Michael Mates

Last updated

Mary Rosamund Paton
​
​
(m. 1959;div. 1980)​
Rosellen Bett
​
​
(m. 1982;div. 1995)​
Christine Robinson-Moltke
​
​
(m. 1998)​
The Right Honourable
Michael Mates
Member of Parliament
for East Hampshire
Petersfield (1974–1983)
In office
10 October 1974 –12 April 2010
Children James Mates
Alma mater King's College, Cambridge
Military service
AllegianceFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Branch/serviceFlag of the British Army.svg  British Army
Years of service1954–1974
Rank Lieutenant colonel
Unit

Michael John Mates (born 9 June 1934) is a Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of East Hampshire from 1974 to 2010. He was a minister at the Northern Ireland Office from 1992 to 1993, resigning after his support for failed businessman (and later convicted thief) Asil Nadir damaged his reputation. After his long career at Westminster, Mates lost the election for police commissioner in Hampshire in August 2012.

Contents

Early life and education

Mates was born on 9 June 1934 in Brentford, Middlesex, England. He was educated at Salisbury Cathedral School, Blundell's School and King's College, Cambridge, where he was a choral scholar.[ citation needed ]

Career

Military, 1955–1974

On 18 June 1955, Mates was commissioned into the Royal Ulster Rifles, British Army, as a second lieutenant. [1] On 1 February 1957, he was promoted to lieutenant. [2] On 3 January 1959, he transferred from a short service commission to a regular commission. [3]

On 10 March 1961, Mates transferred from the Royal Ulster Rifles to 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards. [4] He was promoted to captain on 9 June 1961, [5] and to major on 31 December 1967. [6]

Prior to his election to the House of Commons, he served for twenty years in the British Army leaving in 1974 with the rank of lieutenant colonel with the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards.[ citation needed ]

Parliament, 1974–2010

Michael Mates was a Member of Parliament for 35 years. He was first elected in the October 1974 general election for Petersfield in Hampshire, following the retirement of Joan Quennell. The constituency was renamed East Hampshire in 1983 and he continued to serve as MP until the 2010 general election, having announced his intention in 2006 not to stand again. [7]

From 1992 to 1993, Mates was Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office. He resigned after a scandal involving his links to fugitive businessman Asil Nadir. [8] [9] In his 28-minute resignation speech he defied Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd by attacking the Serious Fraud Office’s handling of the case against Nadir in breach of Commons rules on sub judice . [10] Nadir was eventually convicted in the case of ten counts of theft amounting to £29m. [11]

Mates served as the chairman of the Defence (1987–1992) and Northern Ireland (2001–2005) select committees and chaired the All-Party Anglo-Irish Parliamentary Group. He was appointed a member of the Privy Council in February 2004.[ citation needed ]

Police Commissioner candidacy, 2012

In July 2012 Mates was selected as the Conservative candidate in the election for Police and crime commissioner for Hampshire, notwithstanding his links to Asil Nadir [12] who, in August 2012 was convicted of theft amounting to £29m. [13] In the 1990s, when a junior minister in the Northern Ireland Office, Mates expressed his support for Nadir by sending him a watch inscribed with the words "don't let the buggers get you down" – a reference to an ongoing investigation into Nadir's fraudulent financial activities by British authorities. [14] In August 2012 Nadir was found guilty at the Old Bailey of fraud, and convicted of stealing nearly £29 million. Despite this Mates maintained his support for Nadir, including testifying in his defence at the Old Bailey. [15] [16]

In September 2012 Michael Crick of Channel 4 News said that Mates had repeatedly refused to answer questions about a windfall he received having vacated a sitting tenancy at Dolphin Square, central London, when an MP. [17] Two city councillors publicly stated that he should step down, while Conservative MP George Hollingbery, who oversaw the party's selection process for the commissioner candidates, said: "Michael Mates was selected after a transparent process involving both the public and party members. Michael is a candidate with a wealth of experience in high public office and the party believes he will make an excellent first police commissioner." [18]

In 2012 Mates was reported to Hampshire Constabulary for electoral fraud under the Fraud Act 2006 by competitor Don Jerrard who was standing for The Justice & Anti-Corruption Party. [19] The former lawyer wrote to the county's Chief Constable alleging that Mates breached the 2006 Fraud Act by giving his address as a house where he rents rooms in Winchester. Parallel to this, Hampshire police confirmed two complaints of alleged racist language in Mates' Election Statement [20] were passed to the Thames Valley Police for investigation. [21] Thames Valley Police were said to be getting ready to interview Mates, but it was not known whether this would be done under caution. Mates denied the allegations, saying he was the victim of a smear campaign. [22] In 2014 Mates received an apology and undisclosed damages from the Crown Prosecution Service. He also received an apology from Hampshire Constabulary. Mates described the 18 months between the allegations and his vindication as "a nightmare". [23]

Controversies

The Panama Papers revealed that Mates was minority shareholder of an offshore investment company named Haylandale Limited from 2005 to at least April 2010, the end of his parliamentary period, and owned four subsidiary firms from August 2007 to December 2008 for leasing and services connected to luxury properties in The Bahamas. [24] Mates had, however, previously declared that he was the remunerated Chairman of Haylandale, which undertook property development in the West Indies, in the Register of Members' Interests for the period of 2005 to 2010. [25]

Personal life

Michael Mates has been married three times: to Mary Rosamund Paton in 1959, divorced 1980; Rosellen Bett in 1982, divorced 1995; and Christine Robinson-Moltke in 1998. He is the father of James Mates, a senior reporter and presenter for ITN. [26]

Partnered by composer William Godfree, Mates regularly performs tributes to Flanders and Swann, Noël Coward and others in aid of charity. [27] [28]

See also

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Arbuthnot</span> British politician and life peer (born 1952)

James Norwich Arbuthnot, Baron Arbuthnot of Edrom,, is a British Conservative Party politician. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Wanstead and Woodford from 1987 to 1997, and then MP for North East Hampshire from 1997 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alun Michael</span> Welsh politician (born 1943)

Alun Edward Michael is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative retired politician. He served as Secretary of State for Wales from 1998 to 1999 and then as the first First Secretary of Wales and Leader of Welsh Labour from 1999 to 2000. He went on to serve as South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner from 2012 to 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Joyce</span> Scottish politician (born 1960)

Eric Stuart Joyce is a Scottish politician, former military officer and convicted child sex offender. A former member of the Labour Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Falkirk, formerly Falkirk West, from 2000 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Lloyd</span> British politician (1950–2024)

Sir Anthony Joseph Lloyd was a British Labour politician. He served as a member of Parliament (MP) for 36 years, making him one of the longest-serving MPs in recent history. He served as MP for Stretford from 1983 to 1997, Manchester Central from 1997 to 2012, and represented Rochdale from 2017 until his death in 2024. He was Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner between 2012 and 2017 and served as the interim Mayor of Greater Manchester in his last two years in the role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alastair Goodlad</span> British Conservative politician (born 1943)

Alastair Robertson Goodlad, Baron Goodlad,, is a British politician who served as Chief Whip of the parliamentary Conservative Party from 1995 to 1997, and British High Commissioner to Australia from 2000 to 2005. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Northwich and later for Eddisbury from 1974 to 1999. Goodlad sat in the House of Lords as a life peer from 2005 to 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Selous</span> British politician

Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Bedfordshire from 2001 until 2024, when the constituency was abolished. Selous stood for the new Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency however the seat was won by the Labour candidate Alex Mayer. Selous lives in Studham in the constituency of Luton South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desmond Swayne</span> British politician (born 1956)

Sir Desmond Angus Swayne is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for New Forest West since 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kit Malthouse</span> British politician (born 1966)

Christopher Laurie "Kit" Malthouse is a British Conservative Party politician and businessman who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North West Hampshire since 2015. He served as Secretary of State for Education from 6 September to 25 October 2022, and previously served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from July to September 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Crick</span> English broadcaster, journalist and author (born 1958)

Michael Lawrence Crick is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He was a founding member of the Channel 4 News team in 1982 and remained there until joining the BBC in 1990. He started work on the BBC's Newsnight programme in 1992, serving as political editor from 2007 until his departure from the BBC in 2011. Crick then returned to Channel 4 News as political correspondent. In 2014 he was chosen as Specialist Journalist of the Year at the Royal Television Society television journalism awards.

Polly Peck International (PPI) was a small British textile company which expanded rapidly in the 1980s and became a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index before collapsing in 1991 with debts of £1.3 billion, eventually leading to the flight of its CEO, Asil Nadir to Northern Cyprus in 1993. Polly Peck was one of several corporate scandals that led to the reform of UK company law, resulting in the early versions of the UK Corporate Governance Code.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Thomson (politician)</span> Australian former politician

Craig Robert Thomson is an Australian former trade union official and a former politician implicated in the Health Services Union expenses affair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Mackinlay</span> British politician (born 1966)

Craig Mackinlay, Baron Mackinlay of Richborough,, is a Conservative Party politician and businessman. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for South Thanet from 2015 to 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 England and Wales police and crime commissioner elections</span> Local elections in England and Wales

The 2012 police and crime commissioner elections were polls held in most police areas in England and Wales on Thursday 15 November. The direct election of police and crime commissioners (PCCs) was originally scheduled for May 2012 but was postponed in order to secure the passage of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 through the House of Lords. The government considers the elected commissioners to have a stronger mandate than the "unelected and invisible police authorities that they replace". The elections took place alongside by-elections for the House of Commons in Cardiff South and Penarth, Corby and Manchester Central, and a mayoral election in Bristol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramadan Güney</span> British-Turkish Cypriot businessman and politician

Ramadan Güney was a British-Turkish Cypriot businessman and politician. He was the owner of Brookwood Cemetery, the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom, with the aim of establishing a Turkish cemetery. Güney was also the founder and chairman of the UK Turkish Islamic Trust and had established the first Turkish mosque in London, Shacklewell Lane Mosque, in 1977.

Asil Nadir is a British Turkish Cypriot businessman, who was chief executive of Polly Peck, which he took over as a small textile company, growing it during the 1980s to become one of the United Kingdom's top 100 FTSE-listed companies, with interests in consumer electronics, fruit distribution and packaging.

Kevin Barry Hurley, TD is a British politician and former police officer. He was the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner between November 2012 and May 2016. He previously served in the Metropolitan Police, reaching the rank of Detective Chief Superintendent. He was also an officer of the Territorial Army, serving first in the Parachute Regiment and then in the Royal Military Police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Holroyde</span>

Sir Timothy Victor Holroyde, PC, styled The Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Holroyde, is an English Court of Appeal judge, formerly a judge of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales, Queen's Bench Division. He was appointed to the Court of Appeal in October 2017. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 2017. In 2015 he was appointed a member of the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, and served as its Chairman between 2018 and 2022. In June 2022 he was appointed Vice-President of the Court of Appeal, succeeding Lord Justice Fulford.

The South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner by-election was a 2014 by-election on 30 October 2014 for the position of Police and Crime Commissioner in the South Yorkshire Police region of the United Kingdom. It was triggered by the resignation of Shaun Wright, the inaugural South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, who stepped down from the position on 16 September 2014 following the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal. Wright had been head of children's services in Rotherham between 2005 and 2010, while events surrounding the scandal were taking place. The Labour candidate, Alan Billings, was elected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ersin Tatar</span> President of Northern Cyprus from 2020

Ersin Tatar is a Turkish Cypriot politician who has served as the fifth President of Northern Cyprus since 2020. He previously served as the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus following the collapse of Tufan Erhürman's coalition government in 2019, and remained so until his election as president. He was also the leader of the National Unity Party (UBP) and Leader of the Opposition from 2018 until his election.

Graham Wyn Jones is a former British police officer.

References

  1. ↑ "No. 40571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 August 1955. p. 4932.
  2. ↑ "No. 40990". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 January 1957. p. 722.
  3. ↑ "No. 41595". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1958. p. 71.
  4. ↑ "No. 42296". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 March 1961. p. 1799.
  5. ↑ "No. 42380". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 June 1961. p. 4275.
  6. ↑ "No. 44493". The London Gazette (10th supplement). 29 December 1967. p. 75.
  7. ↑ "Veteran MP announces retirement". BBC News Online . 24 November 2006.
  8. ↑ "Minister resigns over business links". BBC. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Leading Article: Keeping a watch on Michael Mates" . The Independent. 1 June 1993. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Goodwin, Stephen (29 June 1993). "Inside Parliament: An emotional and bizarre performance: Former minister clashes with Speaker in resignation speech". Independent. United Kingdom. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "Asil Nadir jailed for 10 years for Polly Peck thefts". BBC. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  12. ↑ "Crick on Politics – Michael Mates Flies the Oldie Flag". 6 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  13. ↑ "Asil Nadir convicted of £29m Polly Peck thefts". BBC News. 22 August 2012.
  14. ↑ Bowers, Simon; Syal, Rajeev (22 August 2012). "Asil Nadir, Serious Fraud Office, Crime – UK (News), UK news, Cyprus (News), Law". The Guardian. London.
  15. ↑ "Mates' conscience is clear over Nadir". Daily Echo. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  16. ↑ Bowers, Simon; Syal, Rajeev (22 August 2012). "Asil Nadir, Serious Fraud Office, Crime – UK (News), UK news, Cyprus (News), Law". The Guardian. London.
  17. ↑ "Mates set to make over £100,000 from Dolphin Square windfall". Channel 4. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  18. ↑ "Hampshire police candidate Michael Mates 'should withdraw'". BBC News website. 7 September 2012.
  19. ↑ "Police electoral poll fraud probe into Tory candidate for police commissioner post". Daily Mirror . 8 November 2012. Archived from the original on 17 September 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  20. ↑ "Michael Mates Election statement". Archived from the original on 26 November 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  21. ↑ Mulholland, Helene (16 November 2012). "Michael Mates investigated over Gypsy comment in PCC election statement". The Guardian. London.
  22. ↑ Milmo, Cahal (14 November 2012). "Hampshire police commissioner voters unlikely to find out if Conservative candidate Michael Mates committed electoral fraud until after election" . The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022.
  23. ↑ "CPS apologises to Michael Mates over PCC election claims". BBC. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  24. ↑ "Power Players: Michael Mates". projects.icij.org. International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. 3 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  25. ↑ "Changes to the Register of Members' Interests Michael Mates". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  26. ↑ ITV News
  27. ↑ "Former Defence Minister performs Flanders & Swann for charity". Evening Standard. London. 8 November 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  28. ↑ "Haslemere Festival: An evening of cabaret with Mates and Godfree". Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2016.

Audio clips

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Petersfield
Oct 1974–1983 		Constituency abolished
See East Hampshire
New constituency
before: Petersfield
Member of Parliament for East Hampshire
1983 – 2010 		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.