James Gray (UK politician)
Encyclopedia
James Whiteside Gray is a British
politician
. He is the Conservative
Member of Parliament
for North Wiltshire.
, Gray is the son of the late Rev. John Gray, Minister
at Dunblane Cathedral
and the 1977 Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
, and Dr Sheila Gray who was a GP
.
Gray was educated at the Hillhead
Primary School
, Glasgow, and the High School of Glasgow
, before studying history
at the University of Glasgow
where he graduated MA
in 1975. He continued his academic career at Christ Church, Oxford
, where he completed a history thesis
in 1977.
trainee with P&O
for a year. In 1977 he also joined the Honourable Artillery Company
, a unit of the Territorial Army based in Islington
, serving for seven years and is a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies
and Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme. In 1978 he was awarded the Freedom of the City of London and was appointed a ship broker with Anderson Hughes. He was a member of the Baltic Exchange
from 1978. He became a managing director of GNI Freight Futures
in 1984, in which capacity he served until 1992. At the same time, he was a director of the Baltic Futures Exchange
from 1989 to 1991. In 1987 he was awarded the Lloyd's of London
Book Prize.
, Gray was the Conservative candidate for Charles Kennedy
’s seat of Ross, Cromarty and Skye
. Before winning North Wiltshire constituency
in 1997, he was a special advisor to the Secretary of State for the Environment
, Michael Howard
, and to his successor John Gummer
. His particular responsibility was to the Ministers of State for housing, local Government and the Environment from 1992 until 1995, when he became a Director of the public affairs consultancy Westminster Strategy. Gray also served as governor of two schools in Balham
and in the London Borough of Wandsworth
. In 1994, he was elected as the Vice- Chairman of Tooting Conservative Association for two years.
Gray unsuccessfully contested the Scottish Highlands
seat of Ross, Cromarty and Skye
at the 1992 general election
and was defeated by 7,630 votes by the sitting Liberal Democrat member Charles Kennedy
.
, Gray was elected to the House of Commons as Member for the North Wiltshire constituency
, following the retirement of the former Conservative Member Richard Needham
. Gray won the seat with a majority of 3,475 and has represented the constituency since.
Gray made his maiden speech
on 11 June 1997, in which he spoke of his constituency's largest town of Chippenham
, and of his sadness at the massacre
in his childhood home town of Dunblane
.
In the 2010 general election, James Gray once again stood for election in the constituency of North Wiltshire
. He won by a majority of 7,483 votes, winning 25,114 votes and securing 51.6% of the 48699 who voted. The amount of votes he received had risen by 1.9% since the last election, whilst support for the Labour party had fallen by 5.3% in his constituency.
, having signed several early day motion in support of its continued funding on the National Health Service
sponsored by Conservative MP David Tredinnick
.
, he served for just one week as Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
. Gray resigned after controversially claiming that the Scottish Parliament
should be abolished and replaced with Scottish MPs travelling to Edinburgh to conduct devolved business. Gray again attracted controversy in his native Scotland
in 2010, when he said in Parliament that Labour MP Willie Bain
should "get back to jockland
".
Gray has served on a variety of Parliamentary committees. He sat on the Environment, Transport and Regional Affiars Committee from 1997 to 2001. He served from 2001 to 2003 on the Broadcasting Committee. He was a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
for the 2005 Parliament, and Chairman of the Conservative Rural Action Group (2002–2005).
Gray is currently the chairman of the All-Party Group for Multiple Sclerosis and the founding chairman of the All-Party Group for the Army. He is Treasurer of the APPG for Suicide Prevention, a vice-chairman of the APPG on Agriculture and Food for Development
and is a founder and member of the APPGs for Historic Churches and Dairy Farmers. He is also a member of the all-party groups for Financial Markets and Services, Middle Way (hunting and animal welfare), Minerals, Racing and Bloodstock Industries, Solvent Abuse, China, and Mongolia.
Gray founded the All Party Group for the Army in 2004 and was the sitting MP on David Cameron
's policy group for National and International Security, chaired by Dame Pauline Neville-Jones
(2006–07) The Group published their seminal report, An Unquiet World in July 2007.
to learn about British Army
operations there. During the visit, British service personnel demonstrated the process by which wounded soldiers are flown in to Kandahar on a Hercules
and transferred across the runway to a C-17 fully equipped with the latest medical equipment. The delegation was shown on to the C-17 and posed for photographs with the medical staff on board. The delegation was then taken back to the terminal to watch the incoming Hercules and the transfer operation. Members of the delegation, including Gray, took photographs of this operation from the distance of approximately 500 yards. The brigadier
accompanying the delegation consequently requested that any photographs of the wounded be deleted. Gray and his colleagues were happy to reassure the brigadier
that if there were any such photographs, they would be very pleased to delete them. It has been alleged that Gray used his camera with the intention of taking photographs of a wounded soldier.
Following the publication of two articles in The Sun
and Daily Mail
, the incident was investigated by the Press Complaints Commission and Gray's complaints were upheld.
, the Labour
Member of Parliament for Dunfermline and West Fife
said "On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I have given advance notice of this point of order to the Member in question. During Environment, Food and Rural Affairs questions earlier, Mr James Gray directed a racist remark towards my hon. Friend Mr Bain
. What steps can you take to protect Members of the House from the racist views espoused by Mr James Gray, and will you now ask him to apologise?". Gray responded "Further to that point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I cannot imagine what sedentary remark the hon. Gentleman may have heard, but I am certain that had it been out of order in any shape, size or form, Mr Speaker, who was then in the Chair, would have picked me up on it. Further to that, as a Scot born, bred and educated, who never left the borders of Scotland until the age of 21, I think that unlike [Thomas Docherty], I have the highest respect and love for my native heath. I would never say a single word against it."
programme, broadcast on 22 May 2009, when the studio audience
showed their opinion by booing Gray. He had met Mrs Mayo, then Director of the Countryside Alliance
's pro-hunting campaign, while organising Conservative opposition to the anti-hunting bill
. The affair attracted national press attention when Mrs Mayo's husband, the barrister Rupert Mayo, wrote to a local newspaper, the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
, "The irony is that I will not reap the benefits of Mr Cameron
's excellent family-based policy proposals because one of his own MPs has ripped my own family apart." The local Conservative association subsequently considered deselecting Gray as their parliamentary candidate
, but in January 2007, after a secret ballot of all local party members, decided to confirm him as the Conservative candidate for North Wiltshire.
In May 2009 Gray's expenses were highlighted in the media when he was accused Gray of claiming for Remembrance Day wreaths. It was claimed that his action both shamed The Conservative Party (UK) and angered Forces charity groups. It was reported that Gray then complained to the Leader of the House of Commons
when he was told that Remembrance Day
wreaths were not a legitimate expense. These claims were denied by Gray who argued that Military and Council representatives do not pay for wreaths out of their own pockets. Details of Gray's expenses, published by House of Commons Authorities, show that he was never reimbursed for the cost of Remembrance Sunday wreaths.
Gray was later criticised for claiming £2000 decorating fees for a second home on the day he moved out. Gray organized three special surgeries in Corsham, Wootton Bassett and Malmesbury to answer any questions from his constituents regarding his expenses.
. In January, he hosted a special 1½ hour Westminster Hall debate on the subject of 'The RAF Air Transport Fleet and RAF Lyneham'. Following the debate, Gray published a dossier on a number of significant changes in the Air Transport Fleet which should, according to Gray, result in the decision to close RAF Lyneham being reversed.
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He is the 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...
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,...
for North Wiltshire.
Early life
Born in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Gray is the son of the late Rev. John Gray, Minister
Minister of religion
In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...
at Dunblane Cathedral
Dunblane Cathedral
Dunblane Cathedral is the larger of the two Church of Scotland parish churches serving Dunblane, near the city of Stirling, in central Scotland.-History:...
and the 1977 Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The Moderator of the General Assembly of Church of Scotland is a Minister, Elder or Deacon of the Church of Scotland chosen to "moderate" the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week in Edinburgh every May....
, and Dr Sheila Gray who was a GP
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
.
Gray was educated at the Hillhead
Hillhead
Hillhead is a district of Glasgow, Scotland. Situated north of Kelvingrove Park and to the south of the River Kelvin, Hillhead is at the heart of Glasgow's fashionable West End, with Byres Road forming the western border of the area, the other boundaries being Dumbarton Road to the south and the...
Primary School
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
, Glasgow, and the High School of Glasgow
High School of Glasgow
The High School of Glasgow is an independent, co-educational day school in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded as the Choir School of Glasgow Cathedral in around 1124, it is the oldest school in Scotland, and the twelfth oldest in the United Kingdom. It remained part of the Church as the city's grammar...
, before studying history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
where he graduated MA
Master of Arts (Scotland)
A Master of Arts in Scotland can refer to an undergraduate academic degree in humanities and social sciences awarded by the ancient universities of Scotland – the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh, while the University of...
in 1975. He continued his academic career at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, where he completed a history thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
in 1977.
Early career
From 1977, Gray worked as a graduate managementManagement
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
trainee with P&O
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
for a year. In 1977 he also joined the Honourable Artillery Company
Honourable Artillery Company
The Honourable Artillery Company was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII. Today it is a Registered Charity whose purpose is to attend to the “better defence of the realm"...
, a unit of the Territorial Army based 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...
, serving for seven years and is a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies
Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies is an internationally-renowned institution and component of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom...
and Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme. In 1978 he was awarded the Freedom of the City of London and was appointed a ship broker with Anderson Hughes. He was a member of the Baltic Exchange
Baltic Exchange
The Baltic Exchange is the world's only independent source of maritime market information for the trading and settlement of physical and derivative contracts...
from 1978. He became a managing director of GNI Freight Futures
Futures exchange
A futures exchange or futures market is a central financial exchange where people can trade standardized futures contracts; that is, a contract to buy specific quantities of a commodity or financial instrument at a specified price with delivery set at a specified time in the future. These types of...
in 1984, in which capacity he served until 1992. At the same time, he was a director of the Baltic Futures Exchange
Baltic Exchange
The Baltic Exchange is the world's only independent source of maritime market information for the trading and settlement of physical and derivative contracts...
from 1989 to 1991. In 1987 he was awarded the Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
Book Prize.
Entering politics
At the 1992 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
, Gray was the Conservative candidate for Charles Kennedy
Charles Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....
’s seat of Ross, Cromarty and Skye
Ross, Cromarty and Skye (UK Parliament constituency)
Ross, Cromarty and Skye was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1997. The constituency elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election....
. Before winning North Wiltshire constituency
North Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)
North Wiltshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until 1983, it was known as Chippenham.- Boundaries :As the name suggests, the constituency covers most of north Wiltshire...
in 1997, he was a special advisor to the Secretary of State for the Environment
Secretary of State for the Environment
The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...
, 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...
, and to his successor John Gummer
John Gummer
John Selwyn Gummer, Baron Deben, PC is a British Conservative Party politician, formerly Member of Parliament for Suffolk Coastal, now a member of the House of Lords. He is Chairman of the environmental consultancy company Sancroft International and Chairman of Veolia Water...
. His particular responsibility was to the Ministers of State for housing, local Government and the Environment from 1992 until 1995, when he became a Director of the public affairs consultancy Westminster Strategy. Gray also served as governor of two schools in Balham
Balham, London
Balham is a neighbourhood of south London, England, and is part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and the London Borough of Lambeth.-History:...
and in the London Borough of Wandsworth
London Borough of Wandsworth
The London Borough of Wandsworth is a London borough in southwest London, England, and forms part of Inner London.-History:The borough was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea and much of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth, but...
. In 1994, he was elected as the Vice- Chairman of Tooting Conservative Association for two years.
Gray unsuccessfully contested the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
seat of Ross, Cromarty and Skye
Ross, Cromarty and Skye (UK Parliament constituency)
Ross, Cromarty and Skye was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 to 1997. The constituency elected one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election....
at the 1992 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
and was defeated by 7,630 votes by the sitting Liberal Democrat member Charles Kennedy
Charles Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....
.
Member of Parliament
At the next election, 1997 general electionUnited 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...
, Gray was elected to the House of Commons as Member for the North Wiltshire constituency
North Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)
North Wiltshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until 1983, it was known as Chippenham.- Boundaries :As the name suggests, the constituency covers most of north Wiltshire...
, following the retirement of the former Conservative Member Richard Needham
Richard Needham
Richard Francis Needham, 6th Earl of Kilmorey, Kt, PC usually known as Sir Richard Needham is a former Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom...
. Gray won the seat with a majority of 3,475 and has represented the constituency since.
Gray made his maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
on 11 June 1997, in which he spoke of his constituency's largest town of Chippenham
Chippenham, Wiltshire
Chippenham is a market town in Wiltshire, England, located east of Bath and west of London. In the 2001 census the population of the town was recorded as 28,065....
, and of his sadness at the massacre
Dunblane massacre
The Dunblane massacre was a multiple murder-suicide which occurred at Dunblane Primary School in the Scottish town of Dunblane on 13 March 1996. Sixteen children and one adult were killed by Thomas Hamilton before he committed suicide.-Timeline of events:...
in his childhood home town of Dunblane
Dunblane
Dunblane is a small cathedral city and former burgh north of Stirling in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The town is situated off the A9 road, on the way north to Perth. Its main landmark is Dunblane Cathedral and the Allan Water runs through the town centre, with the Cathedral and the High...
.
In the 2010 general election, James Gray once again stood for election in the constituency of North Wiltshire
North Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)
North Wiltshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until 1983, it was known as Chippenham.- Boundaries :As the name suggests, the constituency covers most of north Wiltshire...
. He won by a majority of 7,483 votes, winning 25,114 votes and securing 51.6% of the 48699 who voted. The amount of votes he received had risen by 1.9% since the last election, whilst support for the Labour party had fallen by 5.3% in his constituency.
Alternative medicine
He is a supporter of homeopathyHomeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...
, having signed several early day motion in support of its continued funding on the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
sponsored by Conservative MP David Tredinnick
David Tredinnick (politician)
David Arthur Stephen Tredinnick is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom.He is a former officer in the Grenadier Guards and is Member of Parliament for Bosworth first elected in 1987....
.
Posts
His shadow ministerial career began with his appointment as a Conservative Whip in October 2000 and then as a Shadow Minister for Defence in 2001. He served as Shadow Minister for the Countryside from 2002 to 2005. After the 2005 general electionUnited 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 served for just one week as Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...
. Gray resigned after controversially claiming that the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
should be abolished and replaced with Scottish MPs travelling to Edinburgh to conduct devolved business. Gray again attracted controversy in his native Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 2010, when he said in Parliament that Labour MP Willie Bain
Willie Bain
William Thomas Bain is a Scottish Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Glasgow North East since 2009....
should "get back to jockland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
".
Gray has served on a variety of Parliamentary committees. He sat on the Environment, Transport and Regional Affiars Committee from 1997 to 2001. He served from 2001 to 2003 on the Broadcasting Committee. He was a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its...
for the 2005 Parliament, and Chairman of the Conservative Rural Action Group (2002–2005).
Gray is currently the chairman of the All-Party Group for Multiple Sclerosis and the founding chairman of the All-Party Group for the Army. He is Treasurer of the APPG for Suicide Prevention, a vice-chairman of the APPG on Agriculture and Food for Development
APPG on Agriculture and Food for Development
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Agriculture and Food for Development is a cross-party group in the UK Parliament, co-chaired by Tony Baldry, a Conservative Member of Parliament and Lord Cameron of Dillington, a cross-bench Peer. The APPG is composed of over 70 MPs and Peers from across the...
and is a founder and member of the APPGs for Historic Churches and Dairy Farmers. He is also a member of the all-party groups for Financial Markets and Services, Middle Way (hunting and animal welfare), Minerals, Racing and Bloodstock Industries, Solvent Abuse, China, and Mongolia.
Gray founded the All Party Group for the Army in 2004 and was the sitting MP on 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 ....
's policy group for National and International Security, chaired by Dame Pauline Neville-Jones
Pauline Neville-Jones
Lilian Pauline Neville-Jones, Baroness Neville-Jones DCMG PC is a former BBC Governor and Chairman of the British Joint Intelligence Committee . Before her elevation to the Peerage she was known as Dame Pauline Neville-Jones, DCMG...
(2006–07) The Group published their seminal report, An Unquiet World in July 2007.
2009 Afghanistan photo incident
In March 2009, Gray was a member of a cross-party parliamentary delegation to AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
to learn about British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
operations there. During the visit, British service personnel demonstrated the process by which wounded soldiers are flown in to Kandahar on a Hercules
C-130J Super Hercules
The Lockheed Martin C-130J "Super" Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the venerable Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. The Hercules family has the longest continuous production run of any...
and transferred across the runway to a C-17 fully equipped with the latest medical equipment. The delegation was shown on to the C-17 and posed for photographs with the medical staff on board. The delegation was then taken back to the terminal to watch the incoming Hercules and the transfer operation. Members of the delegation, including Gray, took photographs of this operation from the distance of approximately 500 yards. The brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
accompanying the delegation consequently requested that any photographs of the wounded be deleted. Gray and his colleagues were happy to reassure the brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
that if there were any such photographs, they would be very pleased to delete them. It has been alleged that Gray used his camera with the intention of taking photographs of a wounded soldier.
Following the publication of two articles in The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
and Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, the incident was investigated by the Press Complaints Commission and Gray's complaints were upheld.
Allegations of racism
In a House of Commons debate on 9 December 2010, Thomas DochertyThomas Docherty (politician)
Thomas Docherty is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Dunfermline and West Fife since 2010....
, the Labour
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...
Member of Parliament for Dunfermline and West Fife
Dunfermline and West Fife (UK Parliament constituency)
Dunfermline and West Fife is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 2005 general election from all of the old Dunfermline West and parts of the old Dunfermline East constituencies...
said "On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I have given advance notice of this point of order to the Member in question. During Environment, Food and Rural Affairs questions earlier, Mr James Gray directed a racist remark towards my hon. Friend Mr Bain
Willie Bain
William Thomas Bain is a Scottish Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Glasgow North East since 2009....
. What steps can you take to protect Members of the House from the racist views espoused by Mr James Gray, and will you now ask him to apologise?". Gray responded "Further to that point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I cannot imagine what sedentary remark the hon. Gentleman may have heard, but I am certain that had it been out of order in any shape, size or form, Mr Speaker, who was then in the Chair, would have picked me up on it. Further to that, as a Scot born, bred and educated, who never left the borders of Scotland until the age of 21, I think that unlike [Thomas Docherty], I have the highest respect and love for my native heath. I would never say a single word against it."
Personal life
Gray married Sarah Ann Beale in 1980, and they have two sons and a daughter. The marriage ended in 2006, after it emerged that Gray was having an affair with a married woman, Phillipa Mayo, while his wife was fighting breast cancer. This was brought to public attention by BBC TV's Have I Got News for YouHave 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...
programme, broadcast on 22 May 2009, when the studio audience
Studio audience
A studio audience is an audience present for the taping of all or part of a television program. The primary purpose of the studio audience is to provide applause and/or laughter to the program's soundtrack . A studio audience can also provide volunteers, a visual backdrop and discussion participants...
showed their opinion by booing Gray. He had met Mrs Mayo, then Director of the Countryside Alliance
Countryside Alliance
The Countryside Alliance is a British organisation promoting issues relating to the countryside such as country sports, including hunting, shooting and angling...
's pro-hunting campaign, while organising Conservative opposition to the anti-hunting bill
Hunting Act 2004
The Hunting Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The effect of the Act is to outlaw hunting with dogs in England and Wales from 18 February 2005...
. The affair attracted national press attention when Mrs Mayo's husband, the barrister Rupert Mayo, wrote to a local newspaper, the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
Gazette and Herald
The Gazette and Herald is a local weekly paid-for newspaper, established in 1816. Published every Thursday. It serves the areas and communities of Devizes, Calne, Chippenham, Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Marlborough, Malmesbury, Corsham, Box and other areas in North Wiltshire.Originally the Devizes...
, "The irony is that I will not reap the benefits of Mr 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 ....
's excellent family-based policy proposals because one of his own MPs has ripped my own family apart." The local Conservative association subsequently considered deselecting Gray as their parliamentary candidate
Prospective parliamentary candidate
Prospective parliamentary candidate is a term used in British politics to refer to candidates selected by political parties to fight individual constituencies in advance of a general election. This terminology was motivated by the strict limits on the amount of expenses incurred by an actual...
, but in January 2007, after a secret ballot of all local party members, decided to confirm him as the Conservative candidate for North Wiltshire.
MPs' Expenses scandal
In May 2009 Gray's expenses were highlighted in the media when he was accused Gray of claiming for Remembrance Day wreaths. It was claimed that his action both shamed The Conservative Party (UK) and angered Forces charity groups. It was reported that Gray then complained to the Leader of the House of Commons
Leader of the House of Commons
The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons...
when he was told that Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth...
wreaths were not a legitimate expense. These claims were denied by Gray who argued that Military and Council representatives do not pay for wreaths out of their own pockets. Details of Gray's expenses, published by House of Commons Authorities, show that he was never reimbursed for the cost of Remembrance Sunday wreaths.
Gray was later criticised for claiming £2000 decorating fees for a second home on the day he moved out. Gray organized three special surgeries in Corsham, Wootton Bassett and Malmesbury to answer any questions from his constituents regarding his expenses.
Local campaigns
Gray campaigns against the closure of RAF LynehamRAF Lyneham
RAF Lyneham is a Royal Air Force station in Wiltshire, England. It was the home of all the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft of the Royal Air Force before they were relocated to RAF Brize Norton.The station was also home to No...
. In January, he hosted a special 1½ hour Westminster Hall debate on the subject of 'The RAF Air Transport Fleet and RAF Lyneham'. Following the debate, Gray published a dossier on a number of significant changes in the Air Transport Fleet which should, according to Gray, result in the decision to close RAF Lyneham being reversed.
Publications
- Financial Risk Management in the Shipping Industry by James Gray, 1986 Fairplay Publications ISBN 0-905045-89-0
- Futures and Options for Shipping by James Gray, 1987, LLP Professional Publishing ISBN 1-85044-136-7
- Shipping Futures by James Gray, 1990, LLP Professional Publishing ISBN 1-85044-322-X
External links
- James Gray MP official site