- Michael Crockart
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Michael Crockart MP 
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Scotland In office
12 May 2010 – 9 December 2010Prime Minister David Cameron Member of Parliament
for Edinburgh WestIncumbent Assumed office
6 May 2010Preceded by John Barrett Majority 3,803 (8.2%) Personal details Born 19 March 1966 Nationality British Michael Bruce 'Mike' Crockart[1] (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.[2]
Contents
Parliamentary candidate
Crockart was educated at Perth High School and at Edinburgh University where he studied Social Sciences.[3] 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.[4]
Edinburgh North and Leith
In 2005 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.[5] 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.[6]
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 Gorrie 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.[7][8] 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%.[9]
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 Conservatives 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".[10] Crockart was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Scottish Secretary Michael Moore.[11]
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.[12] In his resignation letter he told party chief whip Alistair Carmichael 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."[12] 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."[13] The Liberal Democrat press office pointed out the error as the impersonator had an English accent whereas Mike Crockart has a "distinctly Scottish burr."[13] 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."[13]
References
- ^ House of Commons Hansard Debates for 20 May 2010 (pt 0001)
- ^ Edinburgh MP Mike Crockart quits government ahead of tuition fees vote - Scotsman.com
- ^ Scottish Lib Dems | Mike Crockart education
- ^ Edinburgh Evening News | Former policeman Mike Crockart to defend Barrett's Capital seat
- ^ BBC Election Map 2005 | Edinburgh North and Leith
- ^ BBC Election Coverage Scottish Parliament 2007 | Edinburgh North and Leith
- ^ Edinburgh Evening News | Candidates to slug it out for safe city seat
- ^ The Scotsman | Capitals poll position
- ^ BBC | Edinburgh West - General Election 2010 result
- ^ Edinburgh Evening News | Westminster coalition will bring real benefits
- ^ UK Parliament | Michael Crockart
- ^ a b The Guardian | Edinburgh MP resigns over tuition fees
- ^ a b c The Daily Mail | BBC broadcasts interview with MP imposter
External links
- West Edinburgh Liberal Democrats
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
- Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Electoral history and profile at The Guardian
- Voting record at PublicWhip.org
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
- Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
- Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
Parliament of the United Kingdom Preceded by
John BarrettMember of Parliament for Edinburgh West
2010–presentIncumbent Elected in the 2010 election
Danny Alexander · Malcolm Bruce · Menzies Campbell · Alistair Carmichael · Michael Crockart · Charles Kennedy · Michael Moore · Alan Reid · Robert Smith · Jo Swinson · John ThursoCategories:- 1966 births
- Living people
- People from Perth, Scotland
- Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
- Scottish police officers
- Scottish Liberal Democrat MPs
- UK MPs 2010–
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