Andy Reed
Encyclopedia
Andrew John Reed is a British
Labour Co-operative
politician who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for the key marginal Constituency of Loughborough
from 1997
to 2010.
before moving to Birstall
. He attended Riverside Junior School (now a primary school), Stonehill High School
and Longslade Community College
, all in Birstall, Charnwood
and then completed a BA (Hons)
degree in Public Administration at Leicester Polytechnic (now called De Montfort University
).
followed boundary changes which saw the previous incumbent, Conservative
Health Secretary
Stephen Dorrell
move with his key rural voters to the newly created Charnwood constituency
.
Prior to the 2001 election
Reed served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary
(PPS) to the Culture, Media and Sport ministerial team, working with Chris Smith
, Alan Howarth, Janet Anderson
and Minister for Sport
Kate Hoey
. In 2001 he was returned with an increased majority of 6,300 and became the PPS to Environment Secretary
Margaret Beckett
, but resigned in 2003 in protest at the Government's decision to support a US-led invasion of Iraq
without a United Nations
resolution.
He retained his seat in the 2005 election
but with a reduced majority of 1,996, and was recalled to the Government to be a PPS to the Treasury
ministerial team, working with the Paymaster-General
, Dawn Primarolo
.
He stood down from the role of PPS in 2007 when Gordon Brown became leader of the Labour Party to return to the backbenches as a Member of Parliament. Reed says that he does not seek Ministerial Office.
Reed was a member of various All-Party Parliamentary Group
s and was an officer in the following: Bermuda–Britain (Secretary), Athletics (Treasurer), Balanced and Sustainable Communities (Treasurer), Christians in Parliament (Vice Chair), Debt, Aid & Trade (Treasurer/Secretary), East Midlands Rail Franchise (Treasurer), Health and Wellbeing in Schools (Vice Chair), Hockey (Vice Chair), Leisure (Vice Chair), Rugby Union (joint Vice Chair), Scout (Vice Chair), and Sports (Secretary). He was also Chair of the Sports Caucus, a small group of MPs with a common interest in sport. He captained the winning House of Commons swimming team in the Lords
vs. Commons swimming gala
in 2000, 2002 and 2004.
According to TheyWorkForYou
, in his last year in Parliament Reed had spoken in an "above average" number of debates, voted an "above average" number of times in the 2005-2010 parliament and replied "within 2 or 3 weeks to a "high number of messages" during 2008. His most frequent questions related to the Olympics, Hearing Impairment, Physical Activity, Education Funding and Sunday Trading. Sport was referred to over 100 times, often in relation to young people and a healthy lifestyle.
's Guardian one-liner describes Reed as an "Over eager Blair loyalist and stooge questioner" and his Parliamentary voting record -as would be expected from a "largely loyal" MP -has generally been in support of the Government.
His overall record at the Public Whip
shows he "occasionally rebels", with 26 votes out of 2791 being deemed against the party whip.
On 9 March, he resigned over the imminent invasion of Iraq
though his website made it clear that he supported continued efforts to find a solution through the United Nations.
In the final vote of the House of Commons on 18 March 2003, Reed abstained on an amendment declaring "that the case for war against Iraq has not yet been established, especially given the absence of specific United Nations authorisation", but then went on to support the Government motion which declared that the United Nations authority to use force had revived and supporting "the decision of Her Majesty's Government that the United Kingdom should use all means necessary to ensure the disarmament of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction".
This was his last rebellion on this issue. On 9 March 2004 he voted to reject the motion calling for immediate publication of all advice prepared by the Attorney-General, it was subsequently published in April 2005 and in March 2008 he voted to delay an inquiry whilst important operations were underway. The Iraq Inquiry was announced in June 2009.
Reed "came through the scandal ..over MPs' expenses
unscathed", although in May 2009, the Daily Telegraph wrongly implied a discrepancy between claims for Reed’s second home in Westminster and what he told constituents.
A Loughborough Echo
investigation showed Reed lived "in a small one bedroom flat" and the difference was due to utility bills, council tax and a quarterly service charge, a total cost of £807 per month and already well within the £1,450 a month limit introduced a year later in the wake of the scandal. The Echo revealed that Reed had claimed £991 for home entertainment equipment. Reed told the paper, "Is it necessary? Probably not, but at the time it is what I had... In hindsight, would I do it in today's climate? No."
The Legg Report showed that 343 MPs had been asked to repay some money, including several from Leicestershire.
In Reed's case it was because of an accounting error by the Fees office and the amount was outstanding at publication on 4 February 2010.
Reed told the Leicester Mercury: "The Fees Office made a mistake in the past and paid my service charge twice – so I have paid back £891. The problem arose when they wrote and said they would withhold a proportion of my expenses for a month because they had lost an invoice for the service charge."
.
He is the President of Birstall Rugby union
Club based at Longslade Community College where he still plays rugby regularly. He chaired East Midlands Sport in 2000–3. He has been Chair of the Board of the County Sports Partnership for Leicestershire
since 2004 and also Chairs the National Strategic Partnership for Volunteers in Sport.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Labour Co-operative
Labour Co-operative
Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties....
politician who was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for the key marginal Constituency of Loughborough
Loughborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Loughborough is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-Boundaries:...
from 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
to 2010.
He is a notable sports enthusiast, a fortuitous coincidence as "Loughborough is home to the most comprehensive sports development programme of any University," as well as being headquarters for Team GB's 2012 Olympic preparation, whose requirements Reed became familiar with under the Parliamentary Sports Fellowship Scheme.
Although regarded as a loyal MP, Reed was the first member of the Government to resign over Iraq.
Background
Reed was brought up and educated in Leicestershire spending the first two years of his life on the Netherhall Estate in LeicesterLeicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
before moving to Birstall
Birstall, Leicestershire
Birstall is a large village and civil parish within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is three miles north of the Leicester city centre and is part of the wider Leicester Urban Area....
. He attended Riverside Junior School (now a primary school), Stonehill High School
Stonehill High School
The Stonehill High School is an 11-14 school in Birstall Leicestershire adjacent to the Specialist Technology College Longslade Community College which takes most of its pupils. The school has a designated speech and language centre that serves Leicestershire pupils with statements of special...
and Longslade Community College
Longslade Community College
Longslade Community College is a comprehensive school and Specialist Technology College in Birstall, a suburban village directly outside of Leicester city.-Admissions:...
, all in Birstall, Charnwood
Charnwood (borough)
Charnwood is a borough of northern Leicestershire, England. It is named after Charnwood Forest, which it contains. Loughborough is the largest town in the district and serves as the borough's administrative and commercial centre.-History:...
and then completed a BA (Hons)
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Public Administration at Leicester Polytechnic (now called De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
).
He joined the Labour Party in 1983/84, and was elected in 1987 as a Parish CouncillorCivil parishIn England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
, a position held until 1991.
Reed worked as a Parliamentary assistant to Keith VazKeith VazNigel Keith Anthony Standish Vaz, known as Keith Vaz, was born 26 November 1956 in Aden, Yemen.Keith Vaz is a British Labour Party politician and a Member of Parliament for Leicester East, He is the longest serving Asian MP and has been the Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee since July...
from 1987 until 1988 when he joined Leicester City Council, working first in Urban Regeneration on the Inner Area Programme and later as a Project Officer for Recreation & Arts. He joined Leicestershire County Council in 1990 as an Employment Officer in the Employment Initiatives Team moving to the Economic Development Section where he dealt with voluntary sectorVoluntary sectorThe voluntary sector or community sector is the sphere of social activity undertaken by organizations that are for non-profit and non-governmental. This sector is also called the third sector, in reference to the public sector and the private sector...
employment projects before becoming European Affairs Officer in 1994–97. Reed was East MidlandsEast MidlandsThe East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
coordinator for John Smith'sJohn Smith (UK politician)John Smith was a British Labour Party politician who served as Leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his sudden death from a heart attack in May 1994...
1992 leadership campaign. He was elected to the SilebySilebySileby is a former industrial village and civil parish in the Soar Valley in Leicestershire, between Leicester and Loughborough. Nearby villages include Barrow upon Soar, Mountsorrel, Ratcliffe-on-the-Wreake, Seagrave and Cossington....
Ward of Charnwood Borough CouncilCharnwood (borough)Charnwood is a borough of northern Leicestershire, England. It is named after Charnwood Forest, which it contains. Loughborough is the largest town in the district and serves as the borough's administrative and commercial centre.-History:...
in May 1995.
In the late 1980s/early 1990s, he served as a School governorSchool governorsIn England, Wales and Northern Ireland, school governors are members of a school's Governing Body. In state schools they have responsibility for raising school standards through their three key roles of setting strategic direction, ensuring accountability and acting as a critical friend...
first at Stonehill High Birstall, then at Highgate Primary School in SilebySilebySileby is a former industrial village and civil parish in the Soar Valley in Leicestershire, between Leicester and Loughborough. Nearby villages include Barrow upon Soar, Mountsorrel, Ratcliffe-on-the-Wreake, Seagrave and Cossington....
.
He married Sarah Elizabeth Chester in August 1992 at Glenfield Methodist church Leicestershire and lives in QuornQuorn, LeicestershireQuorn is a village in Leicestershire, England, situated next to the university town of Loughborough. Quorn's name was shortened from Quorndon in 1889, to avoid postal difficulties owing to its similarity to the name of another village, Quarndon, a few miles away. Its original name is said to derive...
in the Loughborough constituencyLoughborough (UK Parliament constituency)Loughborough is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-Boundaries:...
with Sarah and their son (born March 1999) and daughter (born April 2002).
Career as an MP
Reed first stood for Loughborough in 1992. His 1997 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
followed boundary changes which saw the previous incumbent, Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Health Secretary
Secretary of State for Health
Secretary of State for Health is a UK cabinet position responsible for the Department of Health.The first Boards of Health were created by Orders in Council dated 21 June, 14 November, and 21 November 1831. In 1848 a General Board of Health was created with the First Commissioner of Woods and...
Stephen Dorrell
Stephen Dorrell
Stephen James Dorrell is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister John Major as Secretary of State for National Heritage and Secretary of State for Health...
move with his key rural voters to the newly created Charnwood constituency
Charnwood (UK Parliament constituency)
Charnwood is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
.
Prior to the 2001 election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
Reed served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
(PPS) to the Culture, Media and Sport ministerial team, working with Chris Smith
Chris Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury
Christopher "Chris" Robert Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury PC is a British Labour Party politician, and a former Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister...
, Alan Howarth, Janet Anderson
Janet Anderson
Janet Anderson is an English Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Rossendale and Darwen from 1992 until 2010.-Early life:...
and Minister for Sport
Minister for Sport and Tourism
The Minister for Sport is a junior minister in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for sport in England....
Kate Hoey
Kate Hoey
Catharine Letitia Hoey is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Vauxhall since 1989. She served in the Blair Government as Minister for Sport from 1999 to 2001.-Background:...
. In 2001 he was returned with an increased majority of 6,300 and became the PPS to Environment Secretary
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is a UK cabinet-level position in charge of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the successor to the positions of Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport...
Margaret Beckett
Margaret Beckett
Margaret Mary Beckett is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Derby South since 1983, rising to become the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party under John Smith, from 18 July 1992 to 12 May 1994, and briefly serving as Leader of the Party following Smith's death...
, but resigned in 2003 in protest at the Government's decision to support a US-led invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
without a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
resolution.
He retained his seat in the 2005 election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
but with a reduced majority of 1,996, and was recalled to the Government to be a PPS to the Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
ministerial team, working with the Paymaster-General
Paymaster-General
HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom. The Paymaster General is in charge of the Office of HM Paymaster General , which held accounts at the Bank of England on behalf of Government departments and selected other public bodies...
, Dawn Primarolo
Dawn Primarolo
Dawn Primarolo is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Bristol South since 1987. She was Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families at the Department for Children, Schools and Families from June 2009 to May 2010 and is now a Deputy Speaker of...
.
He stood down from the role of PPS in 2007 when Gordon Brown became leader of the Labour Party to return to the backbenches as a Member of Parliament. Reed says that he does not seek Ministerial Office.
Reed was a member of various All-Party Parliamentary Group
All-Party Parliamentary Group
An all-party parliamentary group is a grouping in the UK parliament that is composed of politicians from all political parties.-All-party parliamentary groups:...
s and was an officer in the following: Bermuda–Britain (Secretary), Athletics (Treasurer), Balanced and Sustainable Communities (Treasurer), Christians in Parliament (Vice Chair), Debt, Aid & Trade (Treasurer/Secretary), East Midlands Rail Franchise (Treasurer), Health and Wellbeing in Schools (Vice Chair), Hockey (Vice Chair), Leisure (Vice Chair), Rugby Union (joint Vice Chair), Scout (Vice Chair), and Sports (Secretary). He was also Chair of the Sports Caucus, a small group of MPs with a common interest in sport. He captained the winning House of Commons swimming team in the Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
vs. Commons swimming gala
Swimming gala
A swimming gala is a swimming competition between clubs or groups of swimmers, usually of young people. This term is primarily used in the UK and South Africa; in Australia swimming carnival is the norm....
in 2000, 2002 and 2004.
According to TheyWorkForYou
TheyWorkForYou
TheyWorkForYou is a website run by mySociety, a project of registered charity UK Citizens Online Democracy, and is a tool for political campaigners and those interested in the Parliamentary activities of UK MPs, Lords, and Northern Ireland MLAs....
, in his last year in Parliament Reed had spoken in an "above average" number of debates, voted an "above average" number of times in the 2005-2010 parliament and replied "within 2 or 3 weeks to a "high number of messages" during 2008. His most frequent questions related to the Olympics, Hearing Impairment, Physical Activity, Education Funding and Sunday Trading. Sport was referred to over 100 times, often in relation to young people and a healthy lifestyle.
Party loyalty
Andrew RothAndrew Roth
Andrew Roth was a biographer and journalist known for his compilation of Parliamentary Profiles, a directory of British Members of Parliament, which is available online in The Guardian...
's Guardian one-liner describes Reed as an "Over eager Blair loyalist and stooge questioner" and his Parliamentary voting record -as would be expected from a "largely loyal" MP -has generally been in support of the Government.
His overall record at the Public Whip
Public Whip
The Public Whip is a parliamentary informatics project that analyses and publishes the voting history of MPs in the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
shows he "occasionally rebels", with 26 votes out of 2791 being deemed against the party whip.
Iraq
In February 2003, he voted both ways, a common method of showing active abstention, to amend a motion which supported Government policy on Iraq so that it also state that the case for military action against Iraq was as yet unproven.On 9 March, he resigned over the imminent invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
though his website made it clear that he supported continued efforts to find a solution through the United Nations.
In the final vote of the House of Commons on 18 March 2003, Reed abstained on an amendment declaring "that the case for war against Iraq has not yet been established, especially given the absence of specific United Nations authorisation", but then went on to support the Government motion which declared that the United Nations authority to use force had revived and supporting "the decision of Her Majesty's Government that the United Kingdom should use all means necessary to ensure the disarmament of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction".
This was his last rebellion on this issue. On 9 March 2004 he voted to reject the motion calling for immediate publication of all advice prepared by the Attorney-General, it was subsequently published in April 2005 and in March 2008 he voted to delay an inquiry whilst important operations were underway. The Iraq Inquiry was announced in June 2009.
Ghurkhas Settlement Rights
In April 2009, Reed voted against the Government for a motion supporting the Ghurkhas rights to settle in the UK on which the Government was defeated.Expenses claims
Reed's total 2008-2009 constituency expenses of £159,409 were the 204th highest out of 647 MPs. Over 75% of this was staff and office costs. In 2008-09 the total cost of Reed’s "Staying away from main home" was £20,387, the 299th highest.Reed "came through the scandal ..over MPs' expenses
United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal triggered by the leak and subsequent publication by the Telegraph Group in 2009 of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament over several years...
unscathed", although in May 2009, the Daily Telegraph wrongly implied a discrepancy between claims for Reed’s second home in Westminster and what he told constituents.
"Andy Reed has a flat as second home in Westminster. In 2007, claimed £1,180 for the flat but this fell to £727 for a mortgage interest payment in 2008. Website states he claims about £450 per month in mortgage interest payments."
A Loughborough Echo
Loughborough Echo
The Loughborough Echo is a paid-for weekly local newspaper owned by Trinity Mirror plc.-Biography:Founded by Joseph Deakin in 1891, the Echo has only had four editors in its history. It is based in the town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England, and circulates in the town and the surrounding area...
investigation showed Reed lived "in a small one bedroom flat" and the difference was due to utility bills, council tax and a quarterly service charge, a total cost of £807 per month and already well within the £1,450 a month limit introduced a year later in the wake of the scandal. The Echo revealed that Reed had claimed £991 for home entertainment equipment. Reed told the paper, "Is it necessary? Probably not, but at the time it is what I had... In hindsight, would I do it in today's climate? No."
The Legg Report showed that 343 MPs had been asked to repay some money, including several from Leicestershire.
In Reed's case it was because of an accounting error by the Fees office and the amount was outstanding at publication on 4 February 2010.
Reed told the Leicester Mercury: "The Fees Office made a mistake in the past and paid my service charge twice – so I have paid back £891. The problem arose when they wrote and said they would withhold a proportion of my expenses for a month because they had lost an invoice for the service charge."
Sports
Reed has a keen interest in playing sport and encouraging others to do so, the "sports mad MP" persuaded MPs to run a mile in support of Sport ReliefSport Relief
Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world's poorest countries...
.
He is the President of Birstall Rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
Club based at Longslade Community College where he still plays rugby regularly. He chaired East Midlands Sport in 2000–3. He has been Chair of the Board of the County Sports Partnership for Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
since 2004 and also Chairs the National Strategic Partnership for Volunteers in Sport.
External links
- Andy Reed MP – official site
- Christians in Parliament
- Guardian Unlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle: Andy Reed MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com – Andy Reed MP
- UK Parliament - Allowances for Andy Reed MP