Chris Leslie (politician)
| Chris Leslie MP | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
|
In office 11 May 2015 – 12 September 2015 | |
| Chancellor | George Osborne |
| Leader | Harriet Harman (Acting) |
| Preceded by | Ed Balls |
| Succeeded by | John McDonnell |
| Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury | |
|
In office 7 October 2013 – 11 May 2015 | |
| Leader | Ed Miliband |
| Preceded by | Rachel Reeves |
| Succeeded by | Shabana Mahmood |
| Member of Parliament for Nottingham East | |
|
Assumed office 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | John Heppell |
| Majority | 11,894 (33.8%) |
| Member of Parliament for Shipley | |
|
In office 1 May 1997 – 5 May 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Marcus Fox |
| Succeeded by | Philip Davies |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Christopher Michael Leslie 28 June 1972 Keighley, England |
| Political party | Labour Co-operative |
| Spouse(s) | Nicola Murphy |
| Alma mater | University of Leeds |
| Website | Official website |
Christopher Michael Leslie (born 28 June 1972) is a British Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nottingham East since 2010. In 2015, between May and September, he served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in the cabinet of Acting Labour leader Harriet Harman.
He was formerly the MP for Shipley from 1997 to 2005 and a minister in the Department for Constitutional Affairs from 2001 to 2005. Between 2005 and his 2010 re-election, he worked as the director of the New Local Government Network think-tank.[1][2][3]
Early life, 1972–1997
Born in Keighley, West Riding of Yorkshire, Leslie went to Bingley Grammar School. He gained a BA in Politics & Parliamentary Studies in 1994 and an MA in Industrial and Labour Studies in 1996 from the University of Leeds.
From 1994 to 1996 he was an office administrator, going on to become a political research assistant in Bradford in 1996–97. He was elected to Parliament a month before his 25th birthday.[1][4]
Parliamentary career, 1997–2005
Leslie won the seat of Shipley as a Labour Co-operative candidate in the 1997 general election by beating Marcus Fox, the seat's Conservative MP since 1970. In the process, he overturned a 12,382 majority, to return a 2,966 majority of his own. It was the neighbouring seat to his hometown of Keighley, another seat won by Labour from the Conservatives in 1997.
Leslie was the Baby of the House upon first entering the Commons.[1] He was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Lord Falconer for three and a half years.
Leslie held his seat again in 2001 with a halved majority of 1,428.
Shortly before his 30th birthday, Leslie became a junior minister in the Cabinet Office in 2001 following the recent election. In 2002, he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. He would then move to spend almost two years as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Constitutional Affairs, working again under Falconer from 2003 to 2005.[1]
He never rebelled against a Government position during his first time in Parliament.[3]
He subsequently lost his seat to the Conservatives' candidate Philip Davies during the 2005 General Election by fewer than 500 votes.[1]
Out of Parliament, 2005–2010
Leslie led Gordon Brown's successful (and uncontested) campaign for the leadership of the Labour Party in 2007.[5][6] Having lost his seat in Shipley, in 2005 he became the director of the New Local Government Network, which was described in the Local Government Chronicle in 2001 as a "Blairite think-tank."[7] On 14 April 2010, he was selected as the Parliamentary Candidate for Nottingham East in the General Election campaign, after the Labour National Executive Committee imposed a shortlist and selection panel following the late resignation of the MP John Heppell.[8][9]
Return to Parliament
In the 2010 general election Christopher Leslie returned to Parliament representing Nottingham East, taking over from John Heppell.
He supported Ed Balls for the leadership of the Labour Party during the 2010 leadership election following the resignation of Gordon Brown, voting also for David Miliband as his second preference.
In September 2011, he stood in the shadow cabinet elections but missed out on becoming a shadow cabinet minister, however he was promoted to Her Majesty's Opposition becoming Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury. He replaced Stephen Timms, who was made Shadow Minister of State for Employment. On 7 October 2013 he was promoted to Shadow Cabinet, becoming Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
In May 2015, he was promoted to Shadow Chancellor, replacing Ed Balls, who lost his parliamentary seat in the 2015 general election.
Leslie supported Yvette Cooper in the 2015 Labour leadership election, and was critical of the economic policies of Jeremy Corbyn, calling them "starry-eyed, hard left".[10] On 12 September 2015, Leslie resigned from the Labour front bench following the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the party.
Personal life
In February 2005, he married Nicola Murphy, a special adviser to Gordon Brown, in Westminster,[11] having become engaged the previous year.[12]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Chris Leslie: Electoral history and profile, The Guardian, retrieved 2 September 2010
- ↑ NLGN website
- 1 2 Christopher Leslie, They Work For You, retrieved 2 September 2010
- ↑ From campus to Commons in just six months, Leeds University Reporter, 19 May 1997, retrieved 2 September 2010
- ↑ Chris Leslie: Statement in full, BBC News, 29 November 2007, retrieved 2 September 2010
- ↑ Chris Leslie: If Brown is bold, he can make the voters turn back to Labour, The Yorkshire Post, 20 January 2010, retrieved 2 September 2010
- ↑ Brum in turmoil over Mayoral vote, Local Government Chronicle, 21 September 2001, retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ↑ Brian Brady (11 April 2010). "The leaders: Activists threaten rebellion as Brown helps secure seat for ally". The Independent. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ↑ Michael Crick (12 April 2010). "Nottingham East update". BBC. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- ↑ Nicholas Watt (3 August 2015). "Corbyn's economic strategy would keep Tories in power, top Labour figure says". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ↑ MP marries a Treasury adviser at Westminster, Bradford Telegraph and Argus, 24 February 2005, retrieved 2 September 2010
- ↑ 'Yes, Minister' – New Labour proposal wins over MP's girlfriend, The Yorkshire Post, 5 May 2004, retrieved 2 September 2010
External links
- Official website
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Chris Leslie
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Marcus Fox |
Member of Parliament for Shipley 1997–2005 |
Succeeded by Philip Davies |
| Preceded by John Heppell |
Member of Parliament for Nottingham East 2010–present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Matthew Taylor |
Baby of the House 1997–2000 |
Succeeded by David Lammy |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Rachel Reeves |
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury 2013–2015 |
Succeeded by Shabana Mahmood |
| Preceded by Ed Balls |
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer 2015 |
Succeeded by John McDonnell |
|