Jake Berry

Jake Berry
Member of Parliament
for Rossendale and Darwen
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded by Janet Anderson
Majority 4,493 (9.5%)
Personal details
Born 29 December 1978[1]
Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Nationality British
Spouse(s) Charlotte
Residence Helmshore
Alma mater University of Sheffield and Chester College
Profession Solicitor
Website jakeberry.org

James Jacob "Jake" Gilchrist Berry[1] (born 29 December 1978) is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rossendale and Darwen, having won the seat at the 2010 UK General Election, defeating the sitting Labour Party MP Janet Anderson by a majority of 4,493 votes.[2][3]

Personal life

Berry was born in Liverpool and educated at Liverpool College before studying for a Law degree at Sheffield University.[1] He trained at Chester College and in the City of London before becoming a solicitor in 2003.[1][4] He worked for a number of legal practices,[1] specialising in housing and development law.[4] He married Charlotte Alexa in 2009[1] and currently lives in Helmshore, Rossendale.[5]

Parliamentary career

Berry was elected in the 2010 General Election as MP for Rossendale and Darwen. He won against incumbent MP Janet Anderson, who held the position for eighteen years, in an 8.9% swing to the Conservatives. Berry overturned a Labour majority of 3,616 to win by 4,493 votes.[3][6]

In 2010 he was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Grant Shapps, the Minister for Housing and Local Government at the Department of Communities and Local Government, following Shapps to the Cabinet Office in 2012.[4][3]

In 2013, the Prime Minister asked Berry to join the Number 10 Policy Unit,[7] headed by Jo Johnson. His roles in this position include advising the Prime Minister on housing, regional growth and local government. He is also the Prime Minister's spokesperson for the north-west.

Having grown his moustache for the Movember charity appeal in November 2013, Berry claimed he had been compared to the TV detective Magnum and a 1970s porn star.[8]

Berry sponsored proposed legislation, the Local Government (Religious etc. Observances) Bill, which would give councils the right to hold religious prayers at the start of meetings.[9] If passed, the bill would effectively overturn a High Court ruling stating that "The saying of prayers as part of the formal meeting of a Council is not lawful under s111 of the Local Government Act 1972". The judgement followed a judicial review initiated by the National Secular Society.[10]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Berry, James Jacob Gilchrist, (Jake)’, Who's Who 2012, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2012; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2011 ; online edn, Nov 2011 accessed 2012-11-30
  2. ↑ Jake Berry MP, Westminster Parliamentary Record. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Jake Berry, www.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Jake Berry, Conservative Party website. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
  5. ↑ "Statement of Persons Nominated". Rossendale Borough Council. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "Conservative gains in Lancashire". BBC News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
  7. ↑ Winnett, Robert (24 April 2013). "David Cameron recruits Boris's brother for Number 10". The Daily Telegraph (London).
  8. ↑ "Movember MP Jake Berry 'looks like 1970s porn star'". BBC. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "Local Government (Religious etc. Observances) Bill 2014-15". UK Parliament. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  10. ↑ "Council Prayers". National Secular Society. Retrieved 17 January 2015.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Janet Anderson		 Member of Parliament for Rossendale and Darwen
2010–present 		Incumbent