Michael Crockart
Encyclopedia
Michael Bruce 'Mike' Crockart (born 19 March 1966) is a Liberal Democrat politician, and the Member of Parliament
for Edinburgh West
. He was first elected on 6 May 2010 at the 2010 General Election.
Crockart was the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS)
to Michael Moore
, the Scottish Secretary of State, however he quit in December 2010 after wanting to vote against the rise in tuition fees.
and at Edinburgh University where he studied Social Sciences
. He worked as a policeman with Lothian and Borders constabulary
for eight years before becoming a systems developer with Standard Life
. He first challenged for elected office in 2002 when he came second in a by-election for the Balerno
ward of the City of Edinburgh Council, and came second to the Conservatives. He stood for the same ward again the following year, increasing his share of the vote.
he stood for the Westminster constituency of Edinburgh North and Leith
coming second to Labour's Mark Lazarowicz
and securing a swing of 8.3% from Labour to Lib Dem. In November 2005 he again sought election to the city council, standing in another by-election in Murrayfield
, and again came second. In the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections
in the smaller Scottish constituency of Edinburgh North and Leith
, and again secured a large swing from Labour but still finished in second place.
and John Barrett (twice), most recently in 2005 with a majority of 13,600, making it numerically the second-safest Liberal Democrat seat in Britain.
In 2009, Barrett announced his retirement, prompting a battle for the nomination which also included city council housing leader Paul Edie, former Borders MSP Euan Robson
and former Edinburgh Central
Scottish Parliament
candidate Siobhan Mathers. Crockart won by 77 votes to 57 at the final stage against Edie. He retained the seat for the party in the 2010 General Election with an 8.2% majority, despite suffering a large swing to the Labour Party of 11.4%.
and the Liberal Democrats
. As a result Crockart, in his first term as an MP, was now sitting on the Government benches as opposed to the opposition ones. Speaking of the agreement Crockart claimed that this was a "bold and ambitious agreement" which would bring "positive change to Edinburgh". Crockart was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary
(PPS) to the Scottish Secretary Michael Moore
.
that the rise in potential student debt will "seriously impact on people's choices". He went on to say "this is especially true for those students from poorer backgrounds, many of whom have no role models in their schools or families to demonstrate to them the benefits which can accrue from a university education." Crockart had hit the headlines prior to the vote after being the victim of an impersonator who managed to convince show producers on the BBC Radio 4
programme The World at One
that he was the Edinburgh West MP. The impersonator told presenter James Robbins
"I will be voting 100 per cent against. I'm not going to be pushed out. Resigning probably will be the only option." The Liberal Democrat press office pointed out the error as the impersonator had an English accent whereas Mike Crockart has a "distinctly Scottish burr." Of the error the BBC said "The usual pre-broadcast questions were asked of the person concerned, who maintained throughout that he was Mr Crockart and appeared credible....Once the mistake was realised, steps were taken immediately to rectify the error and to ensure it was not repeated."
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 Edinburgh West
Edinburgh West (UK Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh West is a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom , first used in the 1885 general election...
. He was first elected on 6 May 2010 at the 2010 General Election.
Crockart was the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS)
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 Michael Moore
Michael Moore (UK politician)
Michael Kevin Moore is a British Liberal Democrat politician, currently the Secretary of State for Scotland in the UK coalition government, and the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk....
, the Scottish Secretary of State, however he quit in December 2010 after wanting to vote against the rise in tuition fees.
Parliamentary candidate
Crockart was educated at Perth High SchoolPerth High School
Perth High School is a six-year, non-denominational comprehensive secondary school, located in Perth, Scotland. Established in 1950 at Gowans Terrace in a post-war prefabricated structure of a type which had not previously been used for any large school in Scotland, the school relocated to its...
and at Edinburgh University where he studied Social Sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
. He worked as a policeman with Lothian and Borders constabulary
Lothian and Borders Police
Lothian and Borders Police is the territorial police force for the Scottish council areas of the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian...
for eight years before becoming a systems developer with Standard Life
Standard Life
Standard Life plc is a long term savings and investment business, with headquarters in Edinburgh and operations across the globe. It has 1.5 million shareholders in more than 50 countries and over 6 million customers.-History:...
. He first challenged for elected office in 2002 when he came second in a by-election for the Balerno
Balerno
Balerno is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 12 kilometres south west of the city centre, next to Juniper Green and Currie. Administratively, Balerno falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edinburgh Council.- History :...
ward of the City of Edinburgh Council, and came second to the Conservatives. He stood for the same ward again the following year, increasing his share of the vote.
Edinburgh North and Leith
In 2005United 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 stood for the Westminster constituency of Edinburgh North and Leith
Edinburgh North and Leith (UK Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh North and Leith is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom , first used in the 1997 general election. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
coming second to Labour's Mark Lazarowicz
Mark Lazarowicz
Mark Lazarowicz, is a British Labour Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North and Leith since 2001...
and securing a swing of 8.3% from Labour to Lib Dem. In November 2005 he again sought election to the city council, standing in another by-election in Murrayfield
Murrayfield
Murrayfield is an affluent area in the west of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is to the east of Corstorphine and west of Roseburn. The A8 road runs east-west through the north of the area....
, and again came second. In the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections
Scottish Parliament election, 2007
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999...
in the smaller Scottish constituency of Edinburgh North and Leith
Edinburgh North and Leith (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh North and Leith is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, and again secured a large swing from Labour but still finished in second place.
Edinburgh West
Although previously held by Conservative MP James Douglas-Hamilton, since 1997 the constituency was considered something of a Liberal Democrat stronghold, having been won in three consecutive elections with large Lib Dem majorities by Donald GorrieDonald Gorrie
Donald Cameron Easterbrook Gorrie is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician, and former Member of the Scottish Parliament for Central Scotland Region. He was also a Member of Parliament from 1997 until 2001, representing Edinburgh West....
and John Barrett (twice), most recently in 2005 with a majority of 13,600, making it numerically the second-safest Liberal Democrat seat in Britain.
In 2009, Barrett announced his retirement, prompting a battle for the nomination which also included city council housing leader Paul Edie, former Borders MSP Euan Robson
Euan Robson
Euan Robson is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician, and was Member of the Scottish Parliament for Roxburgh and Berwickshire from 1999 to 2007...
and former Edinburgh Central
Edinburgh Central (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh Central is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
candidate Siobhan Mathers. Crockart won by 77 votes to 57 at the final stage against Edie. He retained the seat for the party in the 2010 General Election with an 8.2% majority, despite suffering a large swing to the Labour Party of 11.4%.
Member of Parliament (2010-)
The result from the 2010 election produced a situation whereby no one party had a majority in the House of Commons and so a coalition agreement was drawn up between the ConservativesConservative 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...
and the Liberal Democrats
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...
. As a result Crockart, in his first term as an MP, was now sitting on the Government benches as opposed to the opposition ones. Speaking of the agreement Crockart claimed that this was a "bold and ambitious agreement" which would bring "positive change to Edinburgh". Crockart was appointed 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 Scottish Secretary Michael Moore
Michael Moore (UK politician)
Michael Kevin Moore is a British Liberal Democrat politician, currently the Secretary of State for Scotland in the UK coalition government, and the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk....
.
Resignation as PPS
On 9 December 2010 Crockart resigned as Michael Moore's PPS in order to vote against the governments proposed rise in variable tuition fees. In his resignation letter he told party chief whip Alistair CarmichaelAlistair Carmichael
Alexander Morrison "Alistair" Carmichael is a Liberal Democrat politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for the Scottish seat of Orkney and Shetland since the 2001 general election.-Early life:...
that the rise in potential student debt will "seriously impact on people's choices". He went on to say "this is especially true for those students from poorer backgrounds, many of whom have no role models in their schools or families to demonstrate to them the benefits which can accrue from a university education." Crockart had hit the headlines prior to the vote after being the victim of an impersonator who managed to convince show producers on the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
programme The World at One
The World At One
The World at One, or WATO for short, is BBC Radio 4's long-running lunchtime news and current affairs programme, which is broadcast from 1pm to 1:30pm from Monday to Friday. The programme describes itself as "Britain's leading political programme. With a reputation for rigorous and original...
that he was the Edinburgh West MP. The impersonator told presenter James Robbins
James Robbins
James Robbins is the BBC's Diplomatic Correspondent, a post he has held since January 1998. He previously served as its Southern Africa Correspondent and its Europe Correspondent . He led the BBC's coverage of 9/11, making the first report on that evening's BBC Ten O'Clock News, a report lasting...
"I will be voting 100 per cent against. I'm not going to be pushed out. Resigning probably will be the only option." The Liberal Democrat press office pointed out the error as the impersonator had an English accent whereas Mike Crockart has a "distinctly Scottish burr." Of the error the BBC said "The usual pre-broadcast questions were asked of the person concerned, who maintained throughout that he was Mr Crockart and appeared credible....Once the mistake was realised, steps were taken immediately to rectify the error and to ensure it was not repeated."