- Mike Freer
-
Mike Freer Member of Parliament
for Finchley and Golders GreenIncumbent Assumed office
6 May 2010Preceded by Rudi Vis Majority 5,809 (12.3%) Personal details Born 29 May 1960
ManchesterPolitical party Conservative Michael Whitney (Mike) Freer[1] MP (born 29 May 1960) is a British politician. A Conservative, he was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Finchley and Golders Green at the 2010 general election. Freer is a former leader of Barnet Council and a former councillor from the Church End ward in Finchley.
Born in Manchester he was educated at the Chadderton Grammar School and St Aidan's College in Carlisle. Mike Freer was first elected to Barnet Council in 1990 for the St. Paul's ward, winning the seat from Labour. However, he lost the seat again in 1994, in which the Conservatives were routed nationally.[2] He was re-elected to the council, from the Church End ward, in 2002. He became leader of the council on 11 May 2006, replacing Brian Salinger as Conservative group leader, having previously been Salinger's deputy.[3] His appointment was approved unanimously.[4]
In the 2005 general election, Freer contested the Harrow West constituency in the neighbouring borough of Harrow. He finished second to the Labour incumbent Gareth Thomas, whose majority was cut from 6,000 to 2,000. He was selected for Finchley and Golders Green on 10 December 2006.[2]
Freer is a member of Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI). Although he is not a Jew, The Jewish Chronicle, in its list of 100 most powerful influences on the Jewish community, named Freer 99th, not least because of his membership of CFI and his chairmanship of the Barnet multi-faith forum.[5]
Following the collapse of Icelandic banks Glitnir and Landsbanki in October 2008 which Barnet Council had £27.4m of deposits in, Freer was named Private Eye’s “Banker of the Year” in its Rotten Borough Awards of 2008. Stating “He told councillors that he couldn’t be blamed for the council losing £27.4m in dodgy Icelandic banks because he had never bothered to review the council’s investments. Ever. And in a former life he used to be, er, a banker. Quite.”[6]
In 2009, Freer announced a new model of local government delivery for the London Borough of Barnet, called 'Future Shape' which he claims could save Barnet Council £24 million a year. The scheme has been dubbed easyCouncil because of its similarity to easyJet's business model.[7]
He is openly gay and lives with his civil partner, Angelo Crolla, in one of the three properties he owns in Barnet.[2] Professionally, Freer worked for Barclays Bank as a relationship director.[8]
In October 2011 he was the target of an attack on a mosque in his constituency of Finchley by members of Muslims Against Crusades.[9]
References
- ^ http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U251423/
- ^ a b c Marc, Shoffman (11 December 2006). "Gay councillor to fight key Tory target". Pink News. http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/view.php?id=3235. Retrieved 3 June 2008.[dead link]
- ^ Marzouk, Lawrence (18 May 2006). "'Right-wing coup'". Times Series Newspapers. http://www.times-series.co.uk/display.var.764223.0.rightwing_coup.php. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
- ^ "About the Leader". Barnet Council Conservatives. http://barnetcouncilconservatives.com/page.php?pid=4. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
- ^ "JC Power 100: The people shaping Jewish life in Britain". Jewish Chronicle. 25 April 2008. http://www.thejc.com/Home.aspx?ParentId=m11s18s186&AId=59670&ATypeId=1&secid=86&prev=true. Retrieved 3 June 2008.[dead link]
- ^ Lowe, Rebecca (8 January 2009). "Something rotten in the state of Barnet". Times Series. http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/4033243.Something_rotten_in_the_state_of_Barnet. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ^ Mulholland, Hélène (3 February 2010). "Mr easyCouncil defends his local government model". Guardian News and Media Limited. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/feb/03/mike-freer-easycouncil-interview. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- ^ "Cllr Mike Freer - health and adult services portfolio". London Councils. http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/aboutus/leadingmembers/mikefreer.htm. Retrieved 8 July 2009.[dead link]
- ^ "MP Mike Freer 'threatened at mosque surgery'". BBC News. 29 October 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15508697. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
External links
Categories:- 1960 births
- Living people
- Councillors in Barnet
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs
- Gay politicians
- People from Barnet
- UK MPs 2010–
- LGBT politicians from the United Kingdom
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