Julian Knight (politician)

Julian Knight
MP
Parliamentary Private Secretary
for the Department for Work and Pensions
Assumed office
September 2018
Prime Minister Theresa May
Secretary of State Esther McVey
Parliamentary Private Secretary
for the Ministry of Justice
In office
22nd January 2018 – September 2018
Prime Minister Theresa May
Lord Chancellor David Gauke
Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy
to Mongolia
Assumed office
January 2018
Prime Minister Theresa May
Member of Parliament
for Solihull
Assumed office
8 May 2015
Preceded by Lorely Burt
Majority 20,571 (36.2%)
Personal details
Born (1972-01-05) 5 January 1972
Chester, England
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Philippa Harrison
Alma mater University of Hull
Website Official website

Julian Carlton Knight[1] (born 5 January 1972) is a British Conservative Party politician. He was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Solihull in 2015.[2]

Early life

Knight was born in 1972 in Chester, and grew up in a lone parent family.[3] He attended Chester Catholic High School, and went on to study History at the University of Hull, the first in his family to do so.[3]

Employment before Parliament

After graduating, Knight moved to London to find work, doing a variety of jobs before finding a job on a local newspaper. He moved up in journalism over the intervening years, working for the BBC as personal finance and consumer affairs reporter for five years until 2007, working across online, TV and radio. In 2007 he became the Money and Property Editor of The Independent on Sunday.[4]

Political career

Elections

In 2014, Knight was selected to be the Conservative candidate for Solihull,[5][6] a former Conservative safe seat which had been won by the Liberal Democrat’s in the 2005 General Election[7][8]. At the 2015 General Election Knight won the seat back for the Conservatives with a majority of 12,902, after an 11.9 per cent swing towards the Conservatives.[9]

Prior to the 2016 referendum on the UK’s membership within the European Union, Knight campaigned to remain.[10]

Knight defended his seat at the 2017 general election and was returned with an increased majority of 20,571, winning with more than 58 per cent of the vote.[11]

Government

In January 2018, Knight was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Minstistry of Justice[12] providing unpaid support to Ministers.

Knight also serves as the Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Mongolia, where he forms part of a network of parliamentarians with the role to strengthen relations with foreign countries, and aide British businesses in accessing foreign markets.[13] In April 2018, Knight made his first visit to the country as Trade Envoy. [14] Knight is due to make his second visit in September 2018.[15]

Committees

From July 2015 to April 2017, Knight served as a member of the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee[16], during which time he co-sponsored the Government’s Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.[17]

Since December 2016 he has served on the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee, later the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee[18]. In that role he has made several high-profile interventions, most notably on the BBC gender pay row[19][20] and against Facebook during the Committee’s inquiry into ‘fake news’.[21][22]

Other work

Knight has written books on a variety of subjects for the 'For Dummies' Series, including the Euro crisis, Retiring Wealthy and The Royal Wedding.[23]

Personal life

Knight lives in Shirley, Solihull and is married to Philippa, a former nurse.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "No. 61961". The London Gazette. 19 June 2017. p. 11779.
  2. ↑ "Solihull Parliamentary constituency". BBC. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Knight, Julian. "About". Julian Knight. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  4. ↑ "Julian Knight - The Independent on Sunday". Independent. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  5. ↑ "Solihull Conservatives select Julian Knight as our Parliamentary Candidate". Solihull Borough. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  6. ↑ "Julian Knight selected for Solihull". West Midlands. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  7. ↑ "Electoral Commission | Solihull". www.electoralcommission.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  8. ↑ "Lib Dems hold inquest after their 'decapitation strategy' misses". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  9. ↑ "Solihull parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  10. ↑ "Solihull's Conservative MP Julian Knight will vote to stay in Europe". Solihull Observer. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  11. ↑ "Solihull parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  12. ↑ "List of PPS's | Conservative Home". Conservative Home. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  13. ↑ "Trade envoys". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  14. ↑ "PRESIDENT RECEIVES UK TRADE ENVOY JULIAN KNIGHT - President of Mongolia". President of Mongolia. 2018-04-06. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  15. ↑ "Trade Mission to Mongolia 16th – 21st September 2018 - CEA: Construction Equipment Association". CEA: Construction Equipment Association. 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  16. ↑ "Julian Knight MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  17. ↑ "Solihull MP Julian Knight has pledged to support Solihull Council in its new effort to tackle homelessness in the borough". Solihull Observer. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  18. ↑ "Julian Knight MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  19. ↑ Singh, Anita (2018-02-01). "Sarah Montague: I was gobsmacked by BBC gender pay report". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  20. ↑ "BBC Managers Face Barrage of Criticism in Gender Pay Dispute". Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  21. ↑ Waterson, Jim (2018-04-26). "'Facebook is a morality-free zone': tech chief lambasted by MP". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  22. ↑ "MPs laugh at Facebook boss during intense grilling in parliament". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  23. ↑ Birmingham, Mail. "Who is Julian Knight". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Lorely Burt		 Member of Parliament
for Solihull
2015–present		 Incumbent
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