Jamie Reed

Jamie Reed
Member of Parliament
for Copeland
In office
5 May 2005 – 23 January 2017
Preceded by Jack Cunningham
Succeeded by Trudy Harrison
Personal details
Born (1973-08-04) 4 August 1973
Whitehaven, England, UK
Political party Labour
Alma mater Manchester Metropolitan
University

Jamieson Ronald Reed (born 4 August 1973) is a British former Labour politician, who served as Member of Parliament for Copeland from 2005 until his resignation in 2017.

Early life

Reed was born in Whitehaven. He attended Whitehaven School and Manchester Metropolitan University. Before his election to Parliament, he worked as a Press Officer at Sellafield, a nuclear fuel reprocessing and nuclear decommissioning site in his constituency, and had served on Copeland Borough Council.

Parliamentary career

In his maiden speech Reed declared himself to be a Jedi in the debate over the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill under consideration in Parliament. His comment was intended to be taken ironically and raise the issue of how the Bill would define what was and was not a religion.

Jamie Reed has also referred to himself as a "good Methodist" in parliamentary debate:

As a good Methodist, I shall refuse the opportunity to bet. My hon. friend mentioned the economic estimates done by a German economist on the amount of money spent on nuclear technology and nuclear research and development. Are we talking principally about the civil nuclear sector? Is the military nuclear sector also included? He also mentioned the IAEA. It does not exist to promote the nuclear industry; it exists to give it some kind of international regulatory framework.[1]

He previously served on the frontbench as a Shadow Environment Minister, and as a Shadow Health Minister under Shadow Secretary of State for Health Andy Burnham. He also spoke out to assist his party leader Ed Miliband, who declared he felt "respect" on seeing a white van, following Emily Thornberry's "White Van Gate" tweet during the 2014 Rochester and Strood by-election campaign,[2] stating during PMQs: "When I see a white van, I wonder whether it's my father or my brother who is driving".[3]

On 12 September 2015, one minute into Jeremy Corbyn's acceptance speech as leader of the Labour Party, he publicly resigned as shadow Health Minister giving as his reason Corbyn's opposition to nuclear energy.[4] During a House of Commons debate on the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrent, which Corbyn personally opposes, he described the Labour leader as "reckless, juvenile and narcissistic".[5]

He announced on 21 December 2016 that he would be resigning his seat at the end of January 2017 in order to take up a new role as Head of Development and Community Relations for Sellafield Ltd, triggering a by-election,[6][7] which was won by Conservative MP Trudy Harrison.[8] Reed formally resigned by taking the post of Steward of the Manor of Northstead on 23 January 2017.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons, Westminster (22 January 2008). "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 22 Jan 2008 (pt 0016)". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  2. ↑ "Labour's Emily Thornberry quits over 'snobby' tweet". BBC News. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  3. ↑ "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 26 Nov 2014 (pt 0001)". parliament.uk.
  4. ↑ "Jamie Reed on Twitter". Retrieved 2015-09-12.
  5. ↑ Payne, Adam (29 December 2016). "'We don't do Corbyn here': Labour activists fear defeat in Copeland by-election". Business Insider UK. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  6. ↑ Pidd, Helen (21 December 2016). "Corbyn critic quits as Labour MP, triggering tight byelection race". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  7. ↑ "Labour MP Jamie Reed is quitting Parliament to take a job in the nuclear industry". BBC News. 21 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "Tories in historic by-election Copeland win as Labour holds Stoke". BBC News. 25 February 2017.
  9. ↑ "Manor of Northstead: Jamie Reed". 23 January 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Jack Cunningham		 Member of Parliament
for Copeland
2005–2017 		Succeeded by
Trudy Harrison
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