Andrew Pelling

Infobox MP
honorific-prefix =
name = Andrew Pelling
honorific-suffix = MP


caption =
constituency_MP = Croydon Central
parliament =
term_start = 5 May 2005
term_end =
majority = 75 (0.2%)
predecessor = Geraint Davies
successor =
constituency_AM2 = Croydon and Sutton
assembly2 = London
term_start2 = 4 May 2000
term_end2 = 1 May 2008
majority2 =
predecessor2 = "New constituency"
successor2 = Steve O'Connell
birth_date = Birth date and age|1959|8|20|df=yes
birth_place = Wolverhampton
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = British
spouse = Lucy Slaytor
party = Conservative
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater = New College, Oxford
occupation =
profession =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

Andrew John Pelling (born 20 August 1959) is a British Conservative politician. He is member of Parliament for Croydon Central, and a former member of the London Assembly for Croydon and Sutton and councillor.

Pelling was educated at the Trinity School, Croydon and then New College, Oxford where he led the Oxford University Conservative Association in 1980. He was elected to the position of Librarian of the Oxford Union and ran for President four times, on one occasion losing to William Hague.

He was first elected to Croydon Council in 1982 in Broad Green ward and later represented the ward of Heathfield. He served as Chair of the Education Committee in the early 1990s and subsequently became Deputy Leader of the Conservative Group when they lost control of the Council in 1994. He was then, from 2002 until 2005, the leader of the opposition Conservative group in Croydon and stepped down from the Council in 2006 after 24 years. He used to be an international investment banker.

Pelling was first elected to the London Assembly in 2000, and retained his seat in 2004. He is a member of the London Development Agency and chairs the GLA budget committee. At the 2005 general election, he won the Croydon Central parliamentary seat by just 75 votes from Labour's Geraint Davies.

On 28 May 2007 Pelling was one of 18 Conservative MPs to vote in favour of an amendment to the Freedom of Information Act proposed by David Maclean, which would see the Houses of Parliament and MPs exempted from the disclosure requirements of the Act.

Personal life

Pelling was married to Japanese citizen Sanae for 16 years, and the couple had three children: Alice (born 1986), Elizabeth (born 1989) and Alexander (born 1991). Pelling met Lucy Slaytor (b 1982), who assisted his campaign team, during the 2005 General Election. After the election Sanae visited her dying father in Tokyo, and on her return released a statement to the press revealing Pelling's affair with Slaytor, saying at the time: "He treated me like a doormat. As far as he was concerned I was there to raise his children and cook his food. His only love is politics.” [ [http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=482835&in_page_id=1770 Tory MP accused of assaulting pregnant wife may now lose his seat] Mail on Sunday - 21 September, 2007]

After Pelling divorced Sanae, he married Lucy, who became his Parliamentary Assistant. On 18 September 2007 Pelling was arrested at his home after the Metropolitan Police received a complaint from his pregnant wife Lucy. He was released on bail later that night after being questioned. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7003700.stm MP quizzed over 'assault on wife'] BBC News - 19 September 2007] A Metropolitan Police statement released the following day said: "A man in his 40s was arrested on September 18 at an address in south London in connection with allegations of assault. He was taken to a south London police station and was bailed to return on 1 October. The alleged victim is a female in her 20s." However the police later announced that no charges were to be made against Pelling. Lucy made statements to the Press that resulted in the Conservative Whip in the Commons being withdrawn from Pelling.

Pelling has subsequently been suspended from the Conservative party, following his arrest on allegations of assaulting his wife, Lucy. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7013159.stm Tories suspend assault quiz MP] BBC News - 25 September, 2007] However, the Crown Prosecution Service later decided not to prosecute. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7054002.stm MP will not face assault charges] , BBC News.] On 3 December 2007 he announced that he would not seek re-election to Parliament at the next general election. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7126121.stm] In January 2008, it was reported that he was undergoing treatment for clinical depression, and under doctor's orders, he took the next six months off from his constituency duties. [http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/1943084.croydon_mp_andrew_pelling_takes_a_break_to_be_treated_for_depression/] He had already announced he would not be contesting his London Assembly seat and stood down in May 2008.

References

External links

* [http://www.andrewpelling.org.uk Andrew Pelling MP. Putting Croydon first]
* [http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=people.person.page&personID=81620 Conservative Party Profile]
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-9188,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Andrew Pelling MP]
* [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/andrew_pelling/croydon_central TheyWorkForYou.com - Andrew Pelling MP]
* [http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/members/pellinga.jsp Biography from the London Assembly]
* [http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/1943084.croydon_mp_andrew_pelling_takes_a_break_to_be_treated_for_depression/ Croydon MP Andrew Pelling takes a break to be treated for depression]