Bob Marshall-Andrews
Encyclopedia
Robert Graham Marshall-Andrews QC
(born 10 April 1944) is a British
Labour Party
politician and barrister
, who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Medway
from 1997
to 2010.
before attending Bristol University
where he read Law. Barrister (called 1970), Crown Court Recorder (1982), Queen's Counsel (1987), Bencher, Gray's Inn (1996). He has prosecuted and defended most forms of serious crime and serious criminals, and specialises in commercial fraud.
in October 1974. He was asked to stand for the Medway Constituency in 1992 which he lost to the incumbent Conservative, Dame Peggy Fenner. He is a Member of Association of Labour Lawyers, Greenpeace
, and the Woodland Trust
.
Marshall-Andrews entered Parliament in the 1997 general election
. He is perceived as being on the libertarian-left wing of the Labour Party, and was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group
, but unlike other members of this group is not a trade-unionist by background. In spite of this, however, he nominated Gordon Brown
(rather than John McDonnell
) for the Labour Party leadership and Peter Hain
as deputy leader in 2007. After a period of bedding down as a new MP, where he aided in the drafting of the banning of handguns, he became an irritant to the government front bench. He rebelled against the government on multiple occasions (20 of those rebellions being in the 2005 parliament), mainly on legal issues. He was often mentioned as a candidate for backbencher
of the year and is widely respected in the Westminster media circuit.
During the night of the 2005 general election
, he appeared on national television commenting on his predicted defeat before it had been officially declared, as the only good news Tony Blair
would get that night, and launched a scathing attack on the Prime Minister
. But he managed to hold on to the seat, with a narrow majority of 213 votes.
His penchant for rebellion, combined with his friendliness towards many Conservative
MPs, led him to become unpopular within parts of his own party. According to The Times
, senior Labour MPs demanded that the whip
be withdrawn from him as an example to the 49 Labour MPs who rebelled against the government's plans to detain terror suspects for 90 days.
On 15 June 2008, with former Labour Cabinet Minister Tony Benn
, Marshall-Andrews again rebelled in his support for Conservative
MP David Davis
' campaign to step down as an MP and force a by-election in his constituency over the bill for a maximum 42-day detention without charge for arrested suspects. Such an action would normally be against party rules, although he believed his withdrawal from the Labour Party whip was improbable because the party was unlikely to put up a candidate against Davis in the by-election. He felt through his action that "the voice of a substantial part of the Labour party may be heard" over a measure which gained strong resistance among Labour MPs and supporters.
On 17 July 2007, he said he would stand down as a Labour MP at the next election.
, Greg Knight
and Damian Green
in the Commons lobby. Labour MP Barry Sheerman
remonstrated with him. Fellow Labour MP Jim Dowd
intervened and at one stage grabbed Marshall-Andrews by the lapels. Dowd and several observers believed they heard him saying of Dowd, "Here's another faggot". The near-scuffle was broken up by government whip Tom Watson
, but was widely reported. Marshall-Andrews subsequently insisted that he had actually shouted "faccio", an Italian
word meaning a menial assistant, from which the public school slang 'fag' is thought to derive. The incident was mentioned by Marshall-Andrews on the satirical news quiz Have I Got News For You
.
On 31 October 2006, Marshall-Andrews was one of 12 Labour MPs to back Plaid Cymru
and the Scottish National Party
's call for an inquiry into the Iraq War.
In December 2008, Marshall-Andrews became the first Labour MP to publicly call for the resignation of Speaker Michael Martin
over the arrest of Damian Green
.
He is an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society
and a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association
. He is also Founder and Trustee of the George Adamson Wildlife Trust, currently running Mkomazi Game Reserve
, Tanzania
. Trustee and Chair of Development Committee, Geffrye Museum
, London. Chair of Governors, Grey Court School
1987–1994.
He is also an occasional novelist, having written Palace of Wisdom (published by Hamish Hamilton and Penguin
1989, also published in the USA, France and a best-seller in Germany) and A Man Without Guilt (published by Methuen 2002). He has written regular articles in the national newspapers (The Daily Telegraph
, The Guardian
, The Independent
, The Sunday Times
) and periodicals (New Statesman
, House Magazine, Tribune
).
Mr Marshall-Andrews has made five memorable appearances on the BBC programme Have I Got News For You
, most recently on April 18, 2008. In his appearances, he has frequently attacked the government, and once memorably misheard the host mentioning Ant and Dec
as Anton du Beke
, and proceeded to tell an anecdote about du Beke. He was listed in the press as appearing on the episode of 3 Jun 2010, but was replaced by Penny Smith
with no reason given.
", an innovative grass-roofed house, known locally as the "Teletubby
house", in Druidston, Pembrokeshire
.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(born 10 April 1944) is a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician and barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
, who was 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 Medway
Medway (UK Parliament constituency)
Medway was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1983 and 2010. A previous constituency of the same name existed from 1885 to 1918.-1885–1918:...
from 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
to 2010.
Early life
Marshall Andrews attended Mill Hill SchoolMill Hill School
Mill Hill School, in Mill Hill, London, is a coeducational independent school for boarding and day pupils aged 13–18. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, an organisation of public schools in the United Kingdom....
before attending Bristol University
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
where he read Law. Barrister (called 1970), Crown Court Recorder (1982), Queen's Counsel (1987), Bencher, Gray's Inn (1996). He has prosecuted and defended most forms of serious crime and serious criminals, and specialises in commercial fraud.
Political career
Marshall-Andrews joined the Labour Party in 1971 and contested the constituency of Richmond, SurreyRichmond (Surrey) (UK Parliament constituency)
Not to be confused with the Richmond constituency in Yorkshire.Richmond was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Richmond, which is in the north-western part of the historic county of Surrey and in South London...
in October 1974. He was asked to stand for the Medway Constituency in 1992 which he lost to the incumbent Conservative, Dame Peggy Fenner. He is a Member of Association of Labour Lawyers, Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
, and the Woodland Trust
Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is a conservation charity in the United Kingdom concerned with the protection and sympathetic management of native woodland heritage.-History:...
.
Marshall-Andrews entered Parliament in the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
. He is perceived as being on the libertarian-left wing of the Labour Party, and was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group
Socialist Campaign Group
The Socialist Campaign Group is a left-wing democratic socialist grouping of Labour Party Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. It was formed in December 1982 as an alternative Parliamentary left-wing group to the Tribune Group...
, but unlike other members of this group is not a trade-unionist by background. In spite of this, however, he nominated Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
(rather than John McDonnell
John McDonnell (politician)
John Martin McDonnell is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington since 1997; he serves as Chair of the Socialist Campaign Group, the Labour Representation Committee, and the "Public Services Not Private Profit Group"...
) for the Labour Party leadership and Peter Hain
Peter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
as deputy leader in 2007. After a period of bedding down as a new MP, where he aided in the drafting of the banning of handguns, he became an irritant to the government front bench. He rebelled against the government on multiple occasions (20 of those rebellions being in the 2005 parliament), mainly on legal issues. He was often mentioned as a candidate for backbencher
Backbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
of the year and is widely respected in the Westminster media circuit.
During the night of the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, he appeared on national television commenting on his predicted defeat before it had been officially declared, as the only good news 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...
would get that night, and launched a scathing attack on the Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
. But he managed to hold on to the seat, with a narrow majority of 213 votes.
His penchant for rebellion, combined with his friendliness towards many Conservative
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...
MPs, led him to become unpopular within parts of his own party. According to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, senior Labour MPs demanded that the whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
be withdrawn from him as an example to the 49 Labour MPs who rebelled against the government's plans to detain terror suspects for 90 days.
On 15 June 2008, with former Labour Cabinet Minister Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
, Marshall-Andrews again rebelled in his support for Conservative
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...
MP David Davis
David 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...
' campaign to step down as an MP and force a by-election in his constituency over the bill for a maximum 42-day detention without charge for arrested suspects. Such an action would normally be against party rules, although he believed his withdrawal from the Labour Party whip was improbable because the party was unlikely to put up a candidate against Davis in the by-election. He felt through his action that "the voice of a substantial part of the Labour party may be heard" over a measure which gained strong resistance among Labour MPs and supporters.
On 17 July 2007, he said he would stand down as a Labour MP at the next election.
Controversy
During a break in the Terror Bill debate on 9 November 2005, Marshall-Andrews was seen talking to Conservative MPs Andrew MitchellAndrew Mitchell
The Right Honourable Andrew John Bower Mitchell MP is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sutton Coldfield...
, Greg Knight
Greg Knight
Gregory Knight is a British politician and author. He is Conservative Member of Parliament for East Yorkshire.-Education and professional life:...
and Damian Green
Damian Green
Damian Howard Green is a British politician who has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for Ashford since 1997. He came to national prominence after being elected in his constituency. Before standing for parliament, Damian Green was Channel 4's business editor...
in the Commons lobby. Labour MP Barry Sheerman
Barry Sheerman
Barry John Sheerman is a British Labour Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Huddersfield since the 1979 general election.-Early life:...
remonstrated with him. Fellow Labour MP Jim Dowd
Jim Dowd (politician)
James Patrick Dowd is a British Labour Party politician, who has been a Member of Parliament since 1992, first for Lewisham West and since 2010 for Lewisham West and Penge.-Early life:...
intervened and at one stage grabbed Marshall-Andrews by the lapels. Dowd and several observers believed they heard him saying of Dowd, "Here's another faggot". The near-scuffle was broken up by government whip Tom Watson
Tom Watson (politician)
Thomas Anthony Watson is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for West Bromwich East since 2001. Watson was a Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office from 2008 to 2009...
, but was widely reported. Marshall-Andrews subsequently insisted that he had actually shouted "faccio", an Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
word meaning a menial assistant, from which the public school slang 'fag' is thought to derive. The incident was mentioned by Marshall-Andrews on the satirical news quiz Have I Got News For You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
.
On 31 October 2006, Marshall-Andrews was one of 12 Labour MPs to back Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
and the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
's call for an inquiry into the Iraq War.
In December 2008, Marshall-Andrews became the first Labour MP to publicly call for the resignation of Speaker Michael Martin
Michael Martin (politician)
Michael John Martin, Baron Martin of Springburn, PC is a British politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Glasgow Springburn from 1979 to 2005, and then for Glasgow North East until 2009...
over the arrest of Damian Green
Damian Green
Damian Howard Green is a British politician who has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for Ashford since 1997. He came to national prominence after being elected in his constituency. Before standing for parliament, Damian Green was Channel 4's business editor...
.
Social views and outside interests
He is widely regarded as a social libertarian.He is an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society
National Secular Society
The National Secular Society is a British campaigning organisation that promotes secularism and the separation of church and state. It holds that no-one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of religion. It was founded by Charles Bradlaugh in 1866...
and a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association
British Humanist Association
The British Humanist Association is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes Humanism and represents "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs." The BHA is committed to secularism, human rights, democracy, egalitarianism and mutual respect...
. He is also Founder and Trustee of the George Adamson Wildlife Trust, currently running Mkomazi Game Reserve
Mkomazi Game Reserve
Mkomazi Game Reserve is located in North Eastern Tanzania on the Kenyan Border. It was established in 1951 and is found in Kilimanjaro Region and Tanga Region...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. Trustee and Chair of Development Committee, Geffrye Museum
Geffrye Museum
Founded in 1914, the Geffrye Museum is a museum specialising in the history of the English domestic interior. Named after Sir Robert Geffrye, former Lord Mayor of London and Master of the Ironmongers' Company, it is located on Kingsland Road in London...
, London. Chair of Governors, Grey Court School
Grey Court School
Grey Court School is a maximed comprehensive in Richmond, Greater London, England. It was built in the 1950s. Its head teacher is Maggie Bailey and it is twinned with Alexander-von-Humboldt-Gymnasium in Konstanz, Southern Germany...
1987–1994.
He is also an occasional novelist, having written Palace of Wisdom (published by Hamish Hamilton and Penguin
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
1989, also published in the USA, France and a best-seller in Germany) and A Man Without Guilt (published by Methuen 2002). He has written regular articles in the national newspapers (The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
) and periodicals (New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
, House Magazine, Tribune
Tribune (magazine)
Tribune is a democratic socialist weekly, founded in 1937 published in London. It is independent but supports the Labour Party from the left...
).
Mr Marshall-Andrews has made five memorable appearances on the BBC programme Have I Got News For You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
, most recently on April 18, 2008. In his appearances, he has frequently attacked the government, and once memorably misheard the host mentioning Ant and Dec
Ant & Dec
Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly , known collectively as Ant & Dec, are an English comedy and TV presenting duo from Newcastle upon Tyne, England...
as Anton du Beke
Anton du Beke
Anton du Beke is a British ballroom dancer and television presenter. His professional dance partner since 1997 has been Erin Boag. With Boag, he won the IDTA Classic in England in November 2003.-Family and early life:...
, and proceeded to tell an anecdote about du Beke. He was listed in the press as appearing on the episode of 3 Jun 2010, but was replaced by Penny Smith
Penny Smith
Penelope Jane Smith is an English television presenter and newsreader. She has worked on the breakfast TV show GMTV, for Sky News and for Classic FM.-Early life:...
with no reason given.
Environmentalism
He and his wife own "MalatorMalator
Malator is a house in Druidston, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was built in 1998 and designed by architects Future Systems for Bob Marshall-Andrews, QC, the former Member of Parliament for Medway and his wife Gill Marshall-Andrews...
", an innovative grass-roofed house, known locally as the "Teletubby
Teletubbies
Teletubbies is a BBC children's television series targeted at pre-school viewers and produced from 1997 to 2001 by Ragdoll Productions. It was created by Ragdoll's creative director Anne Wood CBE and Andrew Davenport, who wrote each of the show's 365 episodes. The programme's original narrator was...
house", in Druidston, Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
.
External links
- Bob Marshall-Andrews QC
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Robert Marshall-Andrews
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Robert Marshall-Andrews MP
- The Public Whip - Robert Marshall-Andrews MP voting record
- BBC News - Bob Marshall-Andrews profile 10 February 2005
- Future Systems "Teletubby House"
- Strood Labour Party