Nicola Blackwood
Encyclopedia
Nicola Claire Blackwood (born 1979, Johannesburg
, South Africa
) is a Conservative Party
politician. She was elected as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Oxford West and Abingdon in the 2010 election.
on 13 November 2006.. The seat had been held by the Conservatives since creation in 1983 until 1997, when it was won by Dr. Evan Harris
for the Liberal Democrats. He held the seat comfortably in 2001 and 2005. Boundary changes reduced Liberal Democrat support, with 8,000 students moved to the Oxford East constituency and more rural voters added. Blackwood won Oxford West and Abingdon in the 2010 general election by 176 votes on a 6.9% Liberal Democrat-Conservative swing. In the final weeks of the campaign, pamphlets were distributed by Keith Mann
, an animal rights activist, and Reverend Lynda Rose, both making personal attacks on Evan Harris's positions on abortion, embryo research, assisted suicide and secularism. and calling Harris 'Dr. Death' for his positions. Blackwood distanced herself from these campaigners saying that she had a 'positive message', while Harris himself claimed that they played a part in his defeat.
In late 2010, Ms Blackwood was elected to serve on the Home Affairs Select Committee, which is responsible for examining the expenditure, administration and policy of the Home Office and its associated public bodies for parliament. She is also secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Overseas Development (Apgood). Before her election to parliament, Blackwood worked as a volunteer on human rights and aid projects in the Middle East, Mozambique, Rwanda and Bangladesh, and has also worked as a volunteer among the disadvantaged in Birmingham and Blackpool. Prior to running for office, Blackwood worked with the Conservative Party Human Rights Group which was set up to find ways for the UK to combat human rights abuses in places like Burma and the DRC. She has also worked as an adviser to the then Shadow International Development Secretary
, Andrew Mitchell
. She is also a member of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, as well as holding a position on the Council of Advisors for ZANE, a charity which seeks to support pensioners in Zimbabwe.
from the age of 14. She was home schooled for her GCSEs and A-Levels, during which time she suffered serious illness. Blackwood went to St Anne's College, Oxford where she obtained a First in music, and later obtained an M.Phil. in musicology from Emmanuel College, Cambridge
. She has been a member of the Conservative Christian Fellowship
since 2005, and attends the Church of England
St Aldate's Church
in Oxford.
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
) is a 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. She was elected as 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 Oxford West and Abingdon in the 2010 election.
Political career
Blackwood was chosen as the candidate for the Conservative party at an open primaryOpen primary
An open primary is a primary election that does not require voters to be affiliated with a political party in order to vote for partisan candidates. In a traditional open primary, voters may select one party's ballot and vote for that party's nomination. As in a closed primary, the highest voted...
on 13 November 2006.. The seat had been held by the Conservatives since creation in 1983 until 1997, when it was won by Dr. Evan Harris
Evan Harris
Evan Leslie Harris is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon from 1997 to 2010, losing his seat in the 2010 general election by 176 votes to Conservative Nicola Blackwood....
for the Liberal Democrats. He held the seat comfortably in 2001 and 2005. Boundary changes reduced Liberal Democrat support, with 8,000 students moved to the Oxford East constituency and more rural voters added. Blackwood won Oxford West and Abingdon in the 2010 general election by 176 votes on a 6.9% Liberal Democrat-Conservative swing. In the final weeks of the campaign, pamphlets were distributed by Keith Mann
Keith Mann
Keith Mann is a British animal rights campaigner and writer, alleged by police in 2005 to be at the top of the Animal Liberation Front pyramid. He is the author of From Dusk 'til Dawn: An Insider's View of the Growth of the Animal Liberation Movement...
, an animal rights activist, and Reverend Lynda Rose, both making personal attacks on Evan Harris's positions on abortion, embryo research, assisted suicide and secularism. and calling Harris 'Dr. Death' for his positions. Blackwood distanced herself from these campaigners saying that she had a 'positive message', while Harris himself claimed that they played a part in his defeat.
In late 2010, Ms Blackwood was elected to serve on the Home Affairs Select Committee, which is responsible for examining the expenditure, administration and policy of the Home Office and its associated public bodies for parliament. She is also secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Overseas Development (Apgood). Before her election to parliament, Blackwood worked as a volunteer on human rights and aid projects in the Middle East, Mozambique, Rwanda and Bangladesh, and has also worked as a volunteer among the disadvantaged in Birmingham and Blackpool. Prior to running for office, Blackwood worked with the Conservative Party Human Rights Group which was set up to find ways for the UK to combat human rights abuses in places like Burma and the DRC. She has also worked as an adviser to the then Shadow International Development Secretary
Secretary of State for International Development
In the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State for International Development is a Cabinet minister responsible for the Department for International Development and for promoting development overseas, particularly in the third world...
, Andrew Mitchell
Andrew Mitchell
The Right Honourable Andrew John Bower Mitchell MP is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sutton Coldfield...
. She is also a member of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, as well as holding a position on the Council of Advisors for ZANE, a charity which seeks to support pensioners in Zimbabwe.
Personal life
Blackwood was born in 1979 in Johannesburg. Her family moved to Oxford two months after her birth, after her father had angered the apartheid government by speaking up for the rights of the black community. She trained as a classical singer at Trinity College of MusicTrinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music is one of the London music conservatories, based in Greenwich. It is part of Trinity Laban.The conservatoire is inheritor of elegant riverside buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital, designed in part by Sir Christopher Wren...
from the age of 14. She was home schooled for her GCSEs and A-Levels, during which time she suffered serious illness. Blackwood went to St Anne's College, Oxford where she obtained a First in music, and later obtained an M.Phil. in musicology from Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
. She has been a 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....
since 2005, and attends the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
St Aldate's Church
St Aldate's Church
St Aldate's is a Church of England parish church in the centre of Oxford, in the Deanery and Diocese of Oxford. The church is on the street named St Aldate's, opposite Christ Church and next door to Pembroke College. The church has a large congregation and has a staff team of about 35 which...
in Oxford.