Nick de Bois

Last updated

Helen Seaman
​
(m. 2009)​
Nick de Bois
CBE
Nickdebois.jpg
Special adviser and chief of staff to the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
In office
9 July 2018 –15 November 2018
Children4

Geoffrey Nicholas de Bois [4] CBE (born 23 February 1959) is a British broadcaster and former Conservative Party politician, who served as special adviser and chief of staff to Dominic Raab during his brief tenure as Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. [5] He was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Enfield North, defeating the Labour incumbent MP Joan Ryan. [6] de Bois then went on to lose the seat to Ryan at the next general election, in May 2015.

Contents

Early life

Educated at the private Culford School, de Bois has a Higher National Diploma (HND) in business studies from Cambridge College of Arts and Technology [7] and is a fan of Liverpool Football Club. He was managing director of Rapiergroup, a marketing communications company, where he began work in the mid-1980s, after a brief spell in Public Relations with the Advertising Standards Authority. [8]

Parliamentary career

De Bois had contested the Enfield North constituency in the 2001 and the 2005 general elections, taking second place to Joan Ryan on both occasions. He also stood unsuccessfully for Stalybridge and Hyde in 1997.

Following his election as the MP for Enfield North in 2010, with a majority of 1,692, de Bois served on the Public Administration Committee from 2010 to 2011, and the Justice Committee from 2011 onwards. In 2012 he was elected by his fellow Conservative MPs as Secretary of the 1922 Committee of backbenchers, which regularly meets with senior party figures advising them on the views of Conservative MPs. [9]

Knife crime

Following a significant increase in knife crime in his constituency, [10] de Bois championed an amendment to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 then going through Parliament, to extend the proposed mandatory prison sentences for those who use a knife to threaten or endanger life, to include people aged under 18. [11]

In his campaign, de Bois wrote to the Prime Minister David Cameron and the Attorney General Dominic Grieve, seeking their support. [12] [13] and teamed up with a local newspaper, the Enfield Independent , [14] to collected signatures for a petition supporting the amendment, to be presented to Parliament. [15] The amendment ultimately passed after winning the support of a large number of both Labour and Conservative MPs. [11]

In 2015 the second part of this so-called 'Enfield's Law' came into force, meaning adults caught carrying a knife for the second time in public would face an automatic jail sentence of six months, and 16- and 17-year-olds four months. [16]

2011 riots in Enfield

On Sunday 7 August 2011, a number of violent disturbances erupted in the centre of de Bois' constituency, [17] which culminated in looting and arson at the large Sony Distribution Centre in Solar Way, Enfield Lock. De Bois discussed personally witnessing the violence in Enfield in a House of Commons speech. [18]

De Bois paid tribute to the actions of the local police force in Enfield but called for a rethink of police tactics to allow the use of water cannons, and suggested that schools should help to identify the rioters based on video footage. [18] He publicly supported the Prime Minister's statement that if the police required them, they could have water cannons at 24 hours' notice. [19]

Following a report from Oxford University released four years after the riots, de Bois criticised the findings and reiterated his view that the rioters he encountered showed a lack of respect for his constituents, for property and for the police. [20]

Local activity

Chase Farm Hospital

De Bois led the Hands Off Our Hospital campaign against changes to services at Chase Farm Hospital, Enfield, since 2004. Under the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey (BEH) Clinical Strategy, Chase Farm was set to have its services "reconfigured", with its 24-hour A&E department replaced with a 12-hour Urgent Care Centre and its consultant-led maternity unit replaced with a midwife-led unit.

The issue of cuts to Chase Farm was a key local issue in Enfield North constituency at the 2010 general election. Following the election in May, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley visited Chase Farm to call a halt to all hospital reconfiguration plans, saying they could only proceed if the plans passed the four tests he had set down. [21] Since this announcement, NHS London and NHS Enfield have stated, following a review, that they believe the four tests have been met. De Bois said this was an attempt to "bully residents into accepting the changes". [22]

De Bois stated in the House of Commons that he believes the cuts to Chase Farm "will cost lives", [23] which drew criticism from a Haringey GP who supports the changes. [24]

Nick de Bois led a deputation to the Health Secretary on 7 March 2011, [25] along with Enfield's two other MPs David Burrowes and Andy Love, and the leader of Enfield council and other councillors. He raised the issue of Chase Farm directly with David Cameron at Prime Minister's Questions. [26] Despite these campaigns the Government announced in late 2011 that the hospital would lose many of its key services. [27]

On his website, de Bois still argues that Chase Farm should have a 24-hour A&E unit and consultant-led maternity services. [28] Following a campaign with neighbouring MP David Burrowes, de Bois welcomed the announcement of new extended hours at Chase Farm's care centre and pledged to continue supporting better out of hours access to urgent care. [29]

On 12 March 2015 de Bois welcomed the unanimous decision to demolish the crumbling buildings on the site and replace it with a new hospital, a new primary school and a new housing development, as suggested by Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust who run Chase Farm. De Bois said the plans would improve local healthcare and disproved claims by his political opponents that Chase Farm was set to close. [30]

Enfield Jobs Fair

In 2011 de Bois organised a jobs fair for Enfield to help combat unemployment in his constituency, which stood at an above average 6.6%. [31] According to de Bois the expected attendance was between 150 and 300 people, but more than 1,200 attended. [32] He promised that the jobs fair would not be a one-off, but that regular work clubs would be set up as a consequence and another mass event planned within a year. [32]

The following year Mayor of London Boris Johnson opened the Jobs Fair, with de Bois reporting that over 1,600 jobseekers and more than 40 employers were in attendance. [33]

In October 2014 the Enfield Over 50s Jobs Forum was launched by de Bois to help older people in his constituency back into work. [34] He promised his next Jobs Fair would feature a special centre for over 50s offering advice from experts on job hunting, CV preparation and other employment assistance. [35]

The MP then held his fourth jobs fair on 26 February 2015, stating he was very proud to have established a regular and successful jobs fair which had seen a reduction in youth unemployment by nearly 50 per cent and overall unemployment down by 42 per cent in his constituency. [36] De Bois won praise for his efforts from colleagues in Parliament. [37]

Expenses

Before the 2010 general election, de Bois promised to publish his expenses as an MP on his website every month if he were elected. They were placed on his website accordingly.

Books by Nick de Bois Confessions of a Recovering MP (2018) & Fatal Ambition, a thriller, ( 2021)

In January 2018, de Bois' first book, Confessions of a Recovering MP, was published by Biteback Publishing.

Broadcasting

In 2019, de Bois began working as a stand-in presenter on talkRADIO, a role which he continued throughout 2020. [38] From 2021-May 2022 he was a full-time weekend presenter. [39]

De Bois was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to tourism and the economy as chair of the VisitEngland Advisory Board. [40]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheffield Hallam (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885 onwards

Sheffield Hallam is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Olivia Blake of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Twigg</span> British Labour Co-op politician

Stephen Twigg is a British Labour Co-op politician who has served as the 8th Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association since August 2020. He served as Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate from 1997 to 2005, and for Liverpool West Derby from 2010 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Gale</span> British Conservative politician

Sir Roger James Gale is a British Conservative politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Thanet since 1983. He had a career in journalism and broadcasting from 1964, around the same time as he joined the Conservative Party, until 1983. He was a prominent and vocal critic of Boris Johnson during his leadership of the Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Wiggin</span> British Conservative politician

Sir William David Wiggin is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Herefordshire, previously Leominster, since 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Ryan (politician)</span> British Independent politician

Joan Marie Ryan is a British former politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Enfield North from 1997 to 2010 and from 2015 to 2019. She was first elected as a Labour Party MP but later defected to join Change UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gareth Thomas (British politician)</span> British Labour politician

Gareth Richard Thomas is a British Labour politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Harrow West from 1997 to 2024. He is currently Shadow Minister for Trade on the Opposition frontbench. Thomas served as Minister of State for International Development and Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Consumer Affairs between 2008 and 2010. He was the Chair of the Co-operative Party from 2001 until 2019, and stands for election as a Labour and Co-operative candidate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Bexley and Sidcup (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Old Bexley and Sidcup is a constituency in Greater London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 1983 creation. Its first Member of Parliament (MP) was former Prime Minister Edward Heath, who previously represented Bexley (1950–1974) and Sidcup (1974–1983). The seat has been held since a 2021 by-election by Louie French of the Conservative Party, following the death of incumbent James Brokenshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penrith and The Border (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1950-2024

Penrith and The Border was a constituency in Cumbria represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It elected only members of the Conservative Party since its creation in 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlesbrough (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1974 onwards

Middlesbrough was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, recreated in 1974, and represented since 2012 in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Andy McDonald of the Labour Party. An earlier version of the seat existed between 1868 and 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walsall South (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1955 onwards

Walsall South was a constituency in the West Midlands in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was represented since 1974 until abolition by members of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmonton (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918-2024

Edmonton was a constituency in Greater London, created in 1918 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2015 until its abolition for the 2024 general election by Kate Osamor, who was elected for the Labour and Co-operative party; she briefly lost the Labour whip between January and May 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enfield North (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1974 onwards

Enfield North is a peripheral Greater London constituency created in 1974 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Feryal Clark of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kensington and Chelsea (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1997–2010

Kensington and Chelsea was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom 1997–2010. It was one of the safest Conservative seats in the United Kingdom, and since its creation in 1997 became a prestigious seat, with MP Alan Clark, the former Defence Secretary Michael Portillo and the former Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind all holding the seat for the Conservatives. The seat was abolished for the 2010 election, when the 1974–1997 Kensington constituency was recreated and Chelsea formed a new constituency together with the southern part of the former Hammersmith and Fulham constituency, called the Chelsea and Fulham constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Hammond</span> British politician (born 1962)

Stephen William Hammond is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wimbledon from 2005 to 2024. He is a member of the Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 United Kingdom general election</span> General election in the United Kingdom

The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, to elect Members of Parliament to the House of Commons. The election took place in 650 constituencies across the United Kingdom under the first-past-the-post system. The election resulted in a large swing to the Conservative Party similar to that seen in 1979, the last time a Conservative opposition had ousted a Labour government. The Labour Party lost the 66-seat majority it had previously enjoyed, but no party achieved the 326 seats needed for a majority. The Conservatives, led by David Cameron, won the most votes and seats, but still fell 20 seats short. This resulted in a hung parliament where no party was able to command a majority in the House of Commons. This was only the second general election since the Second World War to return a hung parliament, the first being the February 1974 election. This election marked the start of Conservative government for the next 14 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Burrowes</span> British politician

David John Barrington Burrowes is a British politician. He was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate from 2005 to 2017, is the co-founder of the Conservative Christian Fellowship. He has been the Chairman of the Equity Release Council since 2017

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Hollobone</span> British politician

Philip Thomas Hollobone is a British Conservative Party politician and former investment banker. He has been the Member of Parliament for Kettering since the 2005 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clacton (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2010 onwards

Clacton is a constituency in Essex represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Giles Watling of the Conservative Party. It is centred on the seaside town of Clacton, hence its name.

David Taylor Nuttall is a former British Conservative Party politician. He is a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Bury North, having won his seat in the House of Commons at the 2010 general election. He lost his seat to Labour's James Frith at the 2017 general election.

References

  1. ↑ "Nick de Bois quits EIB as he joins Raab's Brexit team - Conference News". Conference-news.co.uk.
  2. ↑ "Nick de Bois MP". BBC Democracy Live. BBC. Archived from the original on 7 June 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  3. ↑ "de Bois, Geoffrey Nicholas, (Nick)". De Bois, Geoffrey Nicholas, (Nick), (Born 23 Feb. 1959). Who's Who. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2010. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U251104.
  4. ↑ "Nick de Bois profile" . Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  5. ↑ "Theresa May's new Brexit chief called to turn 'back the clock' on workers' rights".
  6. ↑ "Election 2010: Enfield North Results". Guardian.co.uk. London. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  7. ↑ "Conservative Website – Biography". Conservative Website. Archived from the original on 11 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  8. ↑ "Nick de Bois Interview". Event Magazine. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  9. ↑ "New faces elected on to influential Conservative 1922 committee". BBC. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "Huge Rise in Knife Crime As Victims Keep Quiet". Enfield Advertiser. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  11. 1 2 "Knife crime: MPs back mandatory jail term for second offence". BBC. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "Nick Writes to PM on Knife Crime". Office of Nick de Bois MP. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  13. ↑ "MPs Nick de Bois and David Burrowes write to Attorney General over Don't Carry Don't Kill campaign". Enfield Independent. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  14. ↑ "Don't Carry, Don't Kill Campaign Launches Petition with Nick de Bois". Enfield Independent. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  15. ↑ "Knife Crime Petition" (PDF). Office of Nick de Bois MP. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  16. ↑ "Enfield MPs Nick de Bois and David Burrowes' knife crime bill becomes law". Enfield Independent. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  17. ↑ "Violence in Enfield Town". Office of Nick de Bois MP. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  18. 1 2 "Public Disorder". They Work For You. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  19. ↑ "PM: Police will get what they need". PoliticsHome. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  20. ↑ "Rioters more likely to claim 'lack of respect' from police, says research". Telegraph. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  21. ↑ "Health secretary scraps Chase Farm cuts - for now". Enfield Independent. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  22. ↑ "northlondon-today.co.uk". Northlondon-today.co.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  23. ↑ "Chase Farm cuts will cost lives says Nick". Nickdebois.com. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  24. ↑ "GP hits back at MP's claims". from Enfield Independent. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  25. ↑ "Nick to lead Chase Farm deputation". Nickdebois.com. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  26. ↑ "Chase Farm raised at PMQs". Nickdebois.com. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  27. ↑ Campbell, Denis (12 September 2011). "Chase Farm hospital loses key services despite David Cameron's pledge". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  28. ↑ "Chase Farm Hospital". Nickdebois.com. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  29. ↑ "Extension granted for urgent care centre opening hours". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  30. ↑ "Hospital redevelopment to go ahead". Enfield Advertiser. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  31. ↑ "Enfield Unemployment Levels" (PDF). Enfield Observatory. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
  32. 1 2 "More Than 1,000 Flock to Enfield Jobs Fair". Enfield Independent. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
  33. ↑ "Boris Johnson to open Enfield Jobs Fair next month". Enfield Independent.
  34. ↑ "Welcome to the Enfield Over 50s Jobs Forum". Enfield Over 50s Jobs Forum. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  35. ↑ "MP Nick de Bois welcomes fall in joblessness among over 50s". Enfield Independent. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  36. ↑ "Enfield North MP Nick de Bois proud of 'biggest' fourth annual jobs fair". Enfield Independent. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  37. ↑ "Oral Answers to Questions – WORK AND PENSIONS". Hansard. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  38. ↑ @nickdebois (27 June 2020). "Join me @ 5pm with guests @MPIainDS @DavidHenigUK @BrexitStewart @JohnRentoul @ScottLucas_EA on police response to…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  39. ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-de-bois-231b13b6/ [ self-published source ]
  40. ↑ "No. 63714". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 June 2022. p. B9.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Enfield North
2010–2015 		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.