Sector makes its mark on the Commons | LexisNexis | Professional Journal archives from AllBusiness.com
Facebook Twitter You Tube RSS Feed
Recommends

Sector makes its mark on the Commons

Published on AllBusiness.com
More

Tristan Donovan reports on which new MPs have connections with the voluntary sector and we show where they were elected.

The 2010 general election will doubtless go down in history as the election that no party won. But it will also be remembered as an election that saw Parliament filled with many new faces.

The expenses scandal, the retirement of numerous MPs and the shift in voting patterns have produced a House of Commons packed with first-time MPs - and the voluntary sector is well represented among them.

Third Sector's count suggests there are at least 25 new MPs who worked in the voluntary sector before the election, some of them very recently.

Although Labour lost more than 90 of its seats, it brought in 14 new MPs with a background in the sector. Of these, eight have worked in children and young people's charities, including the NSPCC, the Children's Society and the Scout Association.

During the election campaign, Yvonne Fovargue and Lisa Nandy - both now elected - signed up to the NSPCC's I Stand for Children pledge, promising to make child protection one of their priorities. Fovargue also backed Cancer Research UK's Commit to Beat Cancer pledge, which seeks to protect cancer research institutions.

The nine Tory MPs with a third sector background include former employees of Age Concern England and people who have helped found charities, such as Jeremy Lefroy, who formed Equity for Africa - a charity that helps small businesses in Africa.

During his campaign, Lefroy said he wanted to support social enterprises in Stafford and make more finance available to them.

Two of the new MPs have been involved in think tanks that are also registered charities, including Nicholas Boles, the founder of the Policy Exchange and a member of David Cameron's inner circle.

Other MPs with a third sector past include Jonathan Edwards of Plaid Cymru and Eilidh Whiteford of the Scottish National Party. Edwards has stated that he wants more to be done to help third sector organisations fill gaps in public service provision.

CONSERVATIVE

Stuart Andrew Pudsey (1), Hope House Children's Hospice and British Heart Foundation

Nick Boles Grantham and Stamford (2), Policy Exchange

George Freeman Mid Norfolk (3), Business Wise

Jeremy Lefroy Stafford (4), Equity for Africa

Charlotte Leslie Bristol North West (5), National Autistic Society

Sarah Newton Truro and Falmouth (6), Age Concern England

David Rutley Macclesfield (7), unspecified disadvantaged children's charity

Rory Stewart Penrith and the Border (8), development charity Turquoise Mountain

Elizabeth Truss Norfolk South West (9), Reform

LABOUR

Rushanara Ali Bethnal Green and Bow (10), Young Foundation

Jenny Chapman Darlington (11), Newblood Live

Stella Creasy Walthamstow (12), Scout Association

Simon Danczuk Rochdale (13), Vision 21

Yvonne Fovargue Makerfield (14), St Helens Citizens Advice Bureau

Kate Green Stretford and Urmston (15), Child Poverty Action Group

Susan Hinchcliffe Shipley (16), Business in the Community

Cathy Jamieson MSP Kilmarnock and Loudoun (17), Who Cares? Scotland

Susan Elan Jones Clwyd South (18), Housing Justice

Elizabeth Kendall Leicester West (19), Maternity Alliance

Lisa Nandy Wigan (20), The Children's Society

Bridget Phillipson Houghton and Sunderland South (21), Wearside Women in Need

Anas Sarwar Glasgow Central (22), Y-Vote

Nick Smith Blaenau Gwent (23), Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

Plaid Cymru

Jonathan Edwards Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (24), Citizens Advice Cymru

SNP

Eilidh Whiteford Banff and Buchan (25), Oxfam Scotland and Turning Point Scotland

--------------------

Did you find this article useful? Why not subscribe to the magazine? Please call 08451 55 73 55 for more information or visit http://www.haysubs.com

TRENDING NOW:   Save. Spend. Do.,  Free Downloads!,  Credit Crunch Plagues Small Businesses,  Business Resource Center,
BootCamps

AllBusiness Slideshows

seeallslideshows

New On AllBusiness

Find Pre-Screened Suppliers. VoIP, Web Designers, Credir Card Processing, Online Marketing, Telemarketing, Payroll Services VoIP Web Designers Credir Card Processing Online Marketing Telemarketing Payroll Services View all 100 categories