Jim Fitzpatrick (politician)

Jim Fitzpatrick
MP
Minister of State for Farming and the Environment
In office
8 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Preceded by Jane Kennedy
Succeeded by James Paice
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport
In office
28 June 2007 – 8 June 2009
Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Preceded by Gillian Merron
Succeeded by Chris Mole
Minister for London
In office
6 May 2005 – 28 June 2007
Prime Minister Tony Blair
Preceded by Keith Hill
Succeeded by Tessa Jowell
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
In office
13 June 2003 – 6 May 2005
Prime Minister Tony Blair
Preceded by Gerry Sutcliffe
Succeeded by John Heppell
Member of Parliament
for Poplar and Limehouse
Poplar and Canning Town (1997–2010)
Assumed office
1 May 1997
Preceded by Constituency created
Majority 27,712 (47.2%)
Personal details
Born (1952-04-04) 4 April 1952
Glasgow, Scotland
Nationality British
Political party Labour
Spouse(s) Jane Lowe
Sheila[1]
Children 2[1]
Occupation Politician
Awards Fire Brigade Medal
Website www.jimfitzpatrick.org.uk

James Fitzpatrick (born 4 April 1952) is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Poplar and Limehouse since the 2010 general election. From 1997 to the 2010 election he was the Member for Poplar and Canning Town.

Fitzpatrick served as Minister of State for Farming and the Environment at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs during the Brown Ministry. In August 2013, he resigned from his front bench role as Shadow Transport Spokesman in order to vote against both Labour and Government motions on the use of chemical weapons in Syria[2] claiming he was "opposed to military intervention in Syria, full stop".[3]

Early life

Fitzpatrick was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and educated locally at the Holyrood R.C. Secondary School in Crosshill.[4] From 1970, he was a trainee with Tytrak in Glasgow, before moving to London in 1973 to become a driver with Mintex. In 1974, he joined the London Fire Brigade as a firefighter, later being decorated with the Fire Brigade Long Service and Good Conduct Medal[5][6] in 1994. He left the fire service when he was elected to the House of Commons in 1997.

Fitzpatrick was elected as the chair of the Barking Constituency Labour Party, and was chair of the Greater London Labour Party for seven years.

Parliamentary career

Member of Parliament

He was selected as the Labour candidate over two sitting MPs Mildred Gorden and Nigel Spearing.

He was elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for the newly created seat of Poplar and Canning Town in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets at the 1997 general election with a majority of 18,915. He made his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 17 June 1997.

Fitzpatrick was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Alan Milburn in 1999,[4] until Milburn became the Secretary of State for Health later in the same year. After the 2001 general election, Fitzpatrick was appointed to government by Tony Blair as an Assistant Government Whip, becoming a Lord Commissioner to the Treasury (Government Whip) in 2002. He was again promoted within the Whips Office in 2003 when he became the Vice-Chamberlain of HM's Household.

2005 Parliament

Fitzpatrick was re-elected in the 2005 general election, and was then appointed a junior minister in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, then John Prescott, with the role of Minister for London, a role he took with him on his subsequent move to the Department of Trade and Industry in May 2006. In 2007, he argued against a CWU strike saying it would harm their cause.

On 29 June 2007, he moved to become the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, with shipping, aviation and road safety amongst his responsibilities,[7] and was replaced as Minister for London by Tessa Jowell.

In 2008, during the Christmas period, Fitzpatrick and his wife visited Bangladesh, touring the development projects supported by the Canary Wharf Group. The purpose of the trip was to re-visit the country since 1999, and see the regeneration projects that this group supports. During his visit, he visited the Football Academy in Dhaka, also to Jagannathpur and Sylhet, where many Bangladeshis in the UK originate from including many in his constituency.[8] Fitzpatrick was promoted to Minister of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs[1] in the June 2009 reshuffle.

In August 2009, Fitzpatrick decided to leave the wedding at the London Muslim Centre when he was told it would be segregated by gender. In a local newspaper article, he blamed the Islamic Forum Europe for encouraging segregation though the couple claimed Fitzpatrick had "hijacked [the wedding] for political gain". Fitzpatrick stated he had left the wedding as discreetly as possible: "it was never my intention to offend Mr Islam and if he thinks that I done so then of course I will apologise to him".[9]

2010 Parliament

Following boundary changes, Fitzpatrick contested the newly created Poplar and Limehouse constituency in 2010, and was returned with a 4.7% swing to Labour, contrary to the national swing against the party.[10] With the realigned boundaries, the seat had been considered the Conservative Party's target seat number 105; Fitzpatrick also defeated the Respect Party's George Galloway, who came third behind the Conservatives.[11]

He was campaign manager for former Labour MP Oona King (Baroness King of Bow) in her failed attempt to be endorsed as the Labour candidate in the 2012 London Mayoral Election.[12]

From 2010 until his resignation in 2013, he served as Shadow Minister of State for Transport,[13][14] covering aviation, shipping and road safety, his former ministerial brief. Fitzpatrick is associated with the Labour Friends of Israel.[15]

2015 and 2017 parliament

Fitzpatrick was one of 13 MPs to vote against triggering the 2017 general election.[16]

Private life and honours

Fitzpatrick is married to Dr Sheila Fitzpatrick.[17] He has two children from a previous marriage.[18] A supporter of Millwall Rugby Club, Poplar Bowls, Wapping Hockey Club and West Ham United Football Club,[19] he enjoys watching sports.

In 2011, Fitzpatrick was honoured to receive the Freedom of the City of London and subsequently was admitted as a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights. In 2017, he was elected to the Court of the Shipwrights Livery and made a 'Younger Brother' at Trinity House.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Millward, David (13 August 2009). "Jim Fitzpatrick: profile of a sure-footed minister". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  2. ↑ "Shadow Minister resigns from Labour front bench over Syria vote". labourlist.org. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  3. ↑ "Labour shadow minister quits over Miliband Syria stance".
  4. 1 2 "JIM FITZPATRICK MP APPOINTED PPS TO CHIEF SECRETARY ALAN MILBURN". HM Treasury. 24 September 1999. Archived from the original on 7 April 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
  5. ↑ www.cfoa.org.uk Archived 31 July 2012 at Archive.is
  6. ↑ "ODM of the United Kingdom: Fire Brigade Long Service and Good Conduct Medal". www.medals.org.uk.
  7. ↑ "Shipping Minister opens PLA Centenary Exhibition". Archived from the original on 2 April 2012.
  8. ↑ Jim Fitzpatrick MP re-visits Bangladesh Archived 18 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Labour Party LBTH.
  9. ↑ Caroline Gammell and Martin Beckford (14 August 2009). "Jim Fitzpatrick condemned for 'hijacking' Muslim wedding by bridegroom". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  10. ↑ "Election 2010 – Constituency – Poplar & Limehouse". BBC News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  11. ↑ "George Galloway's Respect Party defeated by Labour". BBC News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  12. ↑ Morris, Nigel (28 June 2010). "Oona King: 'I can appeal to Tories as well'". London: The Independent. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  13. ↑ Caroline Crampton (11 October 2010). "Shadow Cabinet: junior appointments in full". New Statesman. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "Jim Fitzpatrick". UK Parliament. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  15. ↑ "2014 11 – Parliamentary Notes". Labour Affairs Magazine. November 2014.
  16. ↑ "The 13 MPs who opposed snap general election". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  17. ↑ Westminster, Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons,. "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 27 July 2010 (pt 0004)". www.publications.parliament.uk.
  18. ↑ "Public Service Events". www.publicserviceevents.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012.
  19. ↑ "Jim Fitzpatrick MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State". Department of Transport. Archived from the original on 9 November 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency Member of Parliament for Poplar and Canning Town
1997–2010		 Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament for Poplar and Limehouse
2010–present		 Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Gerry Sutcliffe		 Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
2003–2005		 Succeeded by
John Heppell
Preceded by
Keith Hill		 Minister for London
2005–2008		 Succeeded by
Tessa Jowell
Preceded by
Gillian Merron		 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
2008–2009		 Succeeded by
Chris Mole
Preceded by
Jane Kennedy		 Minister of State for Farming and the Environment
2009–2010		 Succeeded by
James Paice
Party political offices
Preceded by
Glenys Thornton		 Chair of the London Labour Party
1990–1997		 Succeeded by
Chris Robbins
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.