Ivan Lewis
Encyclopedia
Ivan Lewis is a British
Labour Party
politician
who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Bury South
since 1997
. Lewis served in a variety of junior ministerial positions, including as Minister of State
at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
.
family and educated at the independent William Hulme Grammar School (state-controlled since 2007) in Manchester
, Stand Sixth Form College (former Stand Grammar School, now closed) and Bury College
.
He married Juliette Fox in June 1990 in Stockport
and they have two sons; they are now divorced. He is also a lifelong Manchester City fan.
Prior to his election, he worked in the voluntary sector
from 1986 to 1997 for Outreach, Contact Community Care Group and as Chief Executive of the Manchester Jewish Federation.
to Stephen Byers
when the latter was Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
.
From June 2003 to May 2005, Lewis was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Skills and Vocational Education at the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). Other previous roles at the DfES included Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Young People and Learning, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Adult Learning and Skills, and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Young People and Adult Skills.
Lewis was then Economic Secretary to the Treasury
from May 2005 to May 2006. Lewis was moved to a junior ministerial position in the Department of Health
in the Cabinet reshuffle in May 2006.
On 29 June 2007, in Gordon Brown's first reshuffle as Prime Minister
he was re-appointed to the post of Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Health
, the only junior minister to survive the reshuffle where he held on to the brief for social care and added mental health services.
On 3 October 2008, he was moved to the Department for International Development
. He remained there until June 2009, when he was promoted to Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
In October 2010, Lewis was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
Ivan Lewis has held the following positions:
, in his local area, due to falling pupil numbers. The plans were dismissed (voted out 3-0 by the School's Organisation Committee).
Lewis is a member of and was formerly Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel
, and is a trustee of the Holocaust Educational Trust
. He was a strong supporter of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza in January 2009, defending the Israeli military's campaign in several speeches.
MP, following Lewis's refusal to allow Mulholland to intervene to correct statements Lewis had made in a debate on hospice
funding.
In 2008, the Department of Health
confirmed that Ivan Lewis had made an apology for his behaviour when in 2007 he began sending increasingly intimate text messages to then aide Suzie Mason, which ultimately led to her registering concern, and successfully seeking an alternative position within the Civil Service before leaving for the private sector
. Nick Cohen
pointed out in The Observer
on 14 September 2008 that the revelations about Lewis' private life followed articles by Lewis which constituted coded attacks on Gordon Brown
.
In 2009, The Guardian
reported that, following a promise to assist British users of the drug "Vioxx"
(produced by Merck
) with legal fees in their attempt to claim damages, Lewis changed his mind within hours of an "expensive lobbying effort"
by Merck. Vioxx has been shown to increase the risk of heart failure in users.
On 27 September 2011, Lewis addressed the Labour Party conference in Liverpool outlining a proposal for "a new system of independent regulation" of the press and of journalists that "as [with] other professions the industry should consider whether people guilty of gross malpractice should be struck off", though without specifying in any detail how this might be achieved. The proposal was slapped down by an aide to Ed Milliband: "Labour is not in the business of regulating journalists".
Politics of the United Kingdom
The politics of the United Kingdom takes place within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is the head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government...
Labour Party
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
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 Bury South
Bury South (UK Parliament constituency)
Bury 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 system of election...
since 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...
. Lewis served in a variety of junior ministerial positions, including as Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
.
Personal life
Lewis was born to a British JewishBritish Jews
British Jews are Jews who live in, or are citizens of, the United Kingdom. In the 2001 Census, 266,740 people listed their religion as Jewish. The UK is home to the second largest Jewish population in Europe, and has the fifth largest Jewish community worldwide...
family and educated at the independent William Hulme Grammar School (state-controlled since 2007) in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Stand Sixth Form College (former Stand Grammar School, now closed) and Bury College
Bury College
Bury College is an institute of higher learning for the borough of Bury, England.-Age range:Bury College is a sixth form college catering for school leavers pursuing A Levels, vocational qualifications or apprenticeships. The college has approximately 8,000 adult learners and focuses on...
.
He married Juliette Fox in June 1990 in Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
and they have two sons; they are now divorced. He is also a lifelong Manchester City fan.
Prior to his election, he worked in the voluntary sector
Voluntary sector
The 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...
from 1986 to 1997 for Outreach, Contact Community Care Group and as Chief Executive of the Manchester Jewish Federation.
Political career
Lewis was Parliamentary Private SecretaryParliamentary 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...
to Stephen Byers
Stephen Byers
Stephen John Byers is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for North Tyneside from 1997 to 2010; in the previous parliament, from 1992, he represented Wallsend...
when the latter was Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills is a cabinet position in the United Kingdom government. Its secondary title is the President of the Board of Trade...
.
From June 2003 to May 2005, Lewis was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Skills and Vocational Education at the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). Other previous roles at the DfES included Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Young People and Learning, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Adult Learning and Skills, and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Young People and Adult Skills.
Lewis was then Economic Secretary 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...
from May 2005 to May 2006. Lewis was moved to a junior ministerial position in the Department of Health
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
in the Cabinet reshuffle in May 2006.
On 29 June 2007, in Gordon Brown's first reshuffle as Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
he was re-appointed to the post of Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Health
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
, the only junior minister to survive the reshuffle where he held on to the brief for social care and added mental health services.
On 3 October 2008, he was moved to the Department for International Development
Department for International Development
The Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current...
. He remained there until June 2009, when he was promoted to Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
In October 2010, Lewis was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
Ivan Lewis has held the following positions:
- July 1999-June 2001 - Parliamentary Private Secretary to Stephen Byers as Secretary of State for Trade & Industry
- June 2001-May 2002 - Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Young People & Learning
- May 2002-May 2005 - Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Skills
- May 2005-May 2006 - Economic Secretary to the TreasuryEconomic Secretary to the TreasuryThe Economic Secretary to the Treasury is the fifth most senior ministerial post in the UK Treasury, after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Paymaster-General and the Financial Secretary...
- May 2006-October 2008 - Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Care Services
- October 2008-June 2009 - Parliamentary under Secretary of State at the Department for International DevelopmentDepartment for International DevelopmentThe Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current...
- June 2009–May 2010 - Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office
- 2010-2011 - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
- 2011-present - Shadow Secretary of State for International Development
Positions
Ivan Lewis consistently supported plans to close Prestwich Arts CollegePrestwich Arts College
Prestwich Arts and Media College is a comprehensive school in Prestwich, Bury, England. The current head teacher is Geoff Barlow. He has been the head teacher since 2002.-History:...
, in his local area, due to falling pupil numbers. The plans were dismissed (voted out 3-0 by the School's Organisation Committee).
Lewis is a member of and was formerly Vice-Chair of Labour Friends of Israel
Labour Friends of Israel
Labour Friends of Israel is a lobby group promoting support within the British Labour Party for a strong bilateral relationship between Britain and Israel. It also seeks to strengthen ties between the British and the Israeli Labour party...
, and is a trustee of the Holocaust Educational Trust
Holocaust Educational Trust
The Holocaust Educational Trust is a British charity, founded by Greville Janner and Merlyn Rees in 1988, whose aim is to "educate young people of every background about the Holocaust and the important lessons to be learned for today." Its chairman is Greville Janner and its president is R....
. He was a strong supporter of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza in January 2009, defending the Israeli military's campaign in several speeches.
Controversies
In 2008, Ivan Lewis was described in the House of Commons as an "arsehole" by Greg MulhollandGreg Mulholland
Gregory Thomas Mulholland is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom, and is the Member of Parliament for Leeds North West. He was first elected at the 2005 general election, winning the seat from Labour and was re-elected with an increased majority at the 2010 general election. Before...
MP, following Lewis's refusal to allow Mulholland to intervene to correct statements Lewis had made in a debate on hospice
Hospice
Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
funding.
In 2008, the Department of Health
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
confirmed that Ivan Lewis had made an apology for his behaviour when in 2007 he began sending increasingly intimate text messages to then aide Suzie Mason, which ultimately led to her registering concern, and successfully seeking an alternative position within the Civil Service before leaving for the private sector
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...
. Nick Cohen
Nick Cohen
Nick Cohen is a British journalist, author and political commentator. He is currently a columnist for The Observer, a blogger for The Spectator and TV critic for Standpoint magazine. He formerly wrote for the London Evening Standard and the New Statesman...
pointed out in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
on 14 September 2008 that the revelations about Lewis' private life followed articles by Lewis which constituted coded attacks on Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
.
In 2009, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
reported that, following a promise to assist British users of the drug "Vioxx"
Rofecoxib
Rofecoxib is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that has now been withdrawn over safety concerns. It was marketed by Merck & Co. to treat osteoarthritis, acute pain conditions, and dysmenorrhoea...
(produced by Merck
Merck & Co.
Merck & Co., Inc. , also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada, is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The Merck headquarters is located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, an unincorporated area in Readington Township...
) with legal fees in their attempt to claim damages, Lewis changed his mind within hours of an "expensive lobbying effort"
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
by Merck. Vioxx has been shown to increase the risk of heart failure in users.
On 27 September 2011, Lewis addressed the Labour Party conference in Liverpool outlining a proposal for "a new system of independent regulation" of the press and of journalists that "as [with] other professions the industry should consider whether people guilty of gross malpractice should be struck off", though without specifying in any detail how this might be achieved. The proposal was slapped down by an aide to Ed Milliband: "Labour is not in the business of regulating journalists".
External links
- Ivan Lewis MP official constituency website
- Bury South Labour