Ian Pearson
Encyclopedia
Ian Phares Pearson is a British
Labour Party
politician who was a Member of Parliament
(MP) from 1994 until 2010, representing Dudley West
from 1994 until 1997, and then Dudley South from 1997 until his retirement from the House of Commons at the 2010 general election. He served as Economic Secretary to the Treasury
from 2008 to 2010.
(BA
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
) and the University of Warwick
(MA
, PhD
).
in a by-election
in December 1994, winning a Conservative
seat left vacant by the death of John Blackburn
in October of that year. He won the seat with nearly 70% of the votes, with the Conservative candidates polling at less than 20%.
Boundary changes saw him move to the newly-created constituency of Dudley South in 1997.
Pearson served as Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Paymaster-General
Geoffrey Robinson
from 1997 until Robinson was forced to resign in 1998. In 2001 he returned to the government as a whip
. In 2002 he moved to the Northern Ireland Office
as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
. After the 2005 general election
he was promoted to Minister of State
for Trade in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
.
In the PM's 2006 reshuffle, he was appointed as Minister of State for Climate Change and Environment at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
.
However, he was respected by a great deal of his local constituents, not least because of his vigorous (though ultimately unsuccessful) campaigning against the closure of Wordsley Hospital
and the centralisation of all of Dudley borough's inpatient services to Russells Hall Hospital
.
In an interview with The Guardian
published on 5 January 2007, Pearson courted considerable controversy by publicly criticising several airlines, particularly Ryanair
, for failing to pull their weight in lowering UK carbon emissions. He described Ryanair as "the irresponsible face of capitalism
". In response, Michael O'Leary
, the CEO of Ryanair, claimed Ryanair had made a considerable investment in environmentally-friendly planes and technologies and had the lowest fuel use per passenger figures of any British airline. O'Leary described Pearson as an "silly", adding that Pearson "hadn't a clue what he [was] talking about".
On 29 June 2007, Pearson was moved in Gordon Brown
's first reshuffle to become a Minister of State
in the newly created Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
under Secretary of State
John Denham. Whilst there he was criticised for not doing anything to avert the current funding crisis at the Science and Technology Facilities Council
hitting UK Astronomy and particle physics. In Gordon Brown's next reshuffle of 3 October 2008, Pearson was moved to the Treasury
as Economic Secretary
, also becoming Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
for Economics and Business
. In the June 2009 reshuffle Pearson retained his role at the Treasury but lost his business role as the department was merged to create the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
.
On 21 January 2010, Pearson announced that he would not contest the next general election.
In 1998 he slammed the World Cup Song Three Lions 98 by David Baddiel
, Frank Skinner
and the Lightning Seeds
by saying they "should be kept as far away as possible from a recording studio".
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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 who was a 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) from 1994 until 2010, representing Dudley West
Dudley West (UK Parliament constituency)
Dudley West was a parliamentary constituency, centred on the town of Dudley in the West Midlands. It existed from 1974 to 1997, returning one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system.-History:The constituency was created...
from 1994 until 1997, and then Dudley South from 1997 until his retirement from the House of Commons at the 2010 general election. He served as Economic Secretary to the Treasury
Economic Secretary to the Treasury
The Economic Secretary to the Treasury is the fifth most senior ministerial post in the UK Treasury, after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Paymaster-General and the Financial Secretary...
from 2008 to 2010.
Early life
Pearson was educated at Balliol College, OxfordBalliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
(BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Philosophy, politics, and economics is a popular interdisciplinary undergraduate/graduate degree which combines study from the three disciplines...
) and the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
(MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
, PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
).
Political career
Having unsuccessfully contested Bexhill and Battle in the 1983 general election, Pearson entered parliament for Dudley WestDudley West (UK Parliament constituency)
Dudley West was a parliamentary constituency, centred on the town of Dudley in the West Midlands. It existed from 1974 to 1997, returning one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system.-History:The constituency was created...
in a by-election
Dudley West by-election, 1994
A by-election was held for the British House of Commons constituency of Dudley West on 15 December 1994 following the death of the sitting Conservative Member of Parliament John Blackburn....
in December 1994, winning a 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...
seat left vacant by the death of John Blackburn
John Blackburn
John Blackburn may refer to:*John Blackburn , Chaplain-General to the British Armed Forces 2000 to 2004*John Blackburn , British novelist*John Blackburn , British politician, MP for Newport 1806–1807...
in October of that year. He won the seat with nearly 70% of the votes, with the Conservative candidates polling at less than 20%.
Boundary changes saw him move to the newly-created constituency of Dudley South in 1997.
Pearson served as Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to the Paymaster-General
Paymaster-General
HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom. The Paymaster General is in charge of the Office of HM Paymaster General , which held accounts at the Bank of England on behalf of Government departments and selected other public bodies...
Geoffrey Robinson
Geoffrey Robinson
Geoffrey Robinson is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Coventry North West since 1976. He was Paymaster General from May 1997 to January 1999, resigning after it was revealed that he had lent his government colleague Peter Mandelson £373,000 to buy a house...
from 1997 until Robinson was forced to resign in 1998. In 2001 he returned to the government as a 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...
. In 2002 he moved to the Northern Ireland Office
Northern Ireland Office
The Northern Ireland Office is a United Kingdom government department responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and is based in Northern Ireland at Stormont House.-Role:...
as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
. After 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 was promoted to Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
for Trade in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
.
In the PM's 2006 reshuffle, he was appointed as Minister of State for Climate Change and Environment at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...
.
However, he was respected by a great deal of his local constituents, not least because of his vigorous (though ultimately unsuccessful) campaigning against the closure of Wordsley Hospital
Wordsley Hospital
Wordsley Hospital was a NHS-owned hospital located in Wordsley, Stourbridge, which is in the West Midlands of England.-Overview:Wordsley Hospital was built as a workhouse in 1903, and became a hospital after the Great War...
and the centralisation of all of Dudley borough's inpatient services to Russells Hall Hospital
Russells Hall Hospital
Russells Hall Hospital is an NHS-owned hospital located in Dudley, West Midlands, England.It is situated on the A4101 main road which connects Dudley with Kingswinford, and lies narrowly within Dudley's boundaries just outside Brierley Hill...
.
In an interview with The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
published on 5 January 2007, Pearson courted considerable controversy by publicly criticising several airlines, particularly Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
, for failing to pull their weight in lowering UK carbon emissions. He described Ryanair as "the irresponsible face of capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
". In response, Michael O'Leary
Michael O'Leary (Ryanair)
Michael O'Leary is an Irish businessman and the Chief Executive Officer of the Irish airline Ryanair. He is one of Ireland's wealthiest businessmen.-Early life:...
, the CEO of Ryanair, claimed Ryanair had made a considerable investment in environmentally-friendly planes and technologies and had the lowest fuel use per passenger figures of any British airline. O'Leary described Pearson as an "silly", adding that Pearson "hadn't a clue what he [was] talking about".
On 29 June 2007, Pearson was moved in 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...
's first reshuffle to become a Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
in the newly created Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was a UK government department created on 28 June 2007 to take over some of the functions of the Department of Education and Skills and of the Department of Trade and Industry. In June 2009 it was merged into the newly formed Department for...
under Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
John Denham. Whilst there he was criticised for not doing anything to avert the current funding crisis at the Science and Technology Facilities Council
Science and Technology Facilities Council
The Science and Technology Facilities Council is a UK government body that carries out civil research in science and engineering, and funds UK research in areas including particle physics, nuclear physics, space science and astronomy .-History:It was formed in April 2007 as a merger of the Particle...
hitting UK Astronomy and particle physics. In Gordon Brown's next reshuffle of 3 October 2008, Pearson was moved to the Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
as Economic Secretary
Economic Secretary to the Treasury
The Economic Secretary to the Treasury is the fifth most senior ministerial post in the UK Treasury, after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Paymaster-General and the Financial Secretary...
, also becoming Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
for Economics and Business
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform was a United Kingdom government department. The department was created on 28 June 2007 on the disbanding of the Department of Trade and Industry , and was itself disbanded on 6 June 2009 on the creation of the Department for Business,...
. In the June 2009 reshuffle Pearson retained his role at the Treasury but lost his business role as the department was merged to create the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is a ministerial department of the United Kingdom Government created on 5 June 2009 by the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform .-Ministers:The BIS...
.
On 21 January 2010, Pearson announced that he would not contest the next general election.
Family controversy
Pearson's brother, Martin, a financial adviser, was jailed in February 2009 for four and a half years, after he admitted defrauding his clients of £650,000. Ian said “I have no connection whatsoever with my brother’s professional life and it would be inappropriate for me to comment further."Other controversies
Pearson has also been noted for some controversial comments.In 1998 he slammed the World Cup Song Three Lions 98 by David Baddiel
David Baddiel
David Lionel Baddiel is an English comedian, novelist and television presenter.-Early life:Baddiel was born in New York, and moved to England when he was four months old. His father, Colin Brian Baddiel, was a Welsh research chemist with Unilever before being made redundant in the 1980s, after...
, Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner
Frank Skinner is a British writer, comedian and actor. He is best known for his television presenting, often alongside David Baddiel, with whom he also collaborated for the football song "Three Lions."He is a radio presenter on the Saturday morning slot on Absolute Radio.-Youth and early career...
and the Lightning Seeds
Lightning Seeds
The Lightning Seeds are an English alternative rock and pop band from Liverpool, England formed in 1989 by Ian Broudie , formerly of the Big in Japan band....
by saying they "should be kept as far away as possible from a recording studio".
External links
- Official website
- Ministerial Responsibilities - Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Ian Pearson MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Ian Pearson MP
- Kaupthing Involvement
- Interview with Ian Pearson on his science responsibilities. Published in Research Fortnight, July 2007