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John Leech (politician)
Encyclopedia
John Sampson Macfarlane Leech (born 11 April 1971, Hastings
, East Sussex
) is a British
Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Manchester Withington
since 2005. In the 2005–2010 Parliament he was a member of the Transport Select Committee and was appointed a Shadow Transport Spokesperson in 2006.
in Fallowfield
, Loreto College
in Hulme
, and Brunel University
in Uxbridge where he studied History and Politics and also joined the Liberal Democrat Party. He received an Upper-Second Class Honours
degree upon graduating. After leaving university he worked as a trainee manager for McDonald's
and part-time at the RAC
in Stockport
as a call centre insurance claims handler.
, as a Councillor
for Barlow Moor
and later for Chorlton Park following boundary changes to the ward. He was Deputy Leader of the council's Opposition Group, acting as a spokesperson for Planning and the Environment.
Leech was elected at the 2005 general election
, unexpectedly defeating Keith Bradley
, the incumbent Labour Party
MP, by a swing of over 17%. Leech became the first Liberal or Liberal Democrat to win a Manchester seat since 1929. Leech continued to represent Chorlton Park as a councillor in addition to duties as Member of Parliament until he stood down at local elections in May 2008.
' campaign, focusing on concern at the possible movement of cancer services away from one of Europe's largest cancer
treatment centres. Labour Party supporters alleged that these concerns were unfounded and that there was never any risk to the hospital.
In April 2005, the Manchester Evening News reported that sixty doctors had signed a petition calling on the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority not to move services away from Christie as part of a review of services. The doctors cited concerns that a dislocation of services from the Christie Hospital could jeopardise patient outcomes and their campaign was supported by both the University of Manchester and Cancer Research UK
.
The campaign was taken up by Leech as well as the Conservative Party Shadow
Secretary of State for Health
Andrew Lansley
. However, health services executives reacted angrily to what they perceived as scaremongering on the part of both the Liberal Democrats and the consultants who signed the petition. The Chief Executives of the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority and the South Manchester Primary Care Trust both denied the rumours.
The debate between Labour and Liberal Democrat party members about the validity of Leech's claims has continued since the election. Leech took a petition of 1,500 residents to the Strategic Health Authority over the threat while Labour supporters organised a separate petition of local residents to request an explanation from Leech over his conduct.
In 2006 Lib Dem
Cllr
Angela Gallagher defected to the Labour Party
citing Leech's Christie Hospital campaign as a major factor in her decision. (Gallagher had donated over £22,000 to his General Election
campaign fund.) Gallagher subsequently lost her seat in the 2007 Manchester local elections by 42 votes to Liberal Democrat Councillor Paul Ankers.
and an enthusiastic member of the Parliamentary Football team.
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
) is a British
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...
Liberal Democrat 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 Manchester Withington
Manchester Withington (UK Parliament constituency)
Manchester, Withington is a parliamentary constituency in the city of Manchester. It returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system...
since 2005. In the 2005–2010 Parliament he was a member of the Transport Select Committee and was appointed a Shadow Transport Spokesperson in 2006.
Background
Leech went to the independent Manchester Grammar SchoolManchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...
in Fallowfield
Fallowfield
Ladybarn is the part of Fallowfield to the south-east. Chancellors Hotel & Conference Centre is used by the University of Manchester: it was built by Edward Walters for Sir Joseph Whitworth, as were the Firs Botanical Grounds.-Religion:...
, Loreto College
Loreto College, Manchester
Loreto College is a Roman Catholic sixth form college in Hulme, Manchester, England. During Ofsted's most recent inspection in 2009, Loreto was adjudged to be "outstanding in every respect" with a perfect Grade 1 rating in all thirty-five of the inspection criteria.-Location:The school is situated...
in Hulme
Hulme
Hulme is an inner city area and electoral ward of Manchester, England. Located immediately south of Manchester city centre, it is an area with significant industrial heritage....
, and Brunel University
Brunel University
Brunel University is a public research university located in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. The university is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel....
in Uxbridge where he studied History and Politics and also joined the Liberal Democrat Party. He received an Upper-Second Class Honours
British undergraduate degree classification
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom...
degree upon graduating. After leaving university he worked as a trainee manager for McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
and part-time at the RAC
RAC plc
RAC Limited is a breakdown company in the United Kingdom supplying products and services for motorists. Initially formed as the "Associate Section" of the Royal Automobile Club, it was incorporated as R.A.C. Motoring Services Ltd. in 1978. It was then sold by the members of the Royal Automobile...
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...
as a call centre insurance claims handler.
Political career
In 1998 Leech was elected to Manchester City CouncilManchester City Council
Manchester City Council is the local government authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. It is composed of 96 councillors, three for each of the 32 electoral wards of Manchester. Currently the council is controlled by the Labour Party and is led by...
, as a Councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
for Barlow Moor
Barlow Moor
Barlow Moor was in early times an area of waste between Didsbury and Chorlton-cum-Hardy and was named after Barlow. Barlow Moor Road runs through the area and connects to Wilmslow Road at the southern end and Manchester Road at the northern end. Southern Cemetery and Chorlton Park are landmarks on...
and later for Chorlton Park following boundary changes to the ward. He was Deputy Leader of the council's Opposition Group, acting as a spokesperson for Planning and the Environment.
Leech was elected at 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....
, unexpectedly defeating Keith Bradley
Keith Bradley, Baron Bradley
Keith John Charles Bradley, Baron Bradley PC is a British Labour Party politician and life peer. He was formerly the Labour Member of Parliament for Manchester Withington from 1987 until 2005.-Early life:...
, the incumbent 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...
MP, by a swing of over 17%. Leech became the first Liberal or Liberal Democrat to win a Manchester seat since 1929. Leech continued to represent Chorlton Park as a councillor in addition to duties as Member of Parliament until he stood down at local elections in May 2008.
2005 general election
During the 2005 General Election campaign he mounted a 'Save Christie HospitalChristie Hospital
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust is located in Withington, Manchester, and is one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe. The Christie became a NHS Foundation Trust in April 2007 and is also an international leader in cancer research and development, and home to the Paterson Institute...
' campaign, focusing on concern at the possible movement of cancer services away from one of Europe's largest cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
treatment centres. Labour Party supporters alleged that these concerns were unfounded and that there was never any risk to the hospital.
In April 2005, the Manchester Evening News reported that sixty doctors had signed a petition calling on the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority not to move services away from Christie as part of a review of services. The doctors cited concerns that a dislocation of services from the Christie Hospital could jeopardise patient outcomes and their campaign was supported by both the University of Manchester and Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK is a cancer research and awareness charity in the United Kingdom, formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. Its aim is to reduce the number of deaths from cancer. As the world's largest independent cancer...
.
The campaign was taken up by Leech as well as the Conservative Party Shadow
Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (UK)
The Official Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet are, in British parliamentary practice, senior members of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition who scrutinise their corresponding office holders in the Government, develop alternative policies, and hold the Government to account for its actions and responses...
Secretary of State for Health
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...
Andrew Lansley
Andrew Lansley
Andrew David Lansley, CBE, MP is the UK Secretary of State for Health, who has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for South Cambridgeshire since the 1997 general election, and was Shadow Secretary of State for Health from June 2004 until becoming Secretary of State for Health in May 2010...
. However, health services executives reacted angrily to what they perceived as scaremongering on the part of both the Liberal Democrats and the consultants who signed the petition. The Chief Executives of the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority and the South Manchester Primary Care Trust both denied the rumours.
The debate between Labour and Liberal Democrat party members about the validity of Leech's claims has continued since the election. Leech took a petition of 1,500 residents to the Strategic Health Authority over the threat while Labour supporters organised a separate petition of local residents to request an explanation from Leech over his conduct.
In 2006 Lib Dem
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
Cllr
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
Angela Gallagher defected to the 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...
citing Leech's Christie Hospital campaign as a major factor in her decision. (Gallagher had donated over £22,000 to his General Election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
campaign fund.) Gallagher subsequently lost her seat in the 2007 Manchester local elections by 42 votes to Liberal Democrat Councillor Paul Ankers.
Parliamentary issues
Leech has specialised in three areas during his time in Parliament:- Cancer services - He was made North-West Lung Cancer Champion by the UK Lung Cancer Coalition.
- Road safety - Leech was made Parliamentarian of the Month for December 2006 and Parliamentarian of the Year for 2008 by the road safety charity BrakeBrake (charity)Brake is a British national road safety charity. It is based in Huddersfield.-History:Brake was formed in 1995 by Mary Williams, following the death of her mother Sue Williams in 1992. Sue Williams was killed when her stationary car was hit by a 38 ton tanker with faulty brakes...
. - Light rail - He is a founding member of the All Party Parliamentary Light Rail Group.
2010 general election
At the general election held on 6 May 2010 John Leech was re-elected the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament, after a close contest with rival Lucy Powell (Labour), increasing his majority to 1,894 following a swing of 2.4% from Labour to the Liberal Democrats.Personal life
Leech is an amateur dramatics enthusiast (Manchester Road Players) and his late father was a Methodist minister. Leech is also a football supporter, and season-ticket holder, following Manchester City F.C.Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
and an enthusiastic member of the Parliamentary Football team.
External links
- John Leech MP official constituency website
- Profile at the Liberal Democrats