John Stevenson (British politician)

John Stevenson
MP
Member of Parliament
for Carlisle
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded by Eric Martlew
Majority 2,599 (6.0%)
Personal details
Born (1963-07-04) 4 July 1963
Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Residence Great Corby
Alma mater University of Dundee
Website www.johnstevensonmp.co.uk

(Andrew) John Stevenson (born 4 July 1963) is a British Conservative Party politician and former lawyer, who was first elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Carlisle, when winning the seat from Labour.

Early life

Stevenson was state educated at Aberdeen Grammar School[1] and graduated from the University of Dundee with Honours in History and Politics. He then studied law at Chester College before qualifying as a Solicitor. He went on to become a partner in the law firm Bendles based in the centre of Carlisle.

Political career

Stevenson unsuccessfully stood as the Conservative candidate in the Denton Holme ward of Carlisle City Council in May 1998, before he was elected in another ward just one year later.[2] Stevenson was first elected as a Conservative Councillor on Carlisle City Council in May 1999, for Stanwix Urban - a suburban ward on the northern edge of the city with the joint lowest levels of deprivation in the district. [3] [4] He resigned as a councillor on the 2 August 2010, shortly after his election as Member of Parliament and his party won the subsequent by-election.[5] He has been chairman of the Carlisle Constituency Association as well as Penrith and the Border. He is the chairman of the North Cumbria Conservatives which is a federation of the four North Cumbria Constituencies.

He was first elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Carlisle, winning the seat from Labour after the sitting MP Eric Martlew stood down. He was subsequently re-elected in 2015 and 2017. Aside from his duties as a constituency MP, he is the chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Food and Drink [6] which advises the direction of national policy on British food and drink manufacture.[7]

Stevenson was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum.[8] Stevenson contributed to the Conservative Government's first defeat over key Brexit legislation in December 2017 when he declined to vote against Dominic Grieve's amendment requiring Parliament to have a vote on the final deal relating to the UK departing the European Union.[9][10]

In Parliament, Stevenson currently serves on the Standards and Privileges Committees, having previously served on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, the Scottish Affairs Committee and the Draft House of Lords Reform Bill (Joint Committee).[11]

Controversy

In January 2013 Stevenson faced accusations of nepotism for employing his fiancee as a Senior Secretary. Although Stevenson admitted that no other applicants had been considered for the role, he argued that she was a qualified legal secretary, and still does that work when not working for him.[12] Although MPs who were first elected in 2017 have been banned from employing family members, the restriction is not retrospective - meaning that Stevenson's employment of his wife is lawful.[13]

In January 2014 it was revealed that Stevenson was one of a group of MPs who had been charging the taxpayer to help them fill in tax forms. Part of his expenses claim was rejected, although he was not the only MP to be the subject to such action.[14]

In May 2016, it emerged that Stevenson was one of a number of Conservative MPs being investigated by police in the United Kingdom general election, 2015 party spending investigation, for allegedly spending more than the legal limit on constituency election campaign expenses.[15] However, in May 2017, the Crown Prosecution Service said that while there was evidence of inaccurate spending returns, it did not "meet the test" for further action.[16]

Personal life

Stevenson lives in the village of Great Corby, which is close to the edge of Carlisle, and London. [17] [18] He is married to Tracy Nixon and they were wedded at a Church of Scotland ceremony in Carlisle in 2013.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "About John". Personal website. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  2. ↑ "Carlisle City Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF). Plymouth University. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  3. ↑ John Stevenson MP Conservative Party
  4. ↑ "Deprivation Analysis" (PDF). Cumbria County Council. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  5. ↑ "Carlisle City Council Councillors". Carlisle City Council. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  8. ↑ Goodenough, Tom (16 February 2016). "Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?". The Spectator. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  9. ↑ "Carlisle MP plays part in key Commons Brexit vote". Newcastle Chronicle. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  10. ↑ "Theresa May: We're on course to deliver Brexit despite vote". BBC News. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  11. ↑ "John Stevenson MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  12. ↑ "MP Ronnie Campbell: If they change the rules, I'll sack my wife". Newcastle Chronicle. 20 January 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  13. ↑ "MPs banned from employing spouses after election in expenses crackdown". London Evening Standard. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  14. ↑ "MPs claim tens of thousands of pounds in accountants' fees to help them fill in tax forms". The Daily Telegraph. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  15. ↑ "Election Expenses Exposed". Channel 4 News. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  16. ↑ "Carlisle Conservative candidate 'not surprised' by expenses decision". ITV. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  17. ↑ "IPSA". GOV.UK. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  18. ↑ John Stevenson MP Conservative Party
  19. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Eric Martlew		 Member of Parliament for Carlisle
2010–present		 Incumbent
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