James Brokenshire

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The Right Honourable
James Brokenshire
MP
James Brokenshire 2015.jpg
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Assumed office
14 July 2016
Prime Minister Theresa May
Preceded by Theresa Villiers
Minister for Security and Immigration
In office
8 February 2014 – 14 July 2016
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by Himself (Security)
Mark Harper (Immigration)
Succeeded by Robert Goodwill
Under Secretary of State for Crime and Security
In office
11 May 2011 – 8 February 2014
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by The Baroness Neville-Jones
Succeeded by Himself (Security and Immigration)
Member of Parliament
for Old Bexley and Sidcup
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded by Derek Conway
Majority 15,857 (34.9%)
Member of Parliament
for Hornchurch
In office
5 May 2005 – 6 May 2010
Preceded by John Cryer
Succeeded by Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born James Peter Brokenshire
(1968-01-07) 7 January 1968 (age 49)
Southend-on-Sea, England
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Cathrine Mamelok (1999–present)
Children 3
Alma mater University of Exeter
London Guildhall University
Website Official website

James Peter Brokenshire PC MP (born 7 January 1968) is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hornchurch from 2005 until the constituency's abolition under renewed boundaries at the 2010 general election. At this election, he was elected to the seat of Old Bexley and Sidcup. He has previously served as Minister for Security and Immigration at the Home Office, that grants him a seat on the National Security Council. He currently serves as the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, Brokenshire studied A-levels at Cambridge Centre for Sixth-form Studies and later law at the University of Exeter before beginning work with a large international law firm. Deciding on a career in politics, he stood successfully as the Conservative candidate for the parliamentary constituency of Hornchurch in the 2005 general election. When his constituency was abolished in the boundary changes, he sought out another constituency to represent, failing to be selected in six constituencies until being selected for Old Bexley and Sidcup. He was elected MP for the area in 2010, on a campaign devoted to preventing the closure of accident and emergency services at Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, a policy on which he was unsuccessful.

In the frontbench team of Prime Minister David Cameron, he was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary for Crime Reduction, although in May 2011 was transferred to the position of Parliamentary Under Secretary for Crime and Security. In these two positions he oversaw the closure and privatisation of the Forensic Science Service and championed the Modern Slavery Bill. In February 2014, he was appointed Minister for Security and Immigration. In July 2016, under Theresa May's new cabinet, he was appointed the Northern Ireland Secretary.[1]

Early life and career[edit]

Brokenshire was born on 8 January 1968,[2] in the town of Southend-on-Sea, Essex.[3] He was educated at Davenant Foundation Grammar School in Loughton and then at the Cambridge Centre for Sixth-form Studies.[3] He went on to gain a degree in law at the University of Exeter.[3]

Brokenshire subsequently worked as a partner at international law firm Jones Day. In this position, he advised companies, businesses, and financial institutions on company law, mergers, acquisitions, and corporate finance transactions.[3][4]

Political career[edit]

Member of Parliament for Hornchurch[edit]

He was first elected at the 2005 general election to the parliamentary constituency of Hornchurch, defeating the Labour candidate and incumbent member John Cryer by 480 votes.[citation needed] The election itself resulted in a third successive term for Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Labour government. From 2005-06, Brokenshire was a member of the House of Commons Constitutional Affairs Select Committee.[3] From 2006-10 he then served as the Shadow Minister for Crime Reduction.[3]

Brokenshire was aware that his constituency, Hornchurch, was to be dissolved for the next election. In November 2006, he applied for selection as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Witham in Essex, but he was defeated by Priti Patel.[5] He simultaneously campaigned to be selected as Conservative candidate for the constituency of Hornchurch and Upminster, but in March 2007 was defeated there by Angela Watkinson.[6]

He next stood for Gillingham and Rainham in July 2007, Grantham and Stamford in October 2007, North East Cambridgeshire in January 2008, and Maidstone and The Weald later that same month. He was unsuccessful in all of these attempts.[7]

Member of Parliament for Old Bexley and Sidcup[edit]

Old Bexley and Sidcup in Greater London.

Derek Conway, the member for the Conservative safe seat of Old Bexley and Sidcup in southeast London, was embroiled in an expenses scandal and forced to resign, after which Brokenshire put his name forward as a potential replacement. His competitors for the seat were Rebecca Harris, Katie Lindsay, and Julia Manning,[8] and he was successful in gaining the selection for the seat in June 2008.[9] This was the seventh seat he applied to be a candidate for ahead of the 2010 election. As a result, he was accused of being a "serial carpetbagger" by a local single issue party, Independents to Save Queen Mary's Hospital.[7]

In the May 2010 general election, Brokenshire was elected for Old Bexley and Sidcup with 24,625 votes (53.93%), beating the Labour candidate Rick Everitt, in second place with 8,768 votes (19.21%). Voter turnout was 69.13%.[2][10] Upon victory, Brokenshire announced that as per his pre-election pledges, his priority would be to prevent the proposed closure of accident and emergency services at local Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup.[10] The hospital's A&E department was closed in November of the same year.[11]

Parliamentary Under Secretary for Crime Reduction[edit]

With no party gaining an overall majority in the House of Commons, the election resulted in the formation of a coalition government consisting of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties, led by Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron. The new government appointed Brokenshire as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Crime Reduction in the Home Office.[3] One of his first moves was to initiate the closing of the United Kingdom's Forensic Science Service; it had been making operational losses of £2 million a month, and was predicted to go into administration in early 2011. Brokenshire stated his desire that there would be "no continuing state interest in a forensics provider by March 2012", with the service's role being taken on by private enterprise. Critics asserted that this move would result in the loss of hundreds of jobs and the degradation of forensic research and criminal justice, with an MPs enquiry chaired by Labour MP Andrew Miller criticising the manner in which the closure had been overseen.[12][13][14]

In August 2010, Brokenshire called for the government to adopt a new approach to the war on drugs in Britain; he argued that they should focus on getting addicts off drugs, rather than minimising the effects of drug use, as the preceding Labour government had focused on.[15]

Parliamentary Under Secretary for Crime and Security[edit]

In May 2011, Brokenshire's Home Office brief was changed from Crime Reduction to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Crime and Security following the resignation of Baroness Neville-Jones, although he was not appointed to the more senior rank of Minister of State.[16] In this position, he was responsible for updating plans to tackle terror content online. A move seen as controversial by broadband companies and freedom of speech groups.[17]

In the buildup to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he stated his belief that the games would be a "great success", largely due to the government's security measures. He also commented that "I think it will bring Bexley together and the torch relay will be a fantastic event for the community ... I'm quite sure it will have a lasting impression."[18]

In October 2013, Brokenshire published a draft of a proposed Modern Slavery Bill,[19] designed to tackle slavery in the UK He was quoted as saying that the Bill will "send the strongest possible message to criminals that if you are involved in this disgusting trade in human beings, you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted and you will be locked up."[20] Experts in the issue were sceptical of the Bill, believing that it had many shortcomings and was designed largely to enhance Theresa May's career.[21] The bill was subsequently enacted as the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

In January 2014, Brokenshire called on National Rail to improve its services, after statistics were published revealing that rail services across Bexley Borough had worsened throughout 2013.[22]

Minister of State for Security and Immigration[edit]

Brokenshire assumed the enlarged role of Minister for Security and Immigration on 8 February 2014 following the resignation of Mark Harper.[23]

Northern Ireland Secretary[edit]

In July 2016, under Theresa May's new cabinet, he was appointed the Northern Ireland Secretary.[1] On 16 January 2017, the Northern Ireland Executive collapsed following the resignation of Martin McGuinness as deputy First Minister one week earlier, and the refusal of Sinn Féin to nominate a successor. Brokenshire, as Northern Ireland Secretary, has temporarily assumed the powers of the Executive and called for snap elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly, scheduled for 2 March 2017.[24]

Brokenshire's comments in the Sunday Telegraph of 28 January 2017 sparked consternation and outrage in Northern Ireland:

"Writing in the Telegraph, James Brokenshire, the Northern Ireland Secretary, concedes there is an apparent “imbalance” that has led to a “disproportionate” focus on criminal inquiries involving former soldiers. “I am clear the current system is not working and we are in danger of seeing the past rewritten,” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/28/must-not-allow-past-rewritten-northern-ireland/

Recently retired SDLP MLA Alban Maginness retorted that:

"There is a clear intention on his part to be seen as a firmly pro-DUP Secretary of State. If he does not make some effort to be a neutral British Government representative, then he will find himself hopelessly entrapped in the mess himself.It is scarcely surprising that the collapse of Stormont happened on his watch and he cannot not regard himself as blameless in that regard. Stoking DUP paranoia and feeding the erroneous view that dealing with the past is "disproportionately focused on the police and the Army" is very foolish indeed."[1]

The actions of the Army and the RUC will necessarily be integral to the process of investigating the past. This is as unavoidable, as will be the investigation of the Provisional IRA and the loyalist paramilitary actions. Those in the Army who have allegedly committed crimes will be tried and, if found guilty, will be properly sentenced for those offences. That is called "due process" and no soldier or police officer can be immune from that, in the same way as no IRA man or UVF man can be immune from justice. [2]

Considering Brokenshire's comments extraordinary, the political blog Slugger O'Toole asked "is he accusing the Lord Chief Justice and the prosecutorial authorities of “ imbalance” too?" [3], while Lady Hermon asked Brokenshire to "take this opportunity to put on the record his full confidence in the independence and integrity of the Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan, and indeed the DPP? (Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland)" [4]. Sir Declan had earlier criticised Brokenshire for refusing funding for cases and thereby adding to case backlogs[5] when family members of eleven civilians shot dead by British forces in 1971 (see Ballymurphy massacre) were refused funding by Brokenshire [6].

Brian Feeney in The Irish News accused Brokenshire of "ineptitude ... [though] no one would give him the credit of even being aware of the coincidence of the date he chose, when British soldiers killed most innocent victims in Ireland." (seeBloody Sunday (1972))[7], while the pro-unionist Belfast Telegraph editoral accused the minister of "playing a dangerous game":

"The Secretary of State ... has created further controversy around an already contentious subject. It is an unusual move and by doing so, he has opened himself up to allegations that he is taking sides. He has also put at risk the impartiality with which Secretaries of State are expected to deal with Northern Ireland affairs." [8]

Speculating on the reasons for the article in the first place, political blog Slugger O'Toole opined "courting DUP support in potentially tight Brexit votes" as "plausible but unlikely", given "The Conservatives have those votes in the bag":

"More likely is that as Mrs May’s former understudy at the Home Office he is still more affected by a read- across to Northern Ireland of English Conservative anger about “our boys” being prosecuted over-officiously over Iraq than about our legacy on its merits. Coupling the two theatres of Iraq and Northern Ireland does no service to the cause of justice for soldiers who served in either." [9]

"Despite all his access to people and information it shows what a bubble he lives in and what his real priorities are. Theresa May herself has form in criticising the judiciary. So, probably the most inept single intervention of 18 here- today gone- tomorrow secretaries of state in 44 years." [10]

Personal life[edit]

Brokenshire married Cathrine Anne Mamelok in 1999.[25] They have two daughters and a son.[3]

He has expressed support for the charity Cancer Research UK and in March 2013 publicly backed their Cell Slider website, calling on all of his constituents to get involved in the initiative.[26]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "James Brokenshire appointed Northern Ireland Secretary - PM's office". Reuters. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016. 
  2. ^ a b "James Brokenshire MP". BBC News. 2013. Archived from the original on 21 January 2014. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "James Brokenshire". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 21 January 2014. 
  4. ^ his Who's who entry says "Solicitor with Jones Day Gouldens, 1991–2005"
  5. ^ Carlin, Brendan (22 November 2006). "Tories pick British-Asian woman in safe seat". London, UK: The Telegraph. 
  6. ^ "Conservative Home". conservativehome.blogs.com. 
  7. ^ a b "James Brokenshire – SERIAL CARPETBAGGER". Independents to Save Queen Mary's Hospital. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. 
  8. ^ "The four finalists for Old Bexley and Sidcup". ConservativeHome. 29 June 2008. Archived from the original on 21 January 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014. 
  9. ^ "James Brokenshire MP selected for Old Bexley & Sidcup". ConservativeHome. 1 July 2008. Archived from the original on 21 January 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2010. 
  10. ^ a b Piper, Linda (7 May 2010). "VOTE 2010: Brokenshire wins Old Bexley & Sidcup". Newshopper. 
  11. ^ "Hospital closes emergency and maternity departments". Daily Mail. Retrieved 12 July 2016. 
  12. ^ "Forensic Science Service to be wound up with hundreds of jobs lost". The Guardian. 14 December 2014. 
  13. ^ Johnson, Wesley (14 December 2010). "Forensic science service to be wound up". The Independent. London. 
  14. ^ Rincon, Paul (4 July 2011). "Forensic Science Service closure plan criticised by MPs". BBC News. 
  15. ^ "We need to be more ambitious in the war on drugs, says minister". The Guardian. 23 August 2010. 
  16. ^ Johnson, Wesley (12 May 2011). "James Brokenshire takes on security role". Independent. London. Retrieved 12 May 2010. 
  17. ^ Juliette Garside, telecommunications correspondent. "Ministers will order ISPs to block terrorist and extremist websites | UK news". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2017. 
  18. ^ "'Olympics will be a Success' says Old Bexley and Sidcup MP James Brokenshire". Newshopper. 19 December 2011. 
  19. ^ Draft Modern Slavery Bill – Joint Select Committee information on UK Parliament website and text of draft bill.
  20. ^ Wood, Helois (18 October 2013). "Old Bexley and Sidcup MP James Brokenshire announces plans to help end human trafficking". Newshopper. 
  21. ^ Dugan, Emily (14 December 2013). "Government's Modern Slavery Bill will 'fail victims and spare criminals'". The Independent. London. 
  22. ^ Wood, Heloise (14 January 2014). "Old Bexley and Sidcup MP calls for Network Rail to make improvements". Newshopper. 
  23. ^ "Details of ministerial appointments announced - News stories". GOV.UK. 8 February 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2017. 
  24. ^ "Elections to be held in NI on 2 March". BBC News. 16 January 2017. 
  25. ^ Marriage – information from Who's who.
  26. ^ MacFarlane, Tim (17 March 2013). "Brokenshire backs Cancer Research UK's Cell Slider website". Newshopper. 

External links[edit]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
John Cryer		 Member of Parliament
for Hornchurch
2005–2010		 Constituency abolished
Preceded by
Derek Conway		 Member of Parliament
for Old Bexley and Sidcup
2010–present		 Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Theresa Villiers		 Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
2016–present		 Incumbent
Preceded by
Arlene Foster		 First Minister of Northern Ireland
Acting
2017–present
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Brokenshire&oldid=763292223"