Andrew Mitchell
Encyclopedia
The Right Honourable Andrew John Bower Mitchell MP
(born 23 March 1956) is a British Conservative Party
politician and the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Sutton Coldfield
. He was appointed as Secretary of State for International Development
on 12 May 2010, and as a Privy Counsellor
on 13 May 2010.
A former UN peacekeeper, he has extensive pre-government experience of the developing world, and is the founder of Project Umubano, a Conservative Party social action project in Rwanda
and Sierra Leone
in central and west Africa, launched in 2007.
A former President of the Cambridge Union and Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party, he became Secretary of State for International Development in 2010. Both in Opposition and Government, he has repeatedly asserted the need for full transparency and value for money in British aid contributions to the developing world, with resources concentrated on the world's poorest and most troubled countries. Those judged now able to support their own citizens, such as Russia
, China
, Serbia
, Bosnia and Croatia
, will no longer be eligible to receive aid. He has made the commitment to reach the UN target to spend 0.7 per cent of UK GNI on aid to the developing world by 2013.
in north London, and is the son of David Mitchell
, a former Conservative MP and junior Government minister.
, an independent school
in the market town
of Rugby
in Warwickshire
. After a short-service commission in the Royal Tank Regiment
, he went up to Cambridge University
, where he studied History at Jesus College
. He was Chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association
in the Michaelmas Term of 1977, and the President of the Cambridge Union in 1978.
during the 1970s, and went on to work and travel extensively in Africa and Asia. He served in the Royal Tank Regiment
of the British Army before joining Lazard
, one of the world's largest investment banks, where he worked with British companies seeking large-scale overseas contracts. He is a Trustee of the E.M. Radiation Research Trust, which conducts research into radiation emissions, from sites such as mobile phone masts. He was also a Senior Strategy Advisor for Accenture
, the management consultancy and technology outsourcing company.
Mitchell entered Parliament at 31 years old, as the MP for Gedling
, in Nottinghamshire, between 1987 and 1997, serving in the Commons at the same time as his father. In 1988, under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
, he became PPS to William Waldegrave
, who was Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 1990, he became PPS to John Wakeham, who was Secretary of State for Energy. In 1992, under John Major
, he became Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party, and in the same year was appointed as an Assistant Government Whip. In 1993, he became a Government Whip. In 1995, he became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Social Security, a position he held until 1997.
Mitchell lost his Commons seat in Tony Blair
's Labour 'landslide' election of 1997, but in 2001, returned to Parliament as the MP for Sutton Coldfield
, in Birmingham. He held no shadow ministerial or organisational position under the leadership of Iain Duncan Smith
, but in 2003, in the first month of the new leadership of Michael Howard
, he became Shadow Minister of State for Economic Affairs, and in 2004, the Shadow Minister of State for Home Affairs, in which his primary brief was police matters.
as Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. After Howard's decision to stand down as leader following the 2005 General Election defeat, Mitchell ran the unsuccessful leadership campaign of David Davis, but retained his Shadow Cabinet position under the newly-elected Conservative leader, David Cameron
.
at the Department for International Development
(DfID).
Since the election, he has continued to travel to countries urgently in need of aid. He visited Pakistan
during the floods in 2010, travelling across the country to meet flood victims and aid workers, pledged a substantial increase in Britain's aid contribution, and returned the following year, to see for himself the recovery efforts achieved, the many severe challenges the country still faced, and the uses to which Britain's increased aid had been put. He has also visited Haiti
(in the Caribbean), to investigate the effects of the earthquake, followed by Somalia
(in East Africa) to try to ameliorate some of the worst effects of the famine, and Libya
(in North Africa) in 2011, to help ensure that the international provision of food and fuel supplies was increased after the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi. He also spoke to the United Nations General Assembly in 2010 to press the case for much greater support for the developing world, strongly criticised the developed world for failing in its responsibilities towards it, and announced that Britain would double its aid contribution to Pakistan.
During the ongoing battle of Tripoli, Mitchell said that the UK had learned from Iraq
and had laid the groundwork for a post-Gaddafi Libya. While emphasising that the transition should be Libyan-led, he said that Libya's allies had outlined steps to ensure a smooth transition. He added:"We have made clear that there should be no revenge attacks", and that "Libyans have to work together for a new Libya. They should keep in place the sinews of security. The National Transitional Council
(NTC) in Benghazi
has good informal connections with security officials in Tripoli
and has told them: 'You've got a job, please help us keep stability'." He added that "Divisions between the rebels groups are overstated. The way the National Transitional Council has reached out gives us some confidence."
, Ghana
, Ethiopia
, Chad
, Eritrea
, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
, Rwanda
, Kenya
, Thailand
, Cambodia
and Burma (The Republic of the Union of Myanmar). In many of these places, he created video reports detailing local conditions and some of the NGO projects aimed at ameliorating them. Whilst in Burma, Mitchell challenged its Government by raising evidence of systematic human rights abuses in the country, and its continued imprisonment of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
. He also emphasised the need to provide rapid and substantial aid to the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
.
for three consecutive summers, from 2007 to 2009, as part of Project Umubano, and kept a detailed diary of their activities and experiences. The volunteers focussed on five areas: health, education, justice, the private sector, and a community centre construction project. In 2008, Mitchell himself taught English to over a thousand Rwandan primary school teachers.
to conduct a review of the UK's response to international humanitarian disasters, such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, to see whether lessons can be learned from them.
However, once in government Mitchell appeared to have changed his views on the closure of the courthouse after a decision was taken to close it December 2010, although it is not clear that he necessarily did so, as his public statement did not actually endorse the decision that had been taken. He was quoted as saying: "We must now ensure that there's a widespread local discussion about the future of the site and the building. I know that our councillors are already looking at how best we can do this".
, Mitchell voted in the House of Commons for the restoration of the death penalty, which measure was defeated 383–186. Between 2001 and 2010, as MP for Sutton Coldfield
, his House of Commons voting record shows that he voted for: limiting climate change, Civil Partnerships for gay couples, greater autonomy for schools, a UK Referendum on the EU Lisbon Treaty, the replacement of Trident, the invasion of Iraq and the subsequent Iraq investigation, and limiting pollution from civil aviation. During the same period, he voted against: ID cards, the closure of Post Offices, both 42 days' and 90 days' detention without charge or trial, the DNA database, closer EU integration, the relaxation of gambling laws, Section 28
(although in 1988 he had voted in favour), employment discrimination against gay people, the legalisation of recreational drugs, a fully elected House of Lords and a ban on fox hunting. He was ranked by the Liberal Democrat Voice (connected to, but not part of, the Liberal Democrat Party) as one of the least authoritarian members of Parliament, scoring 3 out of 100 points for his votes between 2005 - 2010., with a joint ranking of 542 out of 619.
in the 2005 Conservative leadership contest
. Davis started the campaign as the widely acknowledged front runner, but delivered a speech to that year's Conservative Party Conference which was described as "uninspiring" by his party supporters and the media. However, referring to a Conference speech by the party's former leader, Mitchell said: "William Hague made a great speech which many people will judge to be better than all the other leadership candidates put together. What that tells you is that being absolutely brilliant at being able to make a speech at conference is not the be-all-and-end-all of leadership. There are other things as well."
Although Davis attracted a sizeable vote of party members in the contest, he was defeated by his younger challenger, David Cameron
. Despite Davis's defeat, however, Mitchell retained his position in Cameron's new Shadow Cabinet.
, which had been a repeated donor to Mitchell's parliamentary office and also a donor to the Conservative Party. Ghana had imposed the ban as the company was believed by the Ghanaian government to have been smuggling cocoa out of Ghana. However, when questioned on the ITV News on the 2 November about his role in the case, Mitchell pointed out that he had a duty as a member of the government to respond to the company's requests, as it was registered as a British company, and that the government had a responsibility to promote British trade. He also pointed out that he had seen no evidence that the Ghanaian government's suspicions about the company in question had been substantiated, and that the claim that he had acted improperly on behalf of a party donor was unreasonable, as the company had ceased to donate to both the Conservative Party and his parliamentary office several years earlier.
and in Islington
in north London. His wealth is estimated at £2m.
|-
|-
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(born 23 March 1956) is a British Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician and the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Sutton Coldfield is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
. He was appointed as Secretary of State for International Development
Secretary of State for International Development
In the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State for International Development is a Cabinet minister responsible for the Department for International Development and for promoting development overseas, particularly in the third world...
on 12 May 2010, and as a Privy Counsellor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
on 13 May 2010.
A former UN peacekeeper, he has extensive pre-government experience of the developing world, and is the founder of Project Umubano, a Conservative Party social action project in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
and Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
in central and west Africa, launched in 2007.
A former President of the Cambridge Union and Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party, he became Secretary of State for International Development in 2010. Both in Opposition and Government, he has repeatedly asserted the need for full transparency and value for money in British aid contributions to the developing world, with resources concentrated on the world's poorest and most troubled countries. Those judged now able to support their own citizens, such as Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Bosnia and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, will no longer be eligible to receive aid. He has made the commitment to reach the UN target to spend 0.7 per cent of UK GNI on aid to the developing world by 2013.
Early life
Andrew Mitchell was born in HampsteadHampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
in north London, and is the son of David Mitchell
David Mitchell (politician)
Sir David Bower Mitchell is a British Conservative politician who served as a Member of Parliament for over 30 years.-Education:...
, a former Conservative MP and junior Government minister.
Education
Mitchell was educated at Rugby SchoolRugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
, an independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
in the market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Rugby
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
. After a short-service commission in the Royal Tank Regiment
Royal Tank Regiment
The Royal Tank Regiment is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It was formerly known as the Tank Corps and the Royal Tank Corps. It is part of the Royal Armoured Corps and is made up of two operational regiments, the 1st Royal Tank Regiment and the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment...
, he went up to Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, where he studied History at Jesus College
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
. He was Chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association
Cambridge University Conservative Association
The Cambridge University Conservative Association is a long-established political society going back to 1921, with roots in the late nineteenth century, as a Conservative branch for students at Cambridge University in England...
in the Michaelmas Term of 1977, and the President of the Cambridge Union in 1978.
Early career
Mitchell served as a United Nations peacekeeper in CyprusCyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
during the 1970s, and went on to work and travel extensively in Africa and Asia. He served in the Royal Tank Regiment
Royal Tank Regiment
The Royal Tank Regiment is an armoured regiment of the British Army. It was formerly known as the Tank Corps and the Royal Tank Corps. It is part of the Royal Armoured Corps and is made up of two operational regiments, the 1st Royal Tank Regiment and the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment...
of the British Army before joining Lazard
Lazard
Lazard Ltd is the parent company of Lazard Group LLC, a global, independent investment bank with approximately 2,300 employees in 42 cities across 27 countries throughout Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, Central and South America...
, one of the world's largest investment banks, where he worked with British companies seeking large-scale overseas contracts. He is a Trustee of the E.M. Radiation Research Trust, which conducts research into radiation emissions, from sites such as mobile phone masts. He was also a Senior Strategy Advisor for Accenture
Accenture
Accenture plc is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company headquartered in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is the largest consulting firm in the world and is a Fortune Global 500 company. As of September 2011, the company had more than 236,000 employees across...
, the management consultancy and technology outsourcing company.
Political career
Mitchell was the only Conservative member of Islington Health Authority (IHA) in north London during the 1980s, and in that capacity, he called among other measures for the IHA to make greater use of competitive tendering in the allocation of service contracts.Mitchell entered Parliament at 31 years old, as the MP for Gedling
Gedling (UK Parliament constituency)
-Electiobs in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-See also:*List of Parliamentary constituencies in Nottinghamshire...
, in Nottinghamshire, between 1987 and 1997, serving in the Commons at the same time as his father. In 1988, under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, he became PPS to William Waldegrave
William Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill
William Arthur Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill, PC , is an English Conservative politician who served in the Cabinet from 1990 until 1997 and is a Life Member of the Tory Reform Group. He is now a life peer. Lord Waldegrave is also the Chairman of the Rhodes Trust and the Chairman of...
, who was Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 1990, he became PPS to John Wakeham, who was Secretary of State for Energy. In 1992, under John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
, he became Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party, and in the same year was appointed as an Assistant Government Whip. In 1993, he became a Government Whip. In 1995, he became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Social Security, a position he held until 1997.
Mitchell lost his Commons seat in Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
's Labour 'landslide' election of 1997, but in 2001, returned to Parliament as the MP for Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Sutton Coldfield is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
, in Birmingham. He held no shadow ministerial or organisational position under the leadership of Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
, but in 2003, in the first month of the new leadership of Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
, he became Shadow Minister of State for Economic Affairs, and in 2004, the Shadow Minister of State for Home Affairs, in which his primary brief was police matters.
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development (2005 - 2010)
In May 2005, Mitchell was appointed to the Shadow CabinetShadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
as Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. After Howard's decision to stand down as leader following the 2005 General Election defeat, Mitchell ran the unsuccessful leadership campaign of David Davis, but retained his Shadow Cabinet position under the newly-elected Conservative leader, David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
.
Secretary of State for International Development (2010 onwards)
Mitchell was re-elected at the May 2010 general election, and in the same month became the new Secretary of State for International DevelopmentSecretary of State for International Development
In the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State for International Development is a Cabinet minister responsible for the Department for International Development and for promoting development overseas, particularly in the third world...
at the Department for International Development
Department for International Development
The Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current...
(DfID).
Since the election, he has continued to travel to countries urgently in need of aid. He visited Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
during the floods in 2010, travelling across the country to meet flood victims and aid workers, pledged a substantial increase in Britain's aid contribution, and returned the following year, to see for himself the recovery efforts achieved, the many severe challenges the country still faced, and the uses to which Britain's increased aid had been put. He has also visited Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
(in the Caribbean), to investigate the effects of the earthquake, followed by Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
(in East Africa) to try to ameliorate some of the worst effects of the famine, and Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
(in North Africa) in 2011, to help ensure that the international provision of food and fuel supplies was increased after the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi. He also spoke to the United Nations General Assembly in 2010 to press the case for much greater support for the developing world, strongly criticised the developed world for failing in its responsibilities towards it, and announced that Britain would double its aid contribution to Pakistan.
During the ongoing battle of Tripoli, Mitchell said that the UK had learned from Iraq
Reconstruction of Iraq
Investment in post-2003 Iraq refers to international efforts to rebuild the infrastructure of Iraq since the Iraq War in 2003.Along with the economic reform of Iraq, international projects have been implemented to repair and upgrade Iraqi water and sewage treatment plants, electricity production,...
and had laid the groundwork for a post-Gaddafi Libya. While emphasising that the transition should be Libyan-led, he said that Libya's allies had outlined steps to ensure a smooth transition. He added:"We have made clear that there should be no revenge attacks", and that "Libyans have to work together for a new Libya. They should keep in place the sinews of security. The National Transitional Council
National Transitional Council
The National Transitional Council of Libya , sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, the Interim National Council, or the Libyan National Council,...
(NTC) in Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
has good informal connections with security officials in Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
and has told them: 'You've got a job, please help us keep stability'." He added that "Divisions between the rebels groups are overstated. The way the National Transitional Council has reached out gives us some confidence."
Direct involvement with developing world
Whilst still in Opposition, Mitchell visited countries throughout the developing world to establish in detail how aid could be most effectively and fairly delivered. He visited a number of countries in Africa and Asia containing some of the worst poverty in the world, such as Sierra LeoneSierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
, Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and Burma (The Republic of the Union of Myanmar). In many of these places, he created video reports detailing local conditions and some of the NGO projects aimed at ameliorating them. Whilst in Burma, Mitchell challenged its Government by raising evidence of systematic human rights abuses in the country, and its continued imprisonment of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi, AC is a Burmese opposition politician and the General Secretary of the National League for Democracy. In the 1990 general election, her National League for Democracy party won 59% of the national votes and 81% of the seats in Parliament. She had, however, already been detained...
. He also emphasised the need to provide rapid and substantial aid to the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
.
Project Umubano
Mitchell led large groups of Conservative volunteers from a wide range of professions, including doctors, teachers, lawyers and entrepreneurs, in social development projects in RwandaRwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
for three consecutive summers, from 2007 to 2009, as part of Project Umubano, and kept a detailed diary of their activities and experiences. The volunteers focussed on five areas: health, education, justice, the private sector, and a community centre construction project. In 2008, Mitchell himself taught English to over a thousand Rwandan primary school teachers.
BBC Gaza Appeal
Mitchell expressed support for the idea of a televised appeal for Gaza on the BBC in 2009, a subject which had aroused much controversy on both sides of the argument. He said that whilst the matter was ultimately for the BBC to decide, "We believe that they should allow the broadcast to proceed so that the British public, who have proved themselves so generous during recent emergencies in the Congo and Burma, can make their own judgement on the validity of the appeal".Praise from news presenter Jon Snow
On 1 July 2010, at the end of the Global Poverty Debate in the House of Commons, according to both the verbatim transcript of www.parliament.uk, and the full video recording of the debate at BBC Democracy Live, the Minister of State for International Development, Alan Duncan, quoted the Channel 4 news presenter and journalist Jon Snow as having said the previous day that: "Andrew Mitchell is unquestionably the best prepared Secretary of State — nobody has waited longer in the wings and everyone in the sector knows of his commitment to the sector".Emphasis on aid transparency and contributions 'guarantee'
Both in Opposition, and later as Secretary of State for International Development, Mitchell has repeatedly asserted the need for transparency in aid donations to other countries, with contributions fully accounted for and published, and intends Britain to lead the world in this transparency. He has made clear that value for money in aid donations are of critical importance and has provided a guarantee that British legislation will be amended to ensure that Britain's aid contributions will be maintained at 0.7% of UK GNI (Gross National Income) by 2013. He has also asked former international envoy and Liberal Democrat leader Paddy AshdownPaddy Ashdown
Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC , usually known as Paddy Ashdown, is a British politician and diplomat....
to conduct a review of the UK's response to international humanitarian disasters, such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, to see whether lessons can be learned from them.
Work as a Member of Parliament
Mitchell has campaigned on a wide range of local issues, from the safety of mobile phone masts to the administration of justice, and has particularly focussed on local development where it appears to adversely affect his constituents. He deals with a wide range of issues for constituents, often dealing directly with government departments, agencies and other organisations on their behalf, and holds regular Advice Sessions for them. He also regularly visits local schools, businesses and voluntary organisations across Sutton Coldfield. He successfully brought about the restoration of Sutton Coldfield Civic Service and introduced the Sutton Coldfield Inter-Schools Debating Competition. He receives over 5,000 letters per year from constituents, and actively supports a number of local charities including Breastfriends, Norman Laud Association, the Sutton Coldfield Branch of the RNLI, Parkinson’s Disease Society, Sutton Coldfield Sea Cadets, Greenacres, and Sutton Coldfield Guiding.Keep Justice Local campaign
In 2002, Mitchell successfully led the Keep Justice Local campaign across his constituency of Sutton Coldfield to safeguard the 50-year-old Courthouse (Magistrates' Court) from imminent closure. He presented a petition signed by over 5,500 constituents, protesting at plans to transfer the Courthouse's work to Birmingham.However, once in government Mitchell appeared to have changed his views on the closure of the courthouse after a decision was taken to close it December 2010, although it is not clear that he necessarily did so, as his public statement did not actually endorse the decision that had been taken. He was quoted as saying: "We must now ensure that there's a widespread local discussion about the future of the site and the building. I know that our councillors are already looking at how best we can do this".
Voting record
In 1994, as MP for GedlingGedling (UK Parliament constituency)
-Electiobs in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-See also:*List of Parliamentary constituencies in Nottinghamshire...
, Mitchell voted in the House of Commons for the restoration of the death penalty, which measure was defeated 383–186. Between 2001 and 2010, as MP for Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
, his House of Commons voting record shows that he voted for: limiting climate change, Civil Partnerships for gay couples, greater autonomy for schools, a UK Referendum on the EU Lisbon Treaty, the replacement of Trident, the invasion of Iraq and the subsequent Iraq investigation, and limiting pollution from civil aviation. During the same period, he voted against: ID cards, the closure of Post Offices, both 42 days' and 90 days' detention without charge or trial, the DNA database, closer EU integration, the relaxation of gambling laws, Section 28
Section 28
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
(although in 1988 he had voted in favour), employment discrimination against gay people, the legalisation of recreational drugs, a fully elected House of Lords and a ban on fox hunting. He was ranked by the Liberal Democrat Voice (connected to, but not part of, the Liberal Democrat Party) as one of the least authoritarian members of Parliament, scoring 3 out of 100 points for his votes between 2005 - 2010., with a joint ranking of 542 out of 619.
2005 Leadership Contest
Mitchell was the Campaign Manager for David DavisDavid Davis (British politician)
David Michael Davis is a British Conservative Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Haltemprice and Howden...
in the 2005 Conservative leadership contest
Conservative Party (UK) leadership election, 2005
The 2005 Conservative leadership election was called by party leader Michael Howard on 6 May 2005, when he announced that he would be stepping down as leader in the near future. However, he stated that he would not depart until a review of the rules for the leadership election had been conducted,...
. Davis started the campaign as the widely acknowledged front runner, but delivered a speech to that year's Conservative Party Conference which was described as "uninspiring" by his party supporters and the media. However, referring to a Conference speech by the party's former leader, Mitchell said: "William Hague made a great speech which many people will judge to be better than all the other leadership candidates put together. What that tells you is that being absolutely brilliant at being able to make a speech at conference is not the be-all-and-end-all of leadership. There are other things as well."
Although Davis attracted a sizeable vote of party members in the contest, he was defeated by his younger challenger, David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
. Despite Davis's defeat, however, Mitchell retained his position in Cameron's new Shadow Cabinet.
Mitchell reaction to Davis resignation
In June 2008, David Davis took a decision to resign both his position as Shadow Home Secretary and his constituency seat, and to immediately stand for re-election, in protest at the Labour Government's proposal to extend detention without trial for terrorist suspects to 42 days. Andrew Mitchell was reported by the media to have met Davis on the House of Commons terrace and was seen to have "looked horrified" when Davis told him of his decision, and to have vigorously argued with him about it. His friends apparently said later that he was "incandescent" at not having been consulted beforehand. Davis allegedly replied: "It's too late — I've already done it", to which Mitchell allegedly responded: "You're nuts".Prize Winner of Westminster Dog of the Year Award
In 2009, Andrew Mitchell won the top prize among Parliamentarians for the Westminster Dog of the Year Award, for his dog Molly. Judges said that Molly, a seven-year old Welsh Springer Spaniel, had an "excellent condition and temperament", that she "stood out particularly because she is the ‘glue’ of her family“, and that Mitchell was "an owner who shows commitment to responsible dog ownership".2009 expenses claims
According to The Daily Telegraph newspaper, which first reported the unredacted expenses claims of Members of Parliament, the vast majority of claims made by Mitchell were for office expenses, but there was criticism of him among some of the British media, which reported that he had made a number of small claims for items such as a 'stick of glue' (reportedly costing 13 pence), and other items, that they implied should have been paid from his own pocket. However, these items appear to have been for official Parliamentary use, and were accepted by the House of Commons Fees Office as legitimate expenses incurred as a result of his Parliamentary work. In contrast to the expenses claims made by a number of other MPs, there were no allegations in The Daily Telegraph or other newspapers that Mitchell had at any time made excessively large claims, had sought to benefit personally from them, or that there had been any impropriety in any of his claims.Unproven allegations of lobbying on behalf of donors
An article in 'The Sunday Times' newspaper on 30 October 2010, quoted by 'The Guardian' newspaper the following day, claimed that Mitchell had 'pressured' the Foreign Office and colleagues to lobby Ghana (successfully) for the lifting of a ban on a cocoa company, ArmajaroArmajaro
Armajaro is an investment firm based in London. The company specialises within the cocoa and coffee markets, managing investments in soft commodity and equity hedge funds...
, which had been a repeated donor to Mitchell's parliamentary office and also a donor to the Conservative Party. Ghana had imposed the ban as the company was believed by the Ghanaian government to have been smuggling cocoa out of Ghana. However, when questioned on the ITV News on the 2 November about his role in the case, Mitchell pointed out that he had a duty as a member of the government to respond to the company's requests, as it was registered as a British company, and that the government had a responsibility to promote British trade. He also pointed out that he had seen no evidence that the Ghanaian government's suspicions about the company in question had been substantiated, and that the claim that he had acted improperly on behalf of a party donor was unreasonable, as the company had ceased to donate to both the Conservative Party and his parliamentary office several years earlier.
Personal life
Mitchell is married to a G.P. and has two children, and lives in his constituency of Sutton ColdfieldSutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
and in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
in north London. His wealth is estimated at £2m.
External links
- Andrew Mitchell MP official constituency website
- Profile: Andrew Mitchell BBC News, 10 February 2005
- Pan-African Free Trade Agreement: Helping Africa through Free Trade – Andrew Mitchell talks at the Cato InstituteCato InstituteThe Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
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