Andrew Griffiths (politician)
| Andrew Griffiths MP | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament for Burton | |
|
Assumed office 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Janet Dean |
| Majority | 11,252 (22.8%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
19 October 1970 Dudley, Staffordshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Website | Andrew Griffiths MP |
Andrew James Griffiths (born 19 October 1970) is an British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Burton.[1]
Early life
Griffiths grew up in Sedgley and attended Bramford Primary School and High Arcal School. His father, Bob Griffiths, served as Mayor of Dudley in 1982. Upon finishing his education in 1987, Griffiths joined the family engineering business in the West Midlands, manufacturing plant equipment for the construction industry. Later, he worked for the Leeds Permanent Building Society (later to become the Halifax) where he became a manager specialising in property and financial services.
Political career
Griffiths first entered politics at a local level when standing as a council candidate for Coseley on three separate occasions, losing them all.
In 1999, Griffiths went to work for the West Midlands MEP team in the European Parliament in Brussels, before being appointed Adviser on farming and working for the European Agricultural Spokesman Neil Parish MEP.
Griffiths first contested the safe Labour seat of Dudley North at the 2001 general election, coming in 6,800 votes behind victor Ross Cranston. In 2004, Griffiths unsuccessfully stood as a Conservative candidate at the European Elections.
After the European Elections, Griffiths moved to Westminster to work for the Shadow Cabinet, as Chief of Staff to the Rt. Hon. Theresa May MP, where he worked on environment, transport and later family policy. During this time, Griffiths also helped set up Women 2 Win, a campaign to get more Conservative women elected to Parliament. In 2006, Griffiths moved to work for the Culture, Media and Sport team, working as Chief of Staff to Hugo Swire MP. The next year, he focused on community cohesion and local government matters as Chief of Staff to Eric Pickles MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and remained Pickles' Chief of Staff when he became the Party Chairman. Griffiths was a member of the A-List and was selected as a candidate for Burton in November 2006 [2]
Griffiths was elected at the 2010 General Election for Burton, regaining the seat for the Conservatives for the first time since 1997 when it was held by Ivan Lawrence from 1974. Griffiths was re-elected at the 2015 General Election [3]
He now serves as Secretary of the APPG for the Misuse of Drugs and Alcohol, Additional General Secretary of the APPG for Kashmir, and Vice Chairman of the APPG for Home Education.
He is Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Beer and campaigns against increased taxes on beer (the beer duty escalator). He is also a member of the Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee.
He is a patron of the Victoria Cross Trust.
Notes
- ↑ "BBC News – Election 2010 – Constituency – Burton". Retrieved 2012-04-07.
- ↑ "Where are the original A-Listers now? The 27 who have been selected for target seats". 2009-04-22. Retrieved 2012-04-07.
- ↑ "BBC News - Election 2015 - Constituency - Burton". Retrieved 2015-05-08.
External links
- Andrew Griffiths MP official constituency website
- Andrew Griffiths MP Conservative Party profile
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
- Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
- Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Janet Dean |
Member of Parliament for Burton 2010–present |
Incumbent |