Grant Shapps

Infobox MP
honorific-prefix =
name = Grant Shapps
honorific-suffix = MP


caption =
constituency_MP = Welwyn Hatfield
parliament =
term_start = 5 May 2005
term_end =
majority = 5,946 (13.3%)
predecessor = Melanie Johnson
successor =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1968|09|14|df=yes
birth_place = Watford, Hertfordshire
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = British
spouse = Belinda Shapps
party = Conservative
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater = Manchester Metropolitan University
occupation =
profession =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

Grant Shapps (born September 14, 1968, Watford) is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Welwyn Hatfield in the United Kingdom, winning the seat in the 2005 election on 5 May 2005.

Biography

Shapps was born in Watford in Hertfordshire and educated at Watford Grammar School for Boys, followed by Cassio College where he completed a Business Studies course and Manchester Metropolitan University (then Manchester Polytechnic), where he received a Higher National Diploma [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4074370.stm BBC - Meet the MP: Grant Shapps] ] . In 1990 he founded his own printing company, PrintHouse Corporation. It has grown into a successful commercial design, print and web development company which enabled him to print for his own campaign and the costs to remain hidden. . He married Belinda in 1997 and they have three children [ [http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=people.person.page&PersonID=35434] Grant Shapps MP - Profile Conservative Party] "] .

Political career

Shapps first stood for Parliament during the 1997 election as the Conservative candidate for North Southwark and Bermondsey, coming third [ [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/hoc/constituency/0,,-1180,00.html The Guardian] ] . In 1999 he was selected for the Welwyn Hatfield constituency for the 2001 election.Fact|date=May 2008

Shapps was reselected to fight Welwyn Hatfield in 2002 and continued his local campaigning over the next four years, he stood again in the 2005 election and was elected as the Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield, defeating the Labour MP and by then Minister for Public Health, Melanie Johnson. He received 22,172 votes (49.6%) on a 8.2% swing from Labour to Conservative, a majority of 5,946 (13.3%). During the four year campaign he is estimated to have outspent his opponent by twelve times. [Michael White, " [http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1743694,00.html A little money helps] ", "The Guardian", 31 March 2006.] According to Simon Hoggart writing in "The Guardian", Shapps had 22 pictures of himself in his election address,Simon Hoggart, " [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1483864,00.html Here is Paul ... and here ... and here] ", "The Guardian", 14 May 2005.] although Hoggart did concede that those who pitched "person" over "party" received better results in the 2005 election. The Welwyn Hatfield swing was the second highest Labour to Conservative swing of the 2005 election, Welwyn Hatfield was one of the most marginal seats in the country.

Shapps publicly supported David Cameron's bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party and signed Cameron's nomination papers. Upon Cameron's election as Party Leader Shapps was appointed Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party with responsibility for Campaigning.Fact|date=May 2008

Shapps was a member of the Public Administration Select Committee between May 2005 and Feb 2007, when he stood down in order to concentrate on his Conservative Front Bench Campaigning role.Fact|date=May 2008

hadow housing minister

In July 2007, Grant Shapps became Shadow Housing Minister attending Shadow Cabinet [ [http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=people.person.page&PersonID=35434 Grant Shapps MP - Profile - Conservative Party ] ] .

At a time when Prime Minister Gordon Brown has made housing a priority, Shapps is responsible for developing Conservative housing policy.Fact|date=May 2008 He argues in favour of a community-led approach to solving the housing crisis and warns against the Government's strategy of top-down, Whitehall driven housing targets, which he believes have failed in the past. [Andrew Porter, " [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/29/nshapps129.xml Shapps Sleeps rough for Christmas] ", "The Telegraph", 29 December 2007.] His Housing portfolio is considered to be one of the battlegrounds for the next British General Election.Fact|date=May 2008 In his 2007 Party Conference speech on Housing, Shapps outlined a vision of localism being used to replace centrally imposed housing targets with the aim of creating more new build overall. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7021988.stm Text of Grant Shapps's 2007 conference speech] .]

In May 2008 the parliamentary commissioner published a report into the funding of Shadow Cabinet offices. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/may/16/conservatives Shadow ministers take cash from firms linked to their portfolios] "The Guardian", 16 May 2008] Shadow ministers are allowed to receive donations from organisations covered by their brief as long as the person has a company in the UK or lives in the UK. The Commissioner exonerated all shadow cabinet members involved. The funding, donated prior to Grant Shapps becoming Shadow Housing Minister, was used to fund [http://www.shapps.com/reports four reports into homelessness] and to create the Conservative Homelessness Foundation which was [http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/may/15/welfare launched] by David Cameron.

Reports and Research

Grant Shapps has used his time in Parliament to research and publish a wide range of reports [ [http://www.shapps.com/reports National investigations and reports from Grant Shapps MP ] ] on a variety of subjects that often receive national press coverage. [Roughly Sleeping on BBC Radio 4 Today Programme [http://www.shapps.com/reports/Roughly-Sleeping-Today-Prog.mp3] .] [The Messy Business of Conception on BBC TV [http://www.shapps.com/reports/IVF.wmv] ] [Underperformance of the Assets Recovery Agency on BBC Radio File on 4 [http://www.shapps.com/reports/Assets-Recovery-Agency-File-On-4.mp3] ] [Inconsistencies regarding retention of innocent children's DNA Data BBC One TV News Coverage [http://www.shapps.com/reports/DNA-TV.wmv] ]

Since becoming Shadow Housing Minister, four of Shapps' reports have dealt with the causes and effect of homelessness from rough sleeping through to so-called "sofa surfing" [ [http://www.shapps.com/ Studies and Reports by Grant Shapps MP] ] On Christmas Eve 2007, Shapps slept on the pavement of Victoria station in a sleeping bag, waking Christmas morning soaked from a downpour.Porter, Andrew (GMT 29/12/2007). [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/1573942/How-Grant-Shapps-slept-rough-for-Christmas.html How Grant Shapps slept rough for Christmas] , telegraph.co.uk. Accessed 2008-05-31.] Shapps says he wanted to draw attention to the fact that 130,000 children sleep rough every night, saying, "It served its purpose. Homelessness struggles to get on the news agenda and I wanted to try and highlight the plight of children who sleep rough every night". His work became sufficiently influential within the homelessness sector that when he launched the Homelessness Foundation with Conservative leader David Cameron in May 2008, leading lights from the sector including Chief Executives from charities like Shelter, Crisis and the Founder of the Big Issue, John Bird, all joined the Advisory Panel of the Conservative Homelessness Foundation [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7402410.stm BBC Homelessness a disgrace - Cameron] ] . The Foundation's aim is to provide academic research into homelessness [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/may/15/welfare Tories launch new group to tackle homelessness] ] .

Business interests

In 1990, aged 21, Grant Shapps founded PrintHouse Corporation, a design, print, website creation and marketing business sited in London. He remains its Chairman. [ [http://www.printhouse.co.uk/ABOUTUS.html About Us ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.shapps.com/ Grant Shapps MP] official site
* [http://www.shapps.com/forum popular constituency Forum run by the MP]
* [http://www.SaveMySurgery.com SaveMySurgery.com]
* [http://www.cond.org.uk/ COND Campaign] Innocent Children Off DNA Database run by Grant Shapps
* [http://www.welhatpostoffices.org Save Our Welwyn Hatfield Post Office]
* [http://www.HospitalSOS.com Hospital SOS] Campaign to save acute services at QE2 Hospital in Welwyn Garden City
* [http://www.Quieter-A1M.com Quieter A1M Motorway through Welwyn Hatfield]
* [http://www.48HourGP.com 48 Hour GP] Website to track problems with GP appointment booking nationwide
* [http://www.printhouse.co.uk/ PrintHouse Corporation] Design & Print company founded by Grant Shapps