Andrew Lewer

Andrew Lewer
MBE MP
Member of Parliament
for Northampton South
Assumed office
8 June 2017
Preceded by David Mackintosh
Majority 1,159 (2.8%)
Member of the European Parliament
In office
1 July 2014 – 8 June 2017
Constituency East Midlands
Personal details
Political party Conservative
Website www.andrewlewer.com

Andrew Iain Lewer[1] MBE (born 18 July 1971 in Burnley, Lancashire[2]) is a British Conservative Party politician. Elected as the Member of Parliament for Northampton South in the 2017 general election, he previously served as Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands from 2014 to 2017.[3]

Early life and career

Lewer was born 18 July 1971 in Burnley, Lancashire. He attended Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Ashbourne, Derbyshire before studying History at Newcastle University.[4] He then entered into a career in publishing.[5]

Living in Derbyshire, he was elected as a Conservative Party Councillor to Derbyshire Dales District Council for the Ashbourne South ward in 2003 and then to Derbyshire County Council for the Ashbourne division in 2005. He became Group Leader in 2007.[6] The Conservatives took control of Derbyshire County Council in 2009, for the first time in 28 years, making Lewer the youngest county council leader in the country at the time. As Leader of the County Council, he also became Chairman of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site committee, the founding Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board and a founding director of the Local Enterprise Partnership for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire - D2N2.[7]

Although he was re-elected as a councillor, in the 2013 elections Labour regained control of Derbyshire County Council and Lewer lost his position as Council Leader.[8] He was awarded an MBE for services to local government in 2014 by the Conservative Government.[9]

Member of the European Parliament

Lewer was elected to the European Parliament representing the East Midlands in 2014, replacing the former Conservative MEP Roger Helmer, who had defected to UKIP. Lewer was appointed to the Regional Development Committee and the Culture Committee as spokesperson for the European Conservative and Reformists Group in 2014.[10]

Member of Parliament

In May 2017, Lewer was selected to run as the new Conservative Party candidate for the Northampton South parliamentary constituency after the sitting Conservative MP David Mackintosh stood down in the face of a police investigation into alleged irregularities surrounding a controversial loan he had approved in his former role as the leader of the local council. Lewer was reportedly on his way to Brussels when he took a call informing him he was shortlisted, and had to turn around to get back in time for the meeting. Although not from Northampton, Lewer represented Northamptonshire within his East Midlands region as an MEP.[11]

Lewer was subsequently elected Member of Parliament for Northampton South in the 2017 general election.[12] Following his election win, he stood down as an MEP and was replaced in that role by former author and paranormal Rupert Matthews.

Following the Windrush scandal, Lewer pledged to help a local constituent, Joe Robinson, by raising attention to his case with the new Home Secretary. However, he voted against releasing Government documents detailing how the scandal had developed.[13] [14]

In March 2018, Lewer was criticised by local campaigners over the cuts to library services in Northampton. Criticism followed the announcement that 21 book-lending services were at risk of closure in Northamptonshire, after the Conservative run County Council cut £40 million from its budget. Lewer responded that he had been far from silent on the issue and that he had been a long standing critic of the leadership of the Council.[15]

In February 2018, following the announcement that Northamptonshire County Council had brought in a "section 114" notice, putting it in special measures following a crises in its finances, Lewer was one of seven local MPs who released a statement arguing that the problems with the authority were down to mismanagement from the Conservative councillors who led it rather than funding cuts from the Conservative Government. They further argued that government commissioners should take over the running of the Council.[16] However, in August 2018 Lewer broke ranks with the other MPs and said that while mismanagement had fuelled the Northamptonshire crisis, the council was also a victim of underlying financial pressures affecting all local authorities with social care responsibilities.[17]

In Parliament, he serves on the European Scrutiny Committee and the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee.[18]

He is a member of the European Research Group - the primary Eurosceptic lobbying group within Parliament, which is currently chaired by Jacob Rees-Mogg.[19]

Personal life

Lewer is married and has a young son. He is an honorary Alderman of the county of Derbyshire, where he was based before being elected as an MP.[20] He is also employed part-time as a consultant to a property development company based in Derbyshire.[21]

References

  1. ↑ "No. 61961". The London Gazette. 19 June 2017. p. 11784.
  2. ↑ "European Parliament MEPs: Andrew Lewer". European Parliament. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "vote 2014 - East Midlands". BBC. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Linkedin". Linkedin. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  5. ↑ "MagazineMediaEU" (PDF). European Parliament Media. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "About Andrew". Personal website. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  7. ↑ "About Andrew". Personal website. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  8. ↑ "Derbyshire election 2013: Labour wins back control". BBC News. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  9. ↑ "Ashbourne". www.ashbournenewstelegraph.co.uk.
  10. ↑ http://conservativeeurope.com/publications/Westminster%20Guide%203_Layout%2018.pdf
  11. ↑ "Northampton South: Lewer wins selection". Conservative Home. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "Election results 2017: Northamptonshire remains a sea of blue". BBC News. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  13. ↑ "'Pay Joe back': Calls mount for Northampton Windrush migrant to be compensated for devastating Home Office blunder". Northampton Chronicle and Echo. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  14. ↑ "MPs who voted to prevent release of Windrush documents". Scotsman. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  15. ↑ "'Their collective silence has been deafening' say library campaigners but Northamptonshire MPs hit back after criticism". Northampton Chronicle and Echo. 6 March 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  16. ↑ "Northamptonshire MPs call for county council takeover". BBC News. 5 February 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  17. ↑ "Tory MP breaks ranks on Northamptonshire council crisis". Guardian. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  18. ↑ "Andrew Lewer MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  19. ↑ "Letter from European Research Group to PM May". Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  20. ↑ "About Andrew". Personal website. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  21. ↑ "Register of Members Interests". HM Government. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
David Mackintosh		 Member of Parliament
for Northampton South
2017–present		 Incumbent
Civic offices
Preceded by
John Williams		 Leader of Derbyshire County Council
June 2009 – May 2013		 Succeeded by
Anne Western
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