- Nick Herbert
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For the physicist and author of Elemental Mind, see Nick Herbert (physicist).
The Right Honourable
Nick Herbert
MP
Minister of State for Police and Criminal Justice Incumbent Assumed office
13 May 2010Prime Minister David Cameron Preceded by David Hanson Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs In office
19 January 2009 – 11 May 2010Leader David Cameron Preceded by Peter Ainsworth Succeeded by Hilary Benn Shadow Secretary of State for Justice In office
2 July 2007 – 19 January 2009Leader David Cameron Preceded by Oliver Heald (then DCA) Succeeded by Dominic Grieve Member of Parliament
for Arundel and South DownsIncumbent Assumed office
5 May 2005Preceded by Howard Flight Majority 16,691 (29.9%) Personal details Born 7 April 1963
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, EnglandNationality English Political party Conservative Domestic partner Jason Eades Alma mater Magdalene College, Cambridge Website www.nickherbert.com Nicholas Le Quesne "Nick" Herbert (born 7 April 1963) is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Arundel and South Downs. He is currently Minister of State for Police and Criminal Justice, with his time split between the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice.[1]
Contents
Background
Herbert was educated at Haileybury and Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he read law and land economy. He was appointed as the director of public affairs at the British Field Sports Society in 1990 and remained in that position for six years. He joined Business for Sterling in 1998 as their chief executive where he helped launch the campaign against adopting the Euro currency, before becoming a director of the think tank Reform in 2000 until his election to parliament in 2005.
Political career
He unsuccessfully contested the Northumberland seat of Berwick-upon-Tweed at the 1997 general election where he finished in third place some 8,951 votes behind the veteran Liberal Democrat MP Alan Beith. His selection to contest the West Sussex seat of Arundel and South Downs at the 2005 general election did not come about without incident. The sitting Conservative MP, Howard Flight, had been forced to resign as a vice chairman of the party and had the whip removed by Michael Howard in 2005 after he had told a Conservative Way Forward meeting that the Conservatives would have to make more cuts than they were promising.[2] With no whip, he was not considered as an approved candidate and, despite protest and the local association refusing to select a new candidate, he finally resigned just a month before the election.[3] Herbert was selected[4] and elected, holding the seat with a slightly reduced majority of 11,309. He made his maiden speech on 6 June 2005.[5]
On his election, he became the first[citation needed] out gay Conservative MP to be open about his homosexuality at the time he was initially elected (he is not the first out gay Conservative MP; that distinction goes to Alan Duncan, who voluntarily came out in 2002[6] and Michael Brown, who was 'outed' in 1994).[7] Herbert lives in Arundel with his civil partner Jason Eades.
Shadow Cabinet
After his election to Parliament, Herbert joined the Home Affairs Select Committee. After David Cameron became leader of the Conservative Party, Herbert became a Shadow Minister for home affairs on 16 December 2005. This meant he had to leave the Home Affairs Select Committee. In July 2007, he joined the Shadow Cabinet for the new position of Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, shadowing veteran Labour minister Jack Straw.[8] On 19 January 2009 he was made Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
In Government
On the Coalition forming between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in May 2010, Herbert was appointed as a Minister of State at the Home Office with responsibility for policing and at the Ministry of Justice with responsibility for criminal justice. To undertake this role, Herbert was appointed a Privy Counsellor on 9 June 2010.[9]
Personal life
Herbert joined his long-term partner, Jason Eades, in civil partnership in early January 2009 after a 10-year relationship.
References
- ^ "Ministers of State – Ministry of Justice". Justice.gov.uk. http://www.justice.gov.uk/about/12795.htm. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
- ^ Tory quits in 'hidden cuts' row, BBC News.
- ^ Flight to end battle with Howard, BBC News.
- ^ Flight replacement sparks new row, BBC News.
- ^ House of Commons Hansard Debates for 6 Jun 2005 (pt 30)
- ^ Tory MP says "I'm gay", BBC News.
- ^ "The Best for News, Sport, Showbiz, Celebrities & TV". The Sun. http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006490723_12,00.html. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
- ^ "Cameron reshuffles shadow team". BBC News. 3 July 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6262274.stm. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
- ^ "Privy Council appointments, 9 June 2010". Privy Council. http://www.privy-council.org.uk/files/word/LIST%209%20June%202010.doc. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
External links
- Nick Herbert MP official constituency website
- Profile at the Conservative Party
- 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
- Articles authored at Journalisted
- Reform.co.uk
- David Cameron's rising star Nick Herbert 'marries' his boyfriend, Richard Eden, The Telegraph, 4 January 2009
- Nick Herbert claimed stamp duty on joint home: MPs expenses, Jon Swaine and Martin Beckford, The Daily Telegraph, 11 May 2009
Parliament of the United Kingdom Preceded by
Howard FlightMember of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs
2005–presentIncumbent Political offices New creation Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
2007–2009Succeeded by
Dominic GrievePolitical offices Preceded by
Peter AinsworthShadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
2009–2010Succeeded by
Hilary BennPreceded by
David HansonMinister of State for Police and Criminal Justice
(previously Minister of State for Security, Crime, Counter-Terrorism and Policing)
2010–presentIncumbent Categories:- 1963 births
- Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs
- Gay politicians
- Living people
- Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies
- Old Haileyburians
- People from Arundel
- UK MPs 2005–2010
- UK MPs 2010–
- Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- LGBT politicians from the United Kingdom
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