Chris Heaton-Harris
Encyclopedia
Christopher "Chris" Heaton-Harris, (born 28 November 1967), is a British
Conservative Party
politician. He has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Daventry
since May 2010, and was previously a Member of the European Parliament
(MEP) for the East Midlands
from 1999 to 2009.
, before studying at Wolverhampton Polytechnic
.
He went to work in Covent Garden
(Nine Elms
) fruit and vegetable wholesale market
in the family business
, before taking over from his father as Chairman of What4 Ltd, until his election to the European Parliament.
he fought Leicester South
, a safe seat
for the Labour
. He was the Conservative party's candidate for that seat in the 2004 Leicester South by-election
and came third to the Liberal Democrat Parmjit Singh Gill
.
in 1999 as a MEP for the East Midlands
, and was re-elected in 2004.
Heaton-Harris sat on the Internal Market Committee, responsible for "coordination at Community level of national legislation in the sphere of the internal market and of the customs union" as well as the Central America
Delegation and the Bulgaria Delegation.
He was a founding member of the Campaign for Parliamentary Reform (CPR), a group of cross-national and cross-party MEPs who campaign for reforms within the parliament. Its manifesto includes creating one seat for the parliament - in Brussels, cleaning up MEPs' expenses system, and improving debate within the parliament.
Heaton-Harris was also responsible for bringing the case of Marta Andreasen
, the European Commission's Chief Accountant, to public attention back in August 2002 and has been involved in fighting fraud, mismanagement and waste within the European Commission
and other European Institutions.
He was the Chief Whip for the Conservatives in the European Parliament from 2001 to March 2004.
Immediately prior to his retirement in 2009, Heaton-Harris was the President of the Sports Intergroup, a group of approximately 40 MEPs who have an interest in sport and sporting issues.
From May 2006 he sought support within the EU
legislature for a controversial letter to FIFA
demanding that the Iranian national team be thrown out of the World Cup 2006, because of the Iranian President's comments about the Holocaust being a myth.
Chris Heaton-Harris is also a fierce eurosceptic
in June 2006. He won the seat in the 2010 general election, with a majority of 19,188, succeeding Tim Boswell
.
, the assigned referee for the Hillsborough disaster
and a friend of his father's.
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...
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...
politician. He 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 Daventry
Daventry (UK Parliament constituency)
Daventry is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is a strongly Conservative seat.- Boundaries :The constituency covers the west of Northamptonshire and is named for the market town of Daventry...
since May 2010, and was previously a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
(MEP) for the East Midlands
East Midlands (European Parliament constituency)
East Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 5 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
from 1999 to 2009.
Early life and education
Born in November 1967, Heaton-Harris attended the Tiffin Grammar School for Boys in Kingston upon ThamesKingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
, before studying at Wolverhampton Polytechnic
University of Wolverhampton
The University of Wolverhampton is a British university located on four campuses across the West Midlands and Shropshire. The city campus is located in Wolverhampton city centre with a second campus at Compton Park, Wolverhampton; a third in Walsall and a fourth in Telford...
.
He went to work in Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
(Nine Elms
Nine Elms
Nine Elms is a suburb of London, situated in the far north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Wandsworth between Battersea and Vauxhall.It is primarily an industrial area, dominated by Battersea Power Station, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, railway lines, a major Royal Mail sorting office and...
) fruit and vegetable wholesale market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
in the family business
Family business
A family business is a business in which one or more members of one or more families have a significant ownership interest and significant commitments toward the business’ overall well-being....
, before taking over from his father as Chairman of What4 Ltd, until his election to the European Parliament.
Political career
At the 1997 general 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...
he fought Leicester South
Leicester South (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicester South is a borough 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 voting system...
, a safe seat
Safe seat
A safe seat is a seat in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secured, either by a certain political party, the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both...
for the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. He was the Conservative party's candidate for that seat in the 2004 Leicester South by-election
Leicester South by-election, 2004
A by-election was held in Leicester South on 15 July, the same day as the Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election. It was won by Parmjit Singh Gill of the Liberal Democrats, over-turning a Labour majority of 13,243 votes at the 2001 General Election....
and came third to the Liberal Democrat Parmjit Singh Gill
Parmjit Singh Gill
Parmjit Singh Gill is a British Liberal Democrat politician. As Member of Parliament for Leicester South from 2004 to 2005, he is the only ever ethnic-minority Liberal Democrat MP....
.
European Parliament
Heaton-Harris was elected to the European ParliamentEuropean Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in 1999 as a MEP for the East Midlands
East Midlands (European Parliament constituency)
East Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 5 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
, and was re-elected in 2004.
Heaton-Harris sat on the Internal Market Committee, responsible for "coordination at Community level of national legislation in the sphere of the internal market and of the customs union" as well as the Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
Delegation and the Bulgaria Delegation.
He was a founding member of the Campaign for Parliamentary Reform (CPR), a group of cross-national and cross-party MEPs who campaign for reforms within the parliament. Its manifesto includes creating one seat for the parliament - in Brussels, cleaning up MEPs' expenses system, and improving debate within the parliament.
Heaton-Harris was also responsible for bringing the case of Marta Andreasen
Marta Andreasen
Marta Andreasen is an Argentine-born Spanish accountant, employed in January 2002 by the European Commission as Chief Accountant, and notable for raising concerns about flaws in the commission's accounting system which she felt left the commission vulnerable to potential fraud...
, the European Commission's Chief Accountant, to public attention back in August 2002 and has been involved in fighting fraud, mismanagement and waste within the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
and other European Institutions.
He was the Chief Whip for the Conservatives in the European Parliament from 2001 to March 2004.
Immediately prior to his retirement in 2009, Heaton-Harris was the President of the Sports Intergroup, a group of approximately 40 MEPs who have an interest in sport and sporting issues.
From May 2006 he sought support within the EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
legislature for a controversial letter to FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
demanding that the Iranian national team be thrown out of the World Cup 2006, because of the Iranian President's comments about the Holocaust being a myth.
Chris Heaton-Harris is also a fierce eurosceptic
Member of Parliament
Chris Heaton-Harris was a member of the controversial A-List and was selected as candidate for the safe Conservative seat of DaventryDaventry (UK Parliament constituency)
Daventry is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is a strongly Conservative seat.- Boundaries :The constituency covers the west of Northamptonshire and is named for the market town of Daventry...
in June 2006. He won the seat in the 2010 general election, with a majority of 19,188, succeeding Tim Boswell
Tim Boswell
Timothy Eric "Tim" Boswell, Baron Boswell of Aynho is an English Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Daventry from 1987 until he retired at the 2010 general election.-Education:...
.
Personal life
Heaton-Harris is married with two children. He is a Grade 5 qualified soccer referee, signed into the profession by Ray LewisRay Lewis (referee)
Ray Lewis is a former referee in the Football League, Premier League and at FIFA level.-Career:Lewis became a Football League linesman in 1969 at the remarkably young age of twenty five. At this point he was based in Bournemouth but he later moved to Great Bookham in Surrey where he served the...
, the assigned referee for the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
and a friend of his father's.
External links
- Chris Heaton-Harris MP official constituency website
- Chris Heaton-Harris MP Conservative Party profile
- Daventry Conservatives
- Profile at European Parliament website