
for Saffron Walden
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 July 1977
Preceded by Peter Kirk
Majority 15,242 (28%)
Member of Parliament
for Middleton and Prestwich
In office
18 June 1970 – 28 February 1974
Preceded by Denis Coe
Succeeded by Jim Callaghan
Personal details
Born 23 June 1937
South Elmsall, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Angela, née Bailey
Children 2 sons, 1 daughter
Alma mater Oriel College, Oxford
Occupation Politician
Religion Church of England
Website www.siralanhaselhurst.net

Sir Alan Gordon Barraclough Haselhurst (born 23 June 1937) is a British Conservative politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Saffron Walden since 1977. Previously he was the MP for Middleton and Prestwich from 1970 to 1974. He was Chairman of Ways and Means from 14 May 1997 to 8 June 2010.[1]

Early life, education and career

Cheltenham College

Alan Haselhurst was born in South Elmsall, near Hemsworth, Yorkshire, and was educated in Birmingham at King Edward's School, Cheltenham College in Gloucestershire, and at Oriel College, Oxford. While at Oxford he was the President of the Oxford University Conservative Association in 1958 and served as both the secretary and treasurer for two years with the Oxford Union from 1959. Before his election to Parliament, he worked in management in the chemicals industry and became an unremunerated director when his father's pharmacy was incorporated. He was the Chairman of the Manchester Youth and Community Service from 1974 until he was re-elected to Parliament.

Political career

Alan Haselhurst worked as an election agent for the Conservative MP for Hertford Robin Balniel at both the 1964 and 1966 general elections. Beginning in 1964, he served for two years as the Chairman of the National Young Conservatives. He was elected to the House of Commons at the 1970 general election for the Lancashire seat of Middleton and Prestwich, defeating the Labour MP Denis Coe by 1,042 votes. Haselhurst lost the seat at the next February 1974 general election to Labour's Jim Callaghan by just 517 votes (this is not the same James (Jim) Callaghan who later became Prime Minister, and later still Lord Callaghan of Cardiff). The Conservative MP for the Essex seat of Saffron Walden, Peter Kirk, died on 17 April 1977, and Haselhurst was selected to contest the subsequent by-election on 7 July. Alan Haselhurst won the seat with a majority of 12,437 and has been returned as its MP ever since.

In Parliament, he served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Home Secretary Robert Carr from 1973 until his defeat at the February 1974 general election. He also served as the PPS to the Secretary of State for Education and Science Mark Carlisle for two years from 1979. He served on the European Legislation Select Committee for fifteen years from 1982, and was a member of the Transport Select Committee from 1992 to 1997. He asked the first question in Margaret Thatcher's final Prime minister's questions on 27 November 1990.[2]

Following the 1997 general election, he was appointed Chairman of Ways and Means (Deputy Speaker), remaining in that post under successive Speakers Betty Boothroyd, Michael Martin, and John Bercow until May 2010.

Alan Haselhurst was a contender to succeed Martin at the announcement of Martin's resignation as Speaker on 19 May 2009. Sir Alan became embroiled in the MPs' expenses controversy and was accused by The Daily Telegraph of claiming £12,000 for gardening expenses over 4 years, claiming £249 every month—£1 below the threshold which meant he was not required to provide receipts.[3] In an attempt to wipe his slate clean, he later paid back the gardening expenses "out of respect to his constituents".[4] He withdrew from the race after getting 66 votes in the first round of voting and 57 in the second.[5]

Sir Alan Haselhurst chose not to seek re-election as a Deputy Speaker after the 2010 general election. As the Chairman of Ways and Means must come from a different party than the Speaker was formerly a member of, he would have had to stand for 1st Deputy Chairman, a lesser position. Nevertheless, he was entrusted to continue as a temporary Deputy Speaker chairing debates in the period between the State Opening of Parliament and the election of new Deputy Speakers.

On 27 July 2010, Haselhurst was elected Chairman of the House of Commons Administration Committee,[6][7] having earlier been defeated in the election for chair of the Backbench Business Committee by Natascha Engel.

Haselhurst has also, since 27 July 2011, served as Chairman of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Haselhurst replaced the Malaysian Shafie Apdal as Chairman, and is the first Briton to serve as Chairman since Sir Colin Shepherd in 1996.[8]

On 13 February 2014, at a meeting of the local party, Haselhurst was re-adopted as the Conservative candidate for Saffron Walden in the 2015 general election. It will be his 10th election in Saffron Walden, the constituency he has represented since 1977.

Commonwealth

Insignia of a Knight Bachelor

Sir Alan has always had a strong passion for the Commonwealth. Between the years of 1978-1981 he was Chair of the Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council. In July 2010 Sir Alan was elected Chair of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK Branch and the following year at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference at London in July 2011, Sir Alan Haselhurst was elected Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association's Executive Committee.[9]

Personal life

Alan Haselhurst married Angela Margaret Bailey on 16 April 1977, and they have two sons and a daughter. He is a very vocal supporter of community-based projects and was for a time a Director of Turning Point, a charity working with socially excluded young people, for five years from 1981. He is seen as a one-nation Conservative, and has been a supporter of Kenneth Clarke. He was knighted in 1995 and sworn of the Privy Council in 1999. He is the Secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cricket, was a member of the executive council of Essex County Cricket Club from 1996 to 2008, and is a member of MCC.

Publications

References

  1. ↑ Hansard
  2. ↑ Prime Minister's Questions - 27 November 1990, YouTube
  3. ↑ Rayner, Gordon (12 May 2009). "Alan Haselhursts £12,000 gardening bill". The Daily Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group Limited). Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  4. ↑ "MP to pay back Gardening Expenses". Saffron Walden Conservatives. May 2009. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2009. The expense claims I made over recent years have been strictly in accordance with Parliamentary rules. The designation of my constituency home as my second home instead of my rented flat in London was obligatory on my becoming Deputy Speaker. In terms of total expense claims I currently rank 582nd out of 646 MPs. However, my claim for gardening help has caused concern. Out of respect to my constituents I am this week repaying the sum of £12,000.
  5. ↑ "Election of the Speaker: Latest". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 22 June 2009. Archived from the original on 25 June 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
  6. ↑ "Chair of Administration Committee elected". Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  7. ↑ "Sir Alan to head two committees". Saffron Walden Weekly News. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  8. ↑ "Chairpersons". Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  9. ↑ www.parliament.uk

Sources

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Denis Coe		 Member of Parliament for
Middleton and Prestwich
1970 – February 1974 		Succeeded by
Jim Callaghan
Preceded by
Sir Peter Kirk		 Member of Parliament for
Saffron Walden
1977 – present 		Incumbent
Preceded by
Michael Morris		 Chairman of Ways and Means
1997–2010 		Succeeded by
Hon Lindsay Hoyle