Anna Soubry
Encyclopedia
Anna Mary Soubry is a British Conservative Party
politician who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Broxtowe
since the 2010 general election. She is a single mother of two children.
The Independent
s Simon Carr has stated that “she has a record of unusually free speech”. On 17 November 2010, Soubry was appointed as parliamentary private secretary
(PPS) to Simon Burns
at the Department of Health.
in 1979. She was a journalist from 1981 until 1995 and also reported on and presented several regional and networked TV programmes, including Grampian Television
's North Tonight
in the North of Scotland and the East Midlands
regional news programme, Central News East. Soubry also presented and reported Granada Television
's This Morning
in the late 1980s. She was called to the bar
in 1995 and is a member of the Criminal Bar Association.
Soubry was the Conservative Party
candidate for the Gedling
constituency in the United Kingdom general election of 2005. During the campaign, she said she was "ashamed" of living in Nottingham as it had a bad reputation for crime. She said she wasn't ashamed of the people of Nottingham, but, instead, was ashamed of what had happened to the city.
Soubry was chosen as an "A-List" candidate and in 2006 was selected for the nearby Broxtowe Parliamentary seat
. In a debate in front of sixth formers in 2006, She said an honest debate was needed to stop people taking Class A drugs and she supported the legalisation of cannabis
. In June 2010, Soubry was elected as a Conservative member of the Justice Select Committee, but is no longer part of that committee.
and called for the £400m extension to Nottingham's tram system to be scrapped saying the money would be better spent on the A453. David Thornhill of the Campaign for Better Transport expressed astonishment at her opinion and said the tram was definitely better value for money. Soubry said she was pro-tram, but that the tram route through her constituency was "fundamentally flawed". Broxtowe Conservatives had always opposed the route. A subsequent report by the Campaign identified Nottingham as "the least car dependent city in England" and noted the expanding tram system.
She expressed dismay at the time and cost of replying to each constituent when she had already discussed the issue with the Communication Workers Union
. Twelve days later she announced in Parliament that of the 700 postal workers in her constituency, to her knowledge, none had written to her opposing privatisation of Royal Mail and only two had come down to London.
In November 2010, the Communication Workers Union wrote to Parliament alleging her statement was both untrue and wrongly implied there was little support for its “Keep The Post Public” campaign. It wanted to get the statement formally withdrawn.
Soubry agreed she was wrong, but said that some of the letters had been misfiled and others had arrived late or were sent to the wrong MP and that the Communication Workers Union had been inefficient. She claimed she genuinely believed she was telling the truth. The bill protected Royal Mail, its workers and the universal postal service and that was the only reason she supported it.
The union collected around 10,000 signatures for its campaign in Nottingham.
to discuss her efforts to help the Citizens Advice Bureau
.
The program reviewed the current state of Nottinghamshire’s CAB which is facing a 30% increase in enquiries plus cuts in its budget from local councils and the Ministry of Justice. It also briefly covered Chris Leslie’s oral question to Ken Clarke earlier that month on the same topic. In the overview, Simon Hartley Jones of Mansfield CAB said the cuts to the CAB beggared belief, threatened it with closure and contradicted the Big Society. Soubry was shown speaking to local CAB workers and it was stated that her Broxtowe CAB handled 33,000 enquiries last year.
In the studio interview, Soubry said she had asked the leader of Nottingham County Council and Clarke who she described as a “long standing supporter of the CAB” to reconsider. She also said the Government had made a £100m contingency fund available for charities facing problems in the immediate aftermath of the cuts. A reduction in the CAB’s capability would add pressure to MPs workload. She believed it was imperative to continue to fund the CAB from the public purse but also believed the banks and credit card companies who bear some responsibility for debts could help. An additional serious concern she would take up was that even at this late stage, the CAB didn’t know what its budget would be for the next financial year.
According to her website, Soubry later organised a meeting between the CAB, Midlands Women's Aid and Nick Hurd
, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering. The meeting aimed to make him aware of the effects of the proposed cuts in funding to these organisations.
to provide anonymity to a person who has been arrested but not charged. A clause allowed any party to ask for anonymity to be removed if it was in the interests of justice. The press coverage of the arrest of the landlord of Joanna Yeates in December 2010 was criticised by both police and the Attorney General
and seemed a good example of the mischief which the bill could remedy. The second reading took place in February 2011. MPs of all parties alluded to the Yeates murder.
Mike Freer
referring to "the landlord in Bristol" said "it was the castigation, the crawling over of that gentleman's background, the questioning of his looks, his eccentricity and his sexuality that were abhorrent and that will follow him around for ever."
Soubry replied "What we saw in Bristol was, in effect, a feeding frenzy and vilification. Much of the coverage was not only completely irrelevant, but there was a homophobic tone to it which I found deeply offensive. The slurs on the man were out of order." She also said that the Contempt of Court Act 1981 which the Attorney-General hadn't been able to use to "stop the salacious and vilifying nature of the coverage of the man arrested in Bristol" could be amended.
Robert Flello
said that many members had alluded to "the media's dreadful treatment of her landlord". The shameful way in which that man was portrayed in the press-from "weird-looking" to "strange", and with questions raised about his sexuality, his teaching practices and even his hairstyle-should embarrass and shame our media.
Philip Davies
was one of a number of MPs to raise the problems with websites. He pointed out that even if the bill applied to the UK, there would be no way of effectively controlling what was put out by websites based abroad.
Soubry withdrew the bill after its second reading, when Justice Minister Crispin Blunt
promised the Attorney General would examine the area of concern.
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...
politician who has been 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 Broxtowe
Broxtowe (UK Parliament constituency)
Broxtowe 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...
since the 2010 general election. She is a single mother of two children.
The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
s Simon Carr has stated that “she has a record of unusually free speech”. On 17 November 2010, Soubry was appointed as 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 Simon Burns
Simon Burns
Simon Hugh McGuigan Burns is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He has been Member of Parliament for Chelmsford since the 1987 general election...
at the Department of Health.
Professional career
Soubry graduated in law from the University of BirminghamUniversity of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
in 1979. She was a journalist from 1981 until 1995 and also reported on and presented several regional and networked TV programmes, including Grampian Television
Grampian Television
Grampian Television is the ITV franchisee for the North and North East of Scotland. Its coverage area includes the Scottish Highlands , Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee and parts of north Fife...
's North Tonight
North Tonight
North Tonight was a Scottish nightly regional news programme covering the North of Scotland, produced by STV North .-History:North Tonight began on 7 January 1980 with presenters John Duncanson and Selina Scott...
in the North of Scotland and the East Midlands
East Midlands
The 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...
regional news programme, Central News East. Soubry also presented and reported Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
's This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
in the late 1980s. She was called to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in 1995 and is a member of the Criminal Bar Association.
Political career and constituency issues
Soubry was involved in student politics in the 1970s, becoming the only Conservative member of the National Union of Students' executive committee.Soubry was the Conservative Party
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...
candidate for the Gedling
Gedling (UK Parliament constituency)
-Electiobs in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-See also:*List of Parliamentary constituencies in Nottinghamshire...
constituency in the United Kingdom general election of 2005. During the campaign, she said she was "ashamed" of living in Nottingham as it had a bad reputation for crime. She said she wasn't ashamed of the people of Nottingham, but, instead, was ashamed of what had happened to the city.
Soubry was chosen as an "A-List" candidate and in 2006 was selected for the nearby Broxtowe Parliamentary seat
Broxtowe (UK Parliament constituency)
Broxtowe 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...
. In a debate in front of sixth formers in 2006, She said an honest debate was needed to stop people taking Class A drugs and she supported the legalisation of cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
. In June 2010, Soubry was elected as a Conservative member of the Justice Select Committee, but is no longer part of that committee.
Tram system
In June 2010, Soubry met the transport minister Norman BakerNorman Baker
Norman John Baker is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Lewes in East Sussex since 1997. Since May 2010 he has been Parliamentary Under Secretary for the Department for Transport....
and called for the £400m extension to Nottingham's tram system to be scrapped saying the money would be better spent on the A453. David Thornhill of the Campaign for Better Transport expressed astonishment at her opinion and said the tram was definitely better value for money. Soubry said she was pro-tram, but that the tram route through her constituency was "fundamentally flawed". Broxtowe Conservatives had always opposed the route. A subsequent report by the Campaign identified Nottingham as "the least car dependent city in England" and noted the expanding tram system.
"Slavery" Row
In July 2010, Soubry was criticised for employing Craig Cox, for three months, who in 2008 had faced a police probe after holding up a banner calling for the return of slavery. Cox, who was 20 at the time and president of the Nottingham University Conservative Association had held up the banner, allegedly with intent to 'wind up' participants at a seminar, upsetting some black students so much they are said to have left the seminar. Soubry said she was aware of Cox's background but he had made a full apology and "regretted doing something so stupid". She thought there were more important things to debate.Royal Mail Privatisation
In October 2010, Soubry wrote in her monthly column in the Beeston Express that on returning to Parliament she met a "somewhat shell-shocked Parliamentary Assistant bearing a pile of some 300 cards from constituents urging me to oppose the proposed sell-off of the Royal Mail."She expressed dismay at the time and cost of replying to each constituent when she had already discussed the issue with the Communication Workers Union
Communication Workers Union (UK)
The Communication Workers Union is the main trade union in the United Kingdom for people working for telephone, cable, DSL and postal delivery companies, with 215,000 members....
. Twelve days later she announced in Parliament that of the 700 postal workers in her constituency, to her knowledge, none had written to her opposing privatisation of Royal Mail and only two had come down to London.
In November 2010, the Communication Workers Union wrote to Parliament alleging her statement was both untrue and wrongly implied there was little support for its “Keep The Post Public” campaign. It wanted to get the statement formally withdrawn.
Soubry agreed she was wrong, but said that some of the letters had been misfiled and others had arrived late or were sent to the wrong MP and that the Communication Workers Union had been inefficient. She claimed she genuinely believed she was telling the truth. The bill protected Royal Mail, its workers and the universal postal service and that was the only reason she supported it.
The union collected around 10,000 signatures for its campaign in Nottingham.
Support for Citizens Advice Bureau
On 28 November 2010, Soubry appeared on the East Midland version of The Politics ShowThe Politics Show
The Politics Show is an hour long BBC One television political programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sundays. The programme usually starts at midday, but is often earlier or later when sporting events clash in the schedules. It was launched in 2003 and was originally presented by Jeremy...
to discuss her efforts to help the Citizens Advice Bureau
Citizens Advice Bureau
A Citizens Advice Bureau is one of a network of independent charities throughout the UK that give free, confidential information and advice to help people with their money, legal, consumer and other problems....
.
The program reviewed the current state of Nottinghamshire’s CAB which is facing a 30% increase in enquiries plus cuts in its budget from local councils and the Ministry of Justice. It also briefly covered Chris Leslie’s oral question to Ken Clarke earlier that month on the same topic. In the overview, Simon Hartley Jones of Mansfield CAB said the cuts to the CAB beggared belief, threatened it with closure and contradicted the Big Society. Soubry was shown speaking to local CAB workers and it was stated that her Broxtowe CAB handled 33,000 enquiries last year.
In the studio interview, Soubry said she had asked the leader of Nottingham County Council and Clarke who she described as a “long standing supporter of the CAB” to reconsider. She also said the Government had made a £100m contingency fund available for charities facing problems in the immediate aftermath of the cuts. A reduction in the CAB’s capability would add pressure to MPs workload. She believed it was imperative to continue to fund the CAB from the public purse but also believed the banks and credit card companies who bear some responsibility for debts could help. An additional serious concern she would take up was that even at this late stage, the CAB didn’t know what its budget would be for the next financial year.
According to her website, Soubry later organised a meeting between the CAB, Midlands Women's Aid and Nick Hurd
Nick Hurd
Nicholas Richard Hurd , known as Nick Hurd, is a United Kingdom Conservative Member of Parliament.He was elected Member for Ruislip-Northwood at the May 2005 general election with 47.7% of the votes...
, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering. The meeting aimed to make him aware of the effects of the proposed cuts in funding to these organisations.
Anonymity (Arrested Persons) Private Members Bill
In June 2010, Soubry sponsored a private member's billPrivate Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
to provide anonymity to a person who has been arrested but not charged. A clause allowed any party to ask for anonymity to be removed if it was in the interests of justice. The press coverage of the arrest of the landlord of Joanna Yeates in December 2010 was criticised by both police and the Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
and seemed a good example of the mischief which the bill could remedy. The second reading took place in February 2011. MPs of all parties alluded to the Yeates murder.
Mike Freer
Mike Freer
Michael Whitney Freer MP is a British politician. A Conservative, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Finchley and Golders Green at the 2010 general election...
referring to "the landlord in Bristol" said "it was the castigation, the crawling over of that gentleman's background, the questioning of his looks, his eccentricity and his sexuality that were abhorrent and that will follow him around for ever."
Soubry replied "What we saw in Bristol was, in effect, a feeding frenzy and vilification. Much of the coverage was not only completely irrelevant, but there was a homophobic tone to it which I found deeply offensive. The slurs on the man were out of order." She also said that the Contempt of Court Act 1981 which the Attorney-General hadn't been able to use to "stop the salacious and vilifying nature of the coverage of the man arrested in Bristol" could be amended.
Robert Flello
Robert Flello
Robert Charles Douglas Flello is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent South since 2005.-Early life:...
said that many members had alluded to "the media's dreadful treatment of her landlord". The shameful way in which that man was portrayed in the press-from "weird-looking" to "strange", and with questions raised about his sexuality, his teaching practices and even his hairstyle-should embarrass and shame our media.
Philip Davies
Philip Davies
Philip Andrew Davies is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Shipley in West Yorkshire.-Early life:...
was one of a number of MPs to raise the problems with websites. He pointed out that even if the bill applied to the UK, there would be no way of effectively controlling what was put out by websites based abroad.
Soubry withdrew the bill after its second reading, when Justice Minister Crispin Blunt
Crispin Blunt
Crispin Jeremy Rupert Blunt is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for the Reigate constituency in Surrey, and since May 2010 he has been the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prisons and Youth Justice within the Ministry of Justice.He first entered...
promised the Attorney General would examine the area of concern.
External links
- Personal Website
- Anna Soubry MP Conservative Party profile
- Broxtowe Conservatives