Jonathan Sayeed
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Sayeed is a British
politician
who was a Conservative
Member of Parliament
in the United Kingdom
from 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2005.
He was the only member of the Conservative front bench to consistently, openly and publicly oppose the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Even though he was reselected by the Mid Bedfordshire Conservative Association as the Conservative candidate to recontest his seat in the House of Commons shortly before the 2005 General Election
, he was forced to retire due to ill health.
He was criticised by the Committee on Standards and Privileges
for being "at the least negligent, at the worst careless" in respect of a company in which he had an interest, but was completely cleared of any impropriety. In the investigation by Sir Thomas Legg into MPs expenses he was one of the minority of MPs who were completely cleared of any misuse of their second home allowances.
in Suffolk
.St Albans & Harpenden News from The Herts Advertiser MP for Mid-Bedfordshire - Jonathan Sayeed
He joined the Royal Navy
in 1965, when he was 17. He spent two years at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and then studied at the Royal Naval Engineering College, Manadon, for a BSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He left the Navy aged 24 in 1973.'The Fifth Fuel' Issue No. 41 Spring 2002 (this was found on a cached version of http://www.ukace.org/pubs/nletters/nl41.htm). The Fifth Fuel is the newsletter of the Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE)
Whilst he was MP for Mid Bedfordshire, Sayeed lived in Westminster
, and also had a house in Houghton Conquest
.
He was a member of the Reform Club and is a member of the Carlton Club
. His interests include golf (Secretary, Lords and Commons Golfing Society 2004 and winner, 1998 and 1999, of the Parliamentary Handicap), sailing (Royal Naval Sailing Association
and Royal Temple YC), tennis, skiing, classical music (Chairman of the Parliament Choir 2002-2003), books and architecture.
before entering Parliament
at his first attempt. He was elected MP for Bristol East
at the 1983 General Election
, where he defeated Tony Benn
. The constituency was created for the 1983 general election, partly from the Bristol South East constituency
, where Tony Benn had been MP for much of the previous 32 years. For the Conservatives, this was one of "the three great prizes" of the election, as Benn was "the man they most love to hate". Nationally, "Labour gained 27.6 per cent, its lowest showing since 1918 and not much above the Liberal/SDP Alliance."
In the 1987 General Election
, Sayeed more than doubled his majority.
Sayeed served on the select committees for Defence and the Environment; was chairman of the Shipping and Shipbuilding Committee; and deputy chairman of the All-Party Maritime Group. In 1988, He secured an Urban Development Corporation for Bristol
despite the opposition of the then Environment Secretary
, Nicholas Ridley
. Sayeed started to climb the ministerial ladder in 1991, when he was appointed parliamentary private secretary
to Lord Belstead
as Paymaster General. However in 1992 his career took a step backward when he lost his seat to Labour in the General Election
.
in the 1997 general election
, having defeated the incumbent MP, Sir Nicholas Lyell, the Attorney General, for the nomination and held the seat until 2005
.
's successful bid to become Conservative leader in 1997.
In the 1999-2000 session of Parliament, Lord Weatherill and Sayeed introduced a private member's bill which was passed into law. This was the Census (Amendment) Bill.
Sayeed was chairman of European Standing Committee C, was joint-chairmen (together with Labour MP Bill O'Brien) of the Standing Committee on Regional Affairs.
Jonathan Sayeed achieved his first front-bench post in 2001, when he was appointed as shadow minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This was a shadow-ministerial post; the Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary was Peter Ainsworth
. "Among his first roles has been to lead for the Conservatives on the Home Energy Conservation Bill, for which he declared his party's support strongly at Second Reading. In Committee he made plain that this support was entirely conditional upon the continued inclusion of firm targets in the final text." The Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE) praised his efforts saying: "In a few months in post Mr Sayeed has proved himself to be a doughty fighter for strong policies backing energy conservation." Sayeed continued as shadow minister after a reshuffle by the Conservative leader The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith
in July 2002.
In early 2003, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair
supported American plans for the invasion of Iraq. British armed forces were deployed to participate in the invasion. The British Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith supported British government policy on this.
An article by Sayeed was published in The Guardian
on 24 January 2003: entitled An undemocratic war. He wrote: "I believe that although a war against Iraq may become necessary, I am not convinced that it is necessary now, and that more should be done to avert war."
Three members of the Conservative front bench and one Conservative whip resigned their posts so that they could vote against the war:
Economically, Sayeed was on the right of the Conservative party, opposing British entry into the single European currency. He had strong views on defence. On social matters, he was on the more liberal wing of the party, with the exception of gay rights in the Armed Forces where he opposed the lifting of the ban on homosexuals. As an MP he was a well informed and thoughtful contributor to debates on foreign policy in the Middle East and on economic, defence and social matters.
Sayeed urged for new roads to regenerate towns and inner-cities. He campaigned against a proposed 17-tonne lorry ban, against illegal sites for travellers, and against 'unnecessary' development of the Bedfordshire countryside. He successfully persuaded the UK government to propose amendments to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty and, despite opposition from the then Secretary of State for the Environment Nicholas Ridley, persuaded the Conservative government to permit an Urban Development Corporation in Bristol. In 2004 he proposed the end of male primogeniture for the British Monarchy though such a principle would not have been applied to the Prince of Wales or Prince William.
In May/June 2003 or 2004, Ashley Green succeeded Alexandra Messervy as local constituency party chairman.
In the Summer of 2004, the Sunday Times claimed "The English Manner Ltd charges clients up to £500 per day for access to the Palace of Westminster through Jonathan Sayeed". This was completely denied by the company, a denial that was supported by evidence. On a number of occasions Sayeed provided entertainment in the House of Commons for individuals (some of whom were long-standing friends of Mr Sayeed) on holidays arranged by The English Manner. However, there is no evidence that Sayeed received any direct financial benefit for this.
There was a meeting of the local constituency party's executive council on 13 September 2004 to discuss the allegations in the Sunday Times article. It is claimed that at the meeting Alexandra Messervy announced that a local donor, Martin Randall, had agreed to give the party some £10,000, so long as "Jonathan is still the candidate at the general election." (Martin Randall was chairman of a double-glazing company called Crystal Clear, to which Sayeed was a consultant.)
"The Conservative whip was temporarily suspended from Sayeed from 3rd February to 7th March 2005 after the House of Commons Committee on Standards and Privileges recommended that he be suspended from the service of the House for 10 working days. The Committee found that a company in which he had an interest had appeared to derive financial benefit from its offering tours of Parliament and ran the risk of damaging the reputation of Parliament."
Sayeed said that the suspension was "unjust and wrong" but he made an "unreserved" apology to MPs in the Commons chamber: "I accept that a complaint was brought because of ineffectual internal controls in a company in which I had an interest and that as an MP I was negligent in not checking the actions of that company. For that I unreservedly apologise to the House." He told colleagues he had disposed of his shares in The English Manner and resigned as a consultant to it. He said: "I can assure the House that I have never used my access to the House or its facilities for direct or indirect commercial benefit and I have never solicited or received any payment for any tour or entertainment within the Palace of Westminster."
On 17 Feb 2005, the Mid-Bedfordshire Conservative Association held a meeting at the Rufus Centre in Flitwick
to consider Jonathan Sayeed's future. The meeting decided by a majority of 173 to 126, that Sayeed should remain the Conservative candidate in the forthcoming General Election. After the vote, Constituency association president Sir Stanley Odell resigned in protest.Carlin B MP is suspended by Howard over Commons tours Daily Telegraph, 4 Feb 2005Carlin B Tory constituency president quits after members keep MP Daily Telegraph, 18 Feb 2005 One constituency party member, Geoffrey Beckwith, said: "I think the membership was strongly against the motion. Mr Sayeed has behaved impeccably. This is just a storm in a teacup. I think the chairman of the party [Ashley Green] might now have to look to his own position."
On 21 Feb 2005, the constituency party chairman's wife Mrs Valmai A Green and another member wrote to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, enclosing a letter Sayeed had sent to members of the Mid-Bedfordshire Conservative Association, and asking if Sayeed should have used House of Commons stationery and facilities for this. "The Committee issued a second report on 17th March 2005 criticising Sayeed for failing to apologise for his conduct as the first report had ordered, for sending out a circular on House of Commons stationery to members of the Mid Bedfordshire Conservative Association asking for their support in his reselection, and misuse of allowances to pay for work on his home. Following this report, the Conservative Party removed the whip from Sayeed permanently." Under Conservative Party rules, a sitting MP can only be an approved Conservative party candidate in a parliamentary election if he/she has the Conservative Party whip. This enables the Conservative Party leader to over-rule local constituency Conservative Party branches who want to retain their sitting MP as candidate.
In March 2005, Jonathan Sayeed was criticised by the House of Commons Committee on Standards and Privileges for his use of allowances and Parliament's stationery. He was ordered to pay back £12,500 which was spent on his Bedfordshire home - the money is allocated for London expenses only. This money was subsequently repaid back to Mr Sayeed following his producing the receipts for the correct property. Similarly treated was a further £9,500 in expenses investigated by the Standards and Privileges Committee. In the investigation by Sir Thomas Legg of the validity of payments of the Additional Costs (or ‘Second Homes’) Allowance (ACA) made to Members of
Parliament during the years 2004-05 to 2008-09 Jonathan Sayeed was one of the minority of MPs who were completely cleared of any impropriety or misuse of their allowances.
On 14 March 2005, it was announced that Jonathan Sayeed would not be contesting the May 2005 general election
, on grounds of ill health."
Jonathan Sayeed was one of two Conservative MPs who had the party whip withdrawn at the time of the election. The other was Howard Flight
, who was deselected over comments he made on Conservative spending plans.
upheld ten complaints against his company PatientPak, accusing the company’s marketing campaign of “scaremongering” when advertising its patient hygiene kit as "essential to protect against hospital superbugs."
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who was a 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...
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,...
in the United Kingdom
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...
from 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2005.
He was the only member of the Conservative front bench to consistently, openly and publicly oppose the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Even though he was reselected by the Mid Bedfordshire Conservative Association as the Conservative candidate to recontest his seat in the House of Commons shortly before 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 was forced to retire due to ill health.
He was criticised by the Committee on Standards and Privileges
Committee on Standards and Privileges
The Standards and Privileges Committee of the United Kingdom House of Commons was established in 1995 to replace the earlier Committee of Privileges...
for being "at the least negligent, at the worst careless" in respect of a company in which he had an interest, but was completely cleared of any impropriety. In the investigation by Sir Thomas Legg into MPs expenses he was one of the minority of MPs who were completely cleared of any misuse of their second home allowances.
Early life
Jonathan Sayeed was the son of the late M M Sayeed, chartered electrical engineer, and L S Sayeed. He is sometimes described as 'Anglo-Indian' or 'half-Indian'; however Sayeed did not describe himself as a member of an ethnic minority. Sayeed was educated at Woolverstone Hall SchoolWoolverstone Hall School
In the early 1950s the London County Council obtained use of Woolverstone Hall near Ipswich, Suffolk, and some of adjoining land for the purpose of establishing a secondary grammar boarding school for London boys...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.St Albans & Harpenden News from The Herts Advertiser MP for Mid-Bedfordshire - Jonathan Sayeed
He joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in 1965, when he was 17. He spent two years at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and then studied at the Royal Naval Engineering College, Manadon, for a BSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. He left the Navy aged 24 in 1973.'The Fifth Fuel' Issue No. 41 Spring 2002 (this was found on a cached version of http://www.ukace.org/pubs/nletters/nl41.htm). The Fifth Fuel is the newsletter of the Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE)
Career in business
After leaving the Royal Navy, Sayeed joined Marks and Spencer PLC as a management trainee. Since 1974 "he worked as a shipping and insurance consultant", and held directorships in various international companies:- Founder director, Wade Emerson & Co Ltd 1974-82.
- Chairman and chief executive, Calmady Insurance Services Ltd 1982-83.
- Chairman, Ranelagh Ltd 1992-96.
- Non-executive director, Love Lane Investments Ltd (Holding Company) 1992-96.
- Chairman, Training Division Corporate Services Group PLC 1996-97.
- Chairman Ranelagh International Ltd 2005-
- Chairman Patient Pak Holdings Ltd 2008- Patient Pak Ltd 2008-
Private life
On 18 October 1980 Sayeed married Nicola Anne Power (born 11 November 1956), daughter of Norman and Joy Power. Sayeed's wife prefers to go by her middle and maiden names, as Anne Power. They have two sons: Edward (born 1985), who spent some time as a research assistant to his father in the House of Commons.; and Richard (born 1988).Whilst he was MP for Mid Bedfordshire, Sayeed lived in Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, and also had a house in Houghton Conquest
Houghton Conquest
Houghton Conquest is a village and civil parish located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. The parish also includes the hamlet of How End.-History:...
.
He was a member of the Reform Club and is a member of the Carlton Club
Carlton Club
The Carlton Club is a gentlemen's club in London which describes itself as the "oldest, most elite, and most important of all Conservative clubs." Membership of the club is by nomination and election only.-History:...
. His interests include golf (Secretary, Lords and Commons Golfing Society 2004 and winner, 1998 and 1999, of the Parliamentary Handicap), sailing (Royal Naval Sailing Association
Royal Naval Sailing Association
The Royal Naval Sailing Association is the governing body that oversees all aspects of sailing, both racing and recreational sailing cruises, throughout the British Royal Navy...
and Royal Temple YC), tennis, skiing, classical music (Chairman of the Parliament Choir 2002-2003), books and architecture.
MP for Bristol East, 1983-1992
Sayeed was twice an unsuccessful candidate for the Greater London CouncilGreater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
before entering 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,...
at his first attempt. He was elected MP for Bristol East
Bristol East (UK Parliament constituency)
Bristol East 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.-Boundaries:...
at the 1983 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
, where he defeated Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
. The constituency was created for the 1983 general election, partly from the Bristol South East constituency
Bristol South East (UK Parliament constituency)
Bristol South East was a borough constituency in the city of Bristol. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system of election....
, where Tony Benn had been MP for much of the previous 32 years. For the Conservatives, this was one of "the three great prizes" of the election, as Benn was "the man they most love to hate". Nationally, "Labour gained 27.6 per cent, its lowest showing since 1918 and not much above the Liberal/SDP Alliance."
In the 1987 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
, Sayeed more than doubled his majority.
Sayeed served on the select committees for Defence and the Environment; was chairman of the Shipping and Shipbuilding Committee; and deputy chairman of the All-Party Maritime Group. In 1988, He secured an Urban Development Corporation for Bristol
Bristol Development Corporation
The Bristol Development Corporation was established in 1989 to develop parts of eastern Bristol, England. Its flagship developments included the Bristol Spine Road. During its lifetime 1.3m sq.ft. of non-housing development and 676 housing units were built. Around 4,825 new jobs were created and...
despite the opposition of the then Environment Secretary
Secretary of State for the Environment
The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...
, Nicholas Ridley
Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale
Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale, PC was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister.-Personal life:...
. Sayeed started to climb the ministerial ladder in 1991, when he was appointed 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...
to Lord Belstead
John Ganzoni, 2nd Baron Belstead
John Julian Ganzoni, 2nd Baron Belstead PC was a British Conservative politician and peer who served as Leader of the House of Lords under Margaret Thatcher from 1988 to 1990.-Background and education:...
as Paymaster General. However in 1992 his career took a step backward when he lost his seat to Labour in the General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
.
Career Interlude 1992-97
In 1996 Sayeed sold his public-affairs company, and was appointed chairman of the training division of Corporate Services Group Plc. In May 1997, he stood down as chairman after being elected Member of Parliament for Mid-Bedfordshire.MP for Mid Bedfordshire 1997-2005
He returned to Parliament as MP for Mid BedfordshireMid Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Mid Bedfordshire 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 the 1997 general election
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...
, having defeated the incumbent MP, Sir Nicholas Lyell, the Attorney General, for the nomination and held the seat until 2005
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....
.
Hague election campaign
Sayeed's offices at 28 Stafford Place were the headquarters for William HagueWilliam Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
's successful bid to become Conservative leader in 1997.
Career progress
Sayeed served on the Broadcasting Select Committee, and was appointed by the Speaker of the House of Commons to the Chairman’s Panel. This small group of senior MPs comprises chairmen of the Committees that debate legislation.In the 1999-2000 session of Parliament, Lord Weatherill and Sayeed introduced a private member's bill which was passed into law. This was the Census (Amendment) Bill.
Sayeed was chairman of European Standing Committee C, was joint-chairmen (together with Labour MP Bill O'Brien) of the Standing Committee on Regional Affairs.
Jonathan Sayeed achieved his first front-bench post in 2001, when he was appointed as shadow minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This was a shadow-ministerial post; the Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary was Peter Ainsworth
Peter Ainsworth
Peter Michael Ainsworth is a former Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Member of Parliament for East Surrey from 1992 to 2010....
. "Among his first roles has been to lead for the Conservatives on the Home Energy Conservation Bill, for which he declared his party's support strongly at Second Reading. In Committee he made plain that this support was entirely conditional upon the continued inclusion of firm targets in the final text." The Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE) praised his efforts saying: "In a few months in post Mr Sayeed has proved himself to be a doughty fighter for strong policies backing energy conservation." Sayeed continued as shadow minister after a reshuffle by the Conservative leader The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
in July 2002.
War on terrorism and the Iraq war
After the terrorist attacks against the United States on 11 September 2001, the UK Parliament was recalled, and a solemn five-hour emergency sitting of the House of Commons debated the crisis. Jonathan Sayeed said that military might alone would not be enough to deal with the problem. "There has to be some understanding why there is such hatred for so many institutions within the United States. Unless we deal with some of the deep-seated causes, then more terrorists will come to the fore." However, the Prime Minister was adamant that there should be no “moral ambiguity” about the events in the US, that the entitlement to dislike the US could never justify the actions carried out.In early 2003, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
supported American plans for the invasion of Iraq. British armed forces were deployed to participate in the invasion. The British Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith supported British government policy on this.
- Every Conservative MP has been instructed by pager message not to voice doubts about a possible war to journalists, but to share them privately with Mr Duncan Smith or the chief whip, David Maclean. Despite this warning, several Tories, including one on the front bench, have openly dissented from the party line. Jonathan Sayeed, a shadow Environment minister, told the Commons last week that he had heard no convincing case for war. "Every television company will broadcast to the world, including the Arab world, harrowing pictures of the human catastrophe that warfare leaves in its wake, and the closer war comes to Baghdad the greater will be the innocent casualties."
An article by Sayeed was published in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
on 24 January 2003: entitled An undemocratic war. He wrote: "I believe that although a war against Iraq may become necessary, I am not convinced that it is necessary now, and that more should be done to avert war."
Three members of the Conservative front bench and one Conservative whip resigned their posts so that they could vote against the war:
- John Baron - shadow minister for Health
- Humfrey MalinsHumfrey MalinsHumfrey Jonathon Malins CBE is a British Conservative Party politician, who was Member of Parliament for Croydon North West and later Woking.-Early life:...
- shadow minister for Home Affairs - Jonathan Sayeed - shadow minister for Environment
- John RandallJohn Randall (UK politician)Alexander John Randall, known as John Randall, is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom, and is the Member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.-Early life:...
- Whip
Views
Whilst he was MP for Bristol East, Sayeed called for establishment of charity-run hostels for the homeless on derelict council land.Economically, Sayeed was on the right of the Conservative party, opposing British entry into the single European currency. He had strong views on defence. On social matters, he was on the more liberal wing of the party, with the exception of gay rights in the Armed Forces where he opposed the lifting of the ban on homosexuals. As an MP he was a well informed and thoughtful contributor to debates on foreign policy in the Middle East and on economic, defence and social matters.
Sayeed urged for new roads to regenerate towns and inner-cities. He campaigned against a proposed 17-tonne lorry ban, against illegal sites for travellers, and against 'unnecessary' development of the Bedfordshire countryside. He successfully persuaded the UK government to propose amendments to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty and, despite opposition from the then Secretary of State for the Environment Nicholas Ridley, persuaded the Conservative government to permit an Urban Development Corporation in Bristol. In 2004 he proposed the end of male primogeniture for the British Monarchy though such a principle would not have been applied to the Prince of Wales or Prince William.
Back to Business
For much of the time when Sayeed was MP for Mid-Bedfordshire, the chairman of the local constituency party was Mrs Alexandra Messervy. Mrs Messervy also became one of Sayeed's part-time paid assistants in the House of Commons. In June 2001 Mrs Messervy set up a travel company called The English Manner Ltd. The business of this company was to provide luxury travel holidays to the UK for Americans; the holidays included lessons in English etiquette from members of the English upper classes and access to exclusive events and institutions. Mrs Messervy had a 60% shareholding, Sayeed had 30%, and 10% was owned by Mrs Genie Ford (who ran operations in the US).In May/June 2003 or 2004, Ashley Green succeeded Alexandra Messervy as local constituency party chairman.
In the Summer of 2004, the Sunday Times claimed "The English Manner Ltd charges clients up to £500 per day for access to the Palace of Westminster through Jonathan Sayeed". This was completely denied by the company, a denial that was supported by evidence. On a number of occasions Sayeed provided entertainment in the House of Commons for individuals (some of whom were long-standing friends of Mr Sayeed) on holidays arranged by The English Manner. However, there is no evidence that Sayeed received any direct financial benefit for this.
There was a meeting of the local constituency party's executive council on 13 September 2004 to discuss the allegations in the Sunday Times article. It is claimed that at the meeting Alexandra Messervy announced that a local donor, Martin Randall, had agreed to give the party some £10,000, so long as "Jonathan is still the candidate at the general election." (Martin Randall was chairman of a double-glazing company called Crystal Clear, to which Sayeed was a consultant.)
"The Conservative whip was temporarily suspended from Sayeed from 3rd February to 7th March 2005 after the House of Commons Committee on Standards and Privileges recommended that he be suspended from the service of the House for 10 working days. The Committee found that a company in which he had an interest had appeared to derive financial benefit from its offering tours of Parliament and ran the risk of damaging the reputation of Parliament."
Sayeed said that the suspension was "unjust and wrong" but he made an "unreserved" apology to MPs in the Commons chamber: "I accept that a complaint was brought because of ineffectual internal controls in a company in which I had an interest and that as an MP I was negligent in not checking the actions of that company. For that I unreservedly apologise to the House." He told colleagues he had disposed of his shares in The English Manner and resigned as a consultant to it. He said: "I can assure the House that I have never used my access to the House or its facilities for direct or indirect commercial benefit and I have never solicited or received any payment for any tour or entertainment within the Palace of Westminster."
On 17 Feb 2005, the Mid-Bedfordshire Conservative Association held a meeting at the Rufus Centre in Flitwick
Flitwick
Flitwick, pronounced , is a small town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, England. The nearby River Flit runs through Flitwick Moor, a nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.-Location:...
to consider Jonathan Sayeed's future. The meeting decided by a majority of 173 to 126, that Sayeed should remain the Conservative candidate in the forthcoming General Election. After the vote, Constituency association president Sir Stanley Odell resigned in protest.Carlin B MP is suspended by Howard over Commons tours Daily Telegraph, 4 Feb 2005Carlin B Tory constituency president quits after members keep MP Daily Telegraph, 18 Feb 2005 One constituency party member, Geoffrey Beckwith, said: "I think the membership was strongly against the motion. Mr Sayeed has behaved impeccably. This is just a storm in a teacup. I think the chairman of the party [Ashley Green] might now have to look to his own position."
On 21 Feb 2005, the constituency party chairman's wife Mrs Valmai A Green and another member wrote to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, enclosing a letter Sayeed had sent to members of the Mid-Bedfordshire Conservative Association, and asking if Sayeed should have used House of Commons stationery and facilities for this. "The Committee issued a second report on 17th March 2005 criticising Sayeed for failing to apologise for his conduct as the first report had ordered, for sending out a circular on House of Commons stationery to members of the Mid Bedfordshire Conservative Association asking for their support in his reselection, and misuse of allowances to pay for work on his home. Following this report, the Conservative Party removed the whip from Sayeed permanently." Under Conservative Party rules, a sitting MP can only be an approved Conservative party candidate in a parliamentary election if he/she has the Conservative Party whip. This enables the Conservative Party leader to over-rule local constituency Conservative Party branches who want to retain their sitting MP as candidate.
In March 2005, Jonathan Sayeed was criticised by the House of Commons Committee on Standards and Privileges for his use of allowances and Parliament's stationery. He was ordered to pay back £12,500 which was spent on his Bedfordshire home - the money is allocated for London expenses only. This money was subsequently repaid back to Mr Sayeed following his producing the receipts for the correct property. Similarly treated was a further £9,500 in expenses investigated by the Standards and Privileges Committee. In the investigation by Sir Thomas Legg of the validity of payments of the Additional Costs (or ‘Second Homes’) Allowance (ACA) made to Members of
Parliament during the years 2004-05 to 2008-09 Jonathan Sayeed was one of the minority of MPs who were completely cleared of any impropriety or misuse of their allowances.
On 14 March 2005, it was announced that Jonathan Sayeed would not be contesting the May 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....
, on grounds of ill health."
Jonathan Sayeed was one of two Conservative MPs who had the party whip withdrawn at the time of the election. The other was Howard Flight
Howard Flight
Howard Emerson Flight, Baron Flight is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom and a member of the House of Lords. He was Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs from 1997 to 2005...
, who was deselected over comments he made on Conservative spending plans.
Since 2005
He retired from Parliament at the General Election of 2005, and is currently a chairman of various companies. In 2009, the Advertising Standards AuthorityAdvertising Standards Authority
Advertising Standards Authority may refer to:*Advertising Standards Bureau *Advertising Standards Authority *Advertising Standards Authority *Advertising Standards Authority...
upheld ten complaints against his company PatientPak, accusing the company’s marketing campaign of “scaremongering” when advertising its patient hygiene kit as "essential to protect against hospital superbugs."