Richard Graham (politician)
Richard Graham | |
|---|---|
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| Member of Parliament for Gloucester | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Parmjit Dhanda |
| Majority | 7,241 (8.8%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 April 1958 |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservatives |
| Spouse | Anthea Graham |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
| Website | Official Website |
Richard Graham (born 4 April 1958)[1] is a British Conservative Party politician, who was first elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gloucester.[2]
Graham is an Oxford scholar, ex-airline manager, pension manager and diplomat, who speaks eight languages.
Personal life and charities
Graham was educated at Eton college[3] and Christ Church, Oxford where he was an exhibitioner in Modern History. Whilst at Oxford University, he was a Cadet with the Oxford University Air Squadron.
Graham has played international squash and still plays cricket for Gloucester (GCWCC) and the Gloucestershire Over 50s.[4]
He was previously a Director of the charitable company Care for Children, which organises and trains foster parents for Chinese orphans.[5]
In 2010, Graham created the first Gloucester History Festival and chairs the Gloucester History Committee. He is also a trustee of the Gloucestershire Community Foundation, Patron of the Discover de Crypt project and an Hon. Member of the Showmen's Guild.
According to the Conservative website, Graham has spent a week's holiday every year since being elected as a volunteer in the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and other NHS Trusts.[6]
Graham is married with three children.
Early career
Graham was previously an airline manager, a diplomat and a pensions manager. He started with John Swire and Sons and became general manager of Cathay Pacific Airways in France at 24 and in the Philippines at 26, concurrently Vice-chairman of the board of Airline Representatives. He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1986, and was Second, later First, Secretary, in the British High Commission Nairobi and then British Trade Commissioner China, First Secretary British Embassy Beijing and HM Consul Macao (1989–1992).
Graham joined Barings plc as its Chief Representative China in 1993, and became a director of Baring Asset Management in 1996.
Graham has lived and worked in ten countries, speaks eight languages, and according to his website is the only parliamentarian who speaks Cantonese and Mandarin.[7]
Political career
Graham was elected as a Cotswold district councillor in 2003, becoming Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in 2006.[8]
Following his successful election to the House of Commons in 2010, Graham was a member of the Select Committee for Work and Pensions May–November 2010, and has now been a member again since July 2015.[9] He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rt Hon Lord Howell from November 2010 to September 2012. He was also Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rt Hon Hugo Swire, Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office until 2014.
In June 2010, his first debate in Parliament was regarding apprenticeships and their importance to Gloucester had to be cancelled after he turned up late. Graham later blamed a 'Printer Error'.[10]
In November 2012, Graham was appointed Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Indonesia.[11] In January 2016 he was also appointed the Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Malaysia, the Philippines, and the ASEAN Economic Community.[12]
Graham chairs the All Party Parliamentary Groups for Pensions, Indonesia, China, and Marine Energy and Tidal Lagoons.
Graham was the second MP in the country to employ his own office apprentice, who later went on to be the youngest ever city councillor in Gloucester.[13]
In 2013, he also successfully campaigned for stronger dangerous driving sentencing laws.[14]
In June 2013, Graham got himself into trouble with the ICO for breaching the Data Protection Act and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations by spamming people who had contacted him on parliamentary business.[15]
In April 2015, Graham was ordered to remove 'interfering' tweets that discussed a murder trial in Gloucester amid claims he was trying to 'win votes' prior to the upcoming General Election.[16]
In July 2015, Graham was given a six month driving ban for speeding.[17] The road safety charity Brake withdrew an award they had previously given him for successfully campaigning for stricter sentences for uninsured drivers[3]
In November 2015, Graham was accused of quoting Joseph Goebbels in defence of a new Surveillance Bill during a House of Commons debate.[18]
References
- ^ "Richard Graham MP". BBC Democracy Live. BBC. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ "Election 2010: Gloucester". thisisgloucestershire.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ a b Wilkinson, Michael (24 July 2015). "Road safety champion Tory MP Richard Graham given six-month driving ban for speeding". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
- ^ "At home with Gloucester MP Richard Graham". Gloucestershire Echo. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ "Care For Children – Family First in Asia". www.careforchildren.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ "Richard Graham". www.conservatives.com. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ "About". Richard Graham MP. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ^ "Richard Graham :biography". Politics.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
- ^ "Work and Pensions Committee – membership". UK Parliament. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
- ^ "Embarrassment as Gloucester MP turns up too late for his own debate in Parliament". Gloucester Citizen. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/media/item/403560.html
- ^ "Trade Envoys – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ "LOCAL ELECTIONS: Conservatives win control of Gloucester City Council". Gloucester Citizen. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ "Gloucester MP campaigns for dangerous driving laws reform". BBC News. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ "Richard Graham rebuked for signing people up to his mailing list". Gloucester Citizen. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ "Richard Graham accused of using alleged murder of Gloucester's Zac Evans to win votes ahead of trial". Gloucester Citizen. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ "MP Richard Graham given six-month driving ban". BBC. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
- ^ "Tory MP Richard Graham accused of quoting Joseph Goebbels in defence of new surveillance bill". The Independant. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
External links
- Official Website
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
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