Julian Brazier
Encyclopedia
Julian William Hendy Brazier TD
(born 24 July 1953) is a British
Conservative Party
politician
. He is the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Canterbury
. He was a shadow transport minister (until May 2010), (with responsibility for Aviation and Shipping) and is a prominent member of the Conservative Christian Fellowship
.
family, Brazier was educated at two independent school
s: at The Dragon School
in Oxford
and Wellington College
in the village of Crowthorne
in Berkshire
, followed by Brasenose College, Oxford
, where he obtained an MA degree in mathematics
. He was the President of the Oxford University Conservative Association
in 1973. He also attended the London Business School
in central London.
in 1993. He was employed by Chartered Consolidated Ltd 1975–1984, being involved in economic research from 1975-77, corporate finance from 1977-81, and was on the Executive Committee of the Board from 1981-4. In 1984, he became a management consultant with HB Maynard International (now owned by Accenture
).
Julian Brazier contested the 1983 General Election
at Berwick-upon-Tweed
, but was comfortably defeated by the Liberal
MP Alan Beith
by 8,215 votes. He contested the Conservative safe seat
of Canterbury at the 1987 General Election
following the retirement of the sitting MP Sir
David Crouch
. He held the seat comfortably with a majority of 14,891. He has remained as the MP for Canterbury since.
, Brazier became the Parliamentary Private Secretary
(PPS) to the Minister of State
at the Treasury
Gillian Shepherd. He remained Shepherd's PPS after the 1992 General Election
in her new capacity as the Secretary of State for Employment
, he resigned in 1993 as a protest against defence cuts. He was awarded the 'Backbencher of the Year' at the annual Spectator
awards in 1996. Following the 1997 General Election
, he became a member of the Defence
Select Committee.
It was not until after the 2001 General Election
that Julian Brazier was given a job by Iain Duncan Smith
, initially as an Opposition Whip
in 2001, he became a spokesman on Work and Pensions
in 2002. He was briefly Home Affairs
spokesman in 2003, before being moved later in the year by the new Leader of the Opposition Michael Howard
to be a spokesman on International Affairs
. Brazier remained on the frontbench after the 2005 General Election
as a spokesman on Transport
.
Julian Brazier is a member of the Cornerstone Group
of Conservative MPs. This group is considered to be on the right of the Conservative Party, and away from the more centrist direction of the leadership. As a practising Roman Catholic, Brazier has been a long standing defender of socially conservative
values. Brazier supported a bill put forth by Laurence Robertson
in June 2005 that would almost entirely ban abortion. In 2008, he proposed a law that would allow Parliament to ban films and games, even if the BBFC had approved them. Unlike many Cornerstone members, however, Brazier does not belong to Better Off Out
, which advocates EU withdrawal.
Because of his military background, Brazier has a special interest in the armed forces and has long been an advocate of military issues in the House of Commons
.
He is one of the MPs who employs a family member to assist him.
, corporal punishment
in schools, maintaining nuclear weapons, a hereditary House of Lords
, the Iraq War, more parliamentary scrutiny, a smoking ban
, freedom of information
and the environment
.
He is against gay rights, abortion
, euthanasia
, the legal recognition of transsexuality, gambling
, drugs
, foundation hospitals, identity cards, post office
closures, terrorism
laws, university top-up fees
and control orders.
, a United Nations
de-mining expert.
In February 2002, he was given a four-month suspended sentence following the death of a motorcyclist in a traffic accident in Italy on 29 August 2001. He was driving on the wrong side of the road approaching a sharp bend when he hit a motorcyclist, 42-year old Carlo Civitelli, near Siena. He used his TA training to give Mr Civitelli first aid at the scene, but the man died three days later. Italian police found that Mr Civitelli's helmet was not properly fitted and that he was probably speeding. After the verdict, Julian Brazier said in a statement: "I am still deeply saddened by the tragic consequences of my lapse of attention. My thoughts are with the Civitelli family whose reaction to the whole terrible business has been so generous". He also said "as a parent, I shall carry the memory of this man's death with me for the rest of my life."
News articles
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
(born 24 July 1953) 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...
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
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He is 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 Canterbury
Canterbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Canterbury is a county constituency which has been represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 1918. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
. He was a shadow transport minister (until May 2010), (with responsibility for Aviation and Shipping) and is a prominent member of the Conservative Christian Fellowship
Conservative Christian Fellowship
The Conservative Christian Fellowship is an organisation allied with the British Conservative Party, established in 1990 by Tim Montgomerie and Conservative MP David Burrowes whilst they were students at Exeter University....
.
Education
Born into a militaryBritish Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
family, Brazier was educated at two 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...
s: at The Dragon School
Dragon School
The Dragon School is a British coeducational, preparatory school in the city of Oxford, founded in 1877 as the Oxford Preparatory School, or OPS. It is primarily known as a boarding school, although it also takes day pupils...
in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Wellington College
Wellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
in the village of Crowthorne
Crowthorne
Crowthorne is also a suburb of Johannesburg, South AfricaCrowthorne is a village and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest district of south-eastern Berkshire. It has a population of 6,711...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, followed by Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
, where he obtained an MA degree in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
. He was the President of the Oxford University Conservative Association
Oxford University Conservative Association
The Oxford University Conservative Association, or OUCA is a student political organisation founded in 1924 whose members are drawn from the University of Oxford...
in 1973. He also attended the London Business School
London Business School
London Business School is an international business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London, located in central London, beside Regent's Park...
in central London.
Early career
Brazier joined the Territorial Army aged 19 in 1972 and served for thirteen years, six of which were in the SAS. He was awarded the Territorial DecorationTerritorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
in 1993. He was employed by Chartered Consolidated Ltd 1975–1984, being involved in economic research from 1975-77, corporate finance from 1977-81, and was on the Executive Committee of the Board from 1981-4. In 1984, he became a management consultant with HB Maynard International (now owned by Accenture
Accenture
Accenture plc is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company headquartered in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is the largest consulting firm in the world and is a Fortune Global 500 company. As of September 2011, the company had more than 236,000 employees across...
).
Julian Brazier contested 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...
at Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed (UK Parliament constituency)
Berwick-upon-Tweed is a 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:...
, but was comfortably defeated by the Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
MP Alan Beith
Alan Beith
Sir Alan James Beith is a British Liberal Democrat politician and Member of Parliament for Berwick-upon-Tweed.-Early life:Alan Beith was born in 1943 in Poynton, in Cheshire...
by 8,215 votes. He contested the Conservative 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...
of Canterbury at 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...
following the retirement of the sitting MP Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
David Crouch
David Crouch
Sir David Lance Crouch was a British Conservative politician.Crouch was educated at University College School, London and became a marketing consultant.Crouch contested Leeds West in 1959....
. He held the seat comfortably with a majority of 14,891. He has remained as the MP for Canterbury since.
Parliamentary career
Within parliamentPalace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
, Brazier became the 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...
(PPS) to the 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 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...
Gillian Shepherd. He remained Shepherd's PPS after the 1992 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...
in her new capacity as the Secretary of State for Employment
Secretary of State for Employment
The Secretary of State for Employment was a position in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. In 1995 it was merged with Secretary of State for Education to make the Secretary of State for Education and Employment...
, he resigned in 1993 as a protest against defence cuts. He was awarded the 'Backbencher of the Year' at the annual Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
awards in 1996. Following 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...
, he became a member of the Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
Select Committee.
It was not until after 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...
that Julian Brazier was given a job by 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...
, initially as an Opposition Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
in 2001, he became a spokesman on Work and Pensions
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...
in 2002. He was briefly Home Affairs
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
spokesman in 2003, before being moved later in the year by the new Leader of the Opposition Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
to be a spokesman on International Affairs
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...
. Brazier remained on the frontbench after 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....
as a spokesman on Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
.
Julian Brazier is a member of the Cornerstone Group
Cornerstone Group
The Cornerstone Group is a socially conservative or traditional conservative political organisation within the British Conservative Party. The group emphasises traditional values, exemplified by the motto: Faith, Flag, and Family. It consists of Members of Parliament with a traditionalist stance,...
of Conservative MPs. This group is considered to be on the right of the Conservative Party, and away from the more centrist direction of the leadership. As a practising Roman Catholic, Brazier has been a long standing defender of socially conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
values. Brazier supported a bill put forth by Laurence Robertson
Laurence Robertson
Laurence Anthony Robertson is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire since 1997...
in June 2005 that would almost entirely ban abortion. In 2008, he proposed a law that would allow Parliament to ban films and games, even if the BBFC had approved them. Unlike many Cornerstone members, however, Brazier does not belong to Better Off Out
Better Off Out
Better Off Out is the name of a non-party campaign run by The Freedom Association to call for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union...
, which advocates EU withdrawal.
Because of his military background, Brazier has a special interest in the armed forces and has long been an advocate of military issues in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
.
He is one of the MPs who employs a family member to assist him.
Political positions
Based on his voting record, Brazier is in favour of fox huntingFox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
, corporal punishment
Corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
in schools, maintaining nuclear weapons, a hereditary House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, the Iraq War, more parliamentary scrutiny, a smoking ban
Smoking ban
Smoking bans are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, which prohibit tobacco smoking in workplaces and/or other public spaces...
, freedom of information
Freedom of information
Freedom of information refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology . Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i.e...
and the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
.
He is against gay rights, abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
, the legal recognition of transsexuality, gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, drugs
DRUGS
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
, foundation hospitals, identity cards, post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
closures, terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
laws, university 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...
and control orders.
Personal life
Julian Brazier married Katherine Elizabeth Blagden on 21 July 1984 in north-east Hampshire, and they have three sons (twins born July 1990, and another son born December 1992). He is the son-in-law of Brigadier General Paddy BlagdenPaddy Blagden
Brigadier Patrick Martin Blagden CBE is a retired British Army officer and was the United Nations' foremost expert on de-mining working for UNMAS....
, a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
de-mining expert.
In February 2002, he was given a four-month suspended sentence following the death of a motorcyclist in a traffic accident in Italy on 29 August 2001. He was driving on the wrong side of the road approaching a sharp bend when he hit a motorcyclist, 42-year old Carlo Civitelli, near Siena. He used his TA training to give Mr Civitelli first aid at the scene, but the man died three days later. Italian police found that Mr Civitelli's helmet was not properly fitted and that he was probably speeding. After the verdict, Julian Brazier said in a statement: "I am still deeply saddened by the tragic consequences of my lapse of attention. My thoughts are with the Civitelli family whose reaction to the whole terrible business has been so generous". He also said "as a parent, I shall carry the memory of this man's death with me for the rest of my life."
External links
- Julian Brazier TD MP official constituency website
- Profile at the Conservative Party
- Canterbury Conservatives
- All-Party Parliamentary Group for Reserve Forces
News articles
- Challenging the release of graphically violent films by the BBFC in January 2008
- Raising the terrorist threat to crowds at airports in July 2007
- Holding a party to raise party funds in June 2007
- Highlighting dangers of uncontrolled immigration in August 2006
- Questioning university arts courses in March 2006
- Raising the plight of wounded soldiers and bereaved service families in February 2005