Jim Knight
Encyclopedia
James Philip Knight, Baron Knight of Weymouth (born 6 March 1965) is a British
Labour Party
politician
, who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for South Dorset from 2001
until 2010, when he lost his seat. Knight held several ministerial posts during his time as an MP including Minister for the South West
and Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform
. It was announced in the Dissolution Honours List
on 28 May 2010 that he would be made a life peer
.
, an independent school
in Mottingham
in south-east London, followed by Fitzwilliam College
at the University of Cambridge
, where he studied Geography, Social & Political Sciences from 1984–87, gaining a BA
Hons.
from 1991-2001.
as the Labour
candidate for South Dorset, but lost by 77 votes. He was, however, elected on the same day to Mendip District Council, on which he served until 2001, including as Labour Group leader.
At the 2001 general election
, he was elected the Member of Parliament
for South Dorset by 153 votes in the only Labour gain from the Conservatives
in that year. In the 2005 general election
he increased his majority to 1,812, but with a small decrease in his share of the vote. In the 2010 general election Knight lost his seat to Conservative
Richard Drax
by 7,443 votes after a 11.4% drop in his vote.
for Rural Affairs, Landscape and Biodiversity in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
from 2005-06. He then moved to become Minister of State
for Schools in the Department for Education and Skills. On 28 June 2007, when Gordon Brown
disbanded the department, Knight moved to the newly created Department for Children, Schools and Families
, as the Minister for Schools and Learners. In October 2008 following the reshuffle, Knight became a member of the Privy Council.
In his first Parliament
, Jim Knight generally voted in line with party policy, including all major votes such as those on the Iraq war
and top-up fees
.
Jim Knight held the following positions:
|-
|-
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
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 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 South Dorset from 2001
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...
until 2010, when he lost his seat. Knight held several ministerial posts during his time as an MP including Minister for the South West
Regional minister
In England, regional ministers were appointed from 2007 on a part-time basis as part of the Government of the United Kingdom. Each minister had other departmental responsibilities, as well as specific responsibilities for one of the English regions...
and Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform
Department for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
. It was announced in the Dissolution Honours List
2010 Dissolution Honours
The 2010 Dissolution Honours List was issued on 28 May 2010 at the advice of outgoing Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The list was gazetted on 15 June.-Life Peerages:Conservative* Timothy Boswell* Angela Browning* John Gummer* Michael Howard...
on 28 May 2010 that he would be made a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
.
Education
Knight was educated at Eltham CollegeEltham College
This article is about the school in London, England. For the school in Research, Australia see Eltham College of Education.Eltham College is an independent school situated in Mottingham in south-east London...
, an independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
in Mottingham
Mottingham
Mottingham is a district of south London, England; located at the convergence of the London Borough of Bromley, the London Borough of Lewisham and the London Borough of Greenwich...
in south-east London, followed by Fitzwilliam College
Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Fitzwilliam College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge in England.The college traces its origins back to 1869 and the foundation of the Non-Collegiate Students Board, a venture intended to offer students from less financially privileged backgrounds a chance to study...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, where he studied Geography, Social & Political Sciences from 1984–87, gaining a BA
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...
Hons.
Early career
Knight was Manager of Central Studio in Basingstoke from 1988–90. From 1990–91, he was Director of West Wiltshire Arts Centre Ltd, then Director of Dentons Directories Ltd in WestburyWestbury, Wiltshire
Westbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...
from 1991-2001.
Election history
Knight first stood for Parliament in 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...
as 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...
candidate for South Dorset, but lost by 77 votes. He was, however, elected on the same day to Mendip District Council, on which he served until 2001, including as Labour Group leader.
At the 2001 general 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...
, he was elected 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,...
for South Dorset by 153 votes in the only Labour gain from the Conservatives
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...
in that year. In the 2005 general 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....
he increased his majority to 1,812, but with a small decrease in his share of the vote. In the 2010 general election Knight lost his seat to 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...
Richard Drax
Richard Drax
Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax , known as Richard Drax, is a former Army officer and journalist, now Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for South Dorset....
by 7,443 votes after a 11.4% drop in his vote.
Parliamentary career
Knight was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of StateParliamentary 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 Rural Affairs, Landscape and Biodiversity in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...
from 2005-06. He then moved to become 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...
for Schools in the Department for Education and Skills. On 28 June 2007, when 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...
disbanded the department, Knight moved to the newly created Department for Children, Schools and Families
Department for Children, Schools and Families
The Department for Children, Schools and Families was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education...
, as the Minister for Schools and Learners. In October 2008 following the reshuffle, Knight became a member of the Privy Council.
In his first Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, Jim Knight generally voted in line with party policy, including all major votes such as those on the Iraq war
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...
and top-up fees
Top-up fees
Tuition fees were first introduced across the entire United Kingdom in September 1998 as a means of funding tuition to undergraduate and postgraduate certificate students at universities, with students being required to pay up to £1,000 a year for tuition...
.
Jim Knight held the following positions:
- 2003-2004 - Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rosie WintertonRosie WintertonRosalie "Rosie" Winterton is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central since 1997. Formerly a minister within both the Blair and Brown Governments, she first entered the Shadow Cabinet in May 2010 as the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons...
then Minister of State at the Department of Health - 2004-2005 - Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Ministerial Team at the Department of Health
- 2005-2006 - Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs, the Landscape & Biodiversity
- 2006-2009 - Minister of State for Schools
- 2009–2010 - Minister of State for Employment
- 2009–2010 - Minister for the South West
External links
- Jim Knight MP Official site
- Jim Knight - Department for Children, Schools and Families
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Jim Knight MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Jim Knight MP
- BBC Article on Ed Matts 13 April 2005
- Opening speech at the Handheld Learning 2007 Conference 11 October 2007, Central Hall Westminster
- BBC Politics page
|-
|-