Jim Devine
Encyclopedia
James "Jim" Devine is a former British
Member of Parliament
, having been the Labour Party
member for Livingston
from 2005
until 2010 and Chairman of the Scottish Labour Party between 1994-95.
On 16 June 2009, following the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
, he was barred by the Labour Party from being their candidate for the 2010 General Election, after reports he claimed expenses for work on his home from a non-existent firm. He was convicted of false accounting on 10 February 2011 and sentenced to 16 months imprisonment on 31 March 2011.
and was educated in Bathgate
. He served as election agent
to Livingston Constituency Labour Party and to the former MP Robin Cook
from the 1983 general election
until Cook's death in 2005. From 1994 to 1995 he was the Chairman of the Scottish Labour Party
.
Prior to his election, Devine worked as a full time trade union official for the Confederation of Health Service Employees and then as Head of Health in the Scottish Region of the public sector union UNISON
. Before becoming a trade union official Devine was a mental health nurse, having trained and worked at Bangour Village Hospital in Dechmont
.
on 25 October 2005.
He served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Health
Minister Rosie Winterton
until he resigned in protest at the decision to replace Trident
. He was also a member of the Science and Technology as well as the Scottish Affairs Select Committees.
In October 2010 Devine's former office manager Marion Kinley won a complaint of unfair dismissal
and breach of contract against him. An employment tribunal
ruled that Devine had subjected Kinley to "a course of bullying and harassment". During the hearing Devine was accused of perpetrating a hoax suggesting that newspapers were investigating the two of them. He was said to have used a friend, Fiona Fox
, to pose as an investigative journalist. Compensation of £35,000 was ordered to be paid.
On Devine's failure to pay the compensation of £35,000, bankruptcy proceedings were instituted against him and he was adjudicated bankrupt on 23 February 2011.
's 'star committee' with a status of 'urgent' in connection with allegations involving expense claims submitted for a company that never existed. He had gained the backing of his local party members a week prior to the hearing, but the panel unanimously recommended he should be deselected. He was thereafter barred from standing as a candidate for the Labour Party in the next UK general election.
interview when questioned: "So you got a receipt from somebody you were paying as a member of staff, and submitted it as stationery?" by journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy
, Devine replied: "Yes. This was allowed at the time."
On 27 May 2010 Devine, Elliot Morley
, David Chaytor
and Lord Hanningfield (Paul White) appeared at Southwark Crown Court
for a preliminary hearing. They faced charges of false accounting under the Theft Act.
Devine's trial began on 2 February 2011. The indictment he faced ultimately included three counts of false accounting under the Theft Act 1968. On 10 February 2011 he was found guilty on two counts of false accounting (relating to false claims for a total of £8,385) and acquitted of one such count (relating to £360). Sentencing was adjourned for four weeks. On 31 March 2011 Devine was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment. He was released from prison on the 1 August 2011 after serving a quarter of his sentence. He was freed under the home detention curfew scheme, under which prisoners who are deemed to pose a low risk are tagged and released early after serving at least a quarter of their sentence. His release was met with anger from groups including the Tax Payers Alliance.
As a result of his conviction and sentence, Devine was automatically expelled from the Labour Party.
. He divorced his wife Liz and has a daughter and a son.
In 2005 he admitted to a number of affairs and a conviction for drink driving.
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...
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,...
, having been the 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...
member for Livingston
Livingston (UK Parliament constituency)
Livingston is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, to which it returns one Member of Parliament . Elections are held using the first-past-the-post voting system....
from 2005
Livingston by-election, 2005
The Livingston by-election, 2005 was triggered when Robin Cook, the Labour Party Member of Parliament for Livingston, in Scotland, died on 6 August 2005....
until 2010 and Chairman of the Scottish Labour Party between 1994-95.
On 16 June 2009, following the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal triggered by the leak and subsequent publication by the Telegraph Group in 2009 of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament over several years...
, he was barred by the Labour Party from being their candidate for the 2010 General Election, after reports he claimed expenses for work on his home from a non-existent firm. He was convicted of false accounting on 10 February 2011 and sentenced to 16 months imprisonment on 31 March 2011.
Early life
Devine was born and brought up in Blackburn, West LothianBlackburn, West Lothian
Blackburn is a town in West Lothian, Scotland next to Bathgate and five miles from Livingston. It is situated about from Edinburgh along the old A8 road between Edinburgh and Glasgow.- History :...
and was educated in Bathgate
Bathgate
Bathgate is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, on the M8 motorway west of Livingston. Nearby towns are Blackburn, Armadale, Whitburn, Livingston, and Linlithgow. Edinburgh Airport is away...
. He served as election agent
Election agent
In elections in the United Kingdom, as well as in certain other similar political systems such as India's, an election agent is the person legally responsible for the conduct of a candidate's political campaign and to whom election material is sent to by those running the election. In elections in...
to Livingston Constituency Labour Party and to the former MP Robin Cook
Robin Cook
Robert Finlayson Cook was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Livingston from 1983 until his death, and notably served in the Cabinet as Foreign Secretary from 1997 to 2001....
from the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
until Cook's death in 2005. From 1994 to 1995 he was the Chairman of the Scottish Labour Party
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
.
Prior to his election, Devine worked as a full time trade union official for the Confederation of Health Service Employees and then as Head of Health in the Scottish Region of the public sector union UNISON
UNISON
UNISON is the largest trade union in the United Kingdom with over 1.3 million members.The union was formed in 1993 when three public sector trade unions, the National and Local Government Officers Association , the National Union of Public Employees and the Confederation of Health Service...
. Before becoming a trade union official Devine was a mental health nurse, having trained and worked at Bangour Village Hospital in Dechmont
Dechmont
Dechmont is a small village located near Uphall, West Lothian in Scotland. Bangour Village Hospital is located to the west of Dechmont. It has an approximate population of 989 people. Its postal code is EH52...
.
Parliamentary career
He was selected to follow Cook as Labour candidate in the ensuing 2005 Livingston by-election. He won, defeating his SNP rival though Labour's majority was reduced by more than 10,000. He made his maiden speechMaiden 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 25 October 2005.
He served as the 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 Health
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
Minister Rosie Winterton
Rosie Winterton
Rosalie "Rosie" Winterton is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Doncaster Central since 1997. Formerly a minister within both the Blair and Brown Governments, she first entered the Shadow Cabinet in May 2010 as the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons...
until he resigned in protest at the decision to replace Trident
British replacement of the Trident system
The British replacement of Trident is a proposal to replace the existing Vanguard class of four Trident ballistic-missile armed submarines with a new class designed to continue a nuclear deterrent after the current boats reach the end of their service lives...
. He was also a member of the Science and Technology as well as the Scottish Affairs Select Committees.
In October 2010 Devine's former office manager Marion Kinley won a complaint of unfair dismissal
Unfair dismissal
Unfair dismissal is the term used in UK labour law to describe an employer's action when terminating an employee's employment contrary to the requirements of the Employment Rights Act 1996...
and breach of contract against him. An employment tribunal
Employment tribunal
Employment Tribunals are tribunal non-departmental public bodies in England and Wales and Scotland which have statutory jurisdiction to hear many kinds of disputes between employers and employees. The most common disputes are concerned with unfair dismissal, redundancy payments and employment...
ruled that Devine had subjected Kinley to "a course of bullying and harassment". During the hearing Devine was accused of perpetrating a hoax suggesting that newspapers were investigating the two of them. He was said to have used a friend, Fiona Fox
Fiona Fox (UK press officer)
Fiona Fox is a British writer. She is the director of the Science Media Centre and a former leading member of the Revolutionary Communist Party.-Early Professional career:Fox started her career at Thames Polytechnic as an assistant PR officer...
, to pose as an investigative journalist. Compensation of £35,000 was ordered to be paid.
On Devine's failure to pay the compensation of £35,000, bankruptcy proceedings were instituted against him and he was adjudicated bankrupt on 23 February 2011.
MPs' expenses
On 2 June 2009, Devine was referred to the Labour PartyLabour 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...
's 'star committee' with a status of 'urgent' in connection with allegations involving expense claims submitted for a company that never existed. He had gained the backing of his local party members a week prior to the hearing, but the panel unanimously recommended he should be deselected. He was thereafter barred from standing as a candidate for the Labour Party in the next UK general election.
Prosecution and conviction
On 5 February 2010 it was announced that Devine was to be prosecuted over his expense claims. The former Livingston MP initially faced two charges under section 17 of the Theft Act 1968 of false accounting. The first charge alleged that between July 2008 and April 2009 Devine dishonestly claimed £3,240 for cleaning services using false invoices. The second charge alleged that in March 2009 Devine dishonestly claimed £5,505 for stationery using false invoices. He denied the charges, though in a live Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
interview when questioned: "So you got a receipt from somebody you were paying as a member of staff, and submitted it as stationery?" by journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy
Krishnan Guru-Murthy
Krishnan Guru-Murthy , is a British television presenter and journalist employed by Channel 4. He presents the Channel 4 Evening News and the foreign affairs programme Unreported World.-Education:...
, Devine replied: "Yes. This was allowed at the time."
On 27 May 2010 Devine, Elliot Morley
Elliot Morley
Elliot Anthony Morley is a former Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Glanford and Scunthorpe from 1987 to 1997 and then Scunthorpe from 1997 to 2010. In 2009, he was accused by The Daily Telegraph of continuing to claim parliamentary expenses for a mortgage that had...
, David Chaytor
David Chaytor
David Michael Chaytor is a former British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Bury North from 1997 to 2010. He was the first member of Parliament to be sentenced following the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal of 2009.On 2 June 2009, he announced that he...
and Lord Hanningfield (Paul White) appeared at Southwark Crown Court
Southwark Crown Court
Southwark Crown Court is one of three Crown Court buildings in London SE1, along with Inner London Crown Court and Blackfriars Crown Court.Opened in 1983, the brick building is located close to the River Thames at the south of London Bridge, next to Hay's Galleria...
for a preliminary hearing. They faced charges of false accounting under the Theft Act.
Devine's trial began on 2 February 2011. The indictment he faced ultimately included three counts of false accounting under the Theft Act 1968. On 10 February 2011 he was found guilty on two counts of false accounting (relating to false claims for a total of £8,385) and acquitted of one such count (relating to £360). Sentencing was adjourned for four weeks. On 31 March 2011 Devine was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment. He was released from prison on the 1 August 2011 after serving a quarter of his sentence. He was freed under the home detention curfew scheme, under which prisoners who are deemed to pose a low risk are tagged and released early after serving at least a quarter of their sentence. His release was met with anger from groups including the Tax Payers Alliance.
As a result of his conviction and sentence, Devine was automatically expelled from the Labour Party.
Personal life
Devine lives in Blackburn, West LothianBlackburn, West Lothian
Blackburn is a town in West Lothian, Scotland next to Bathgate and five miles from Livingston. It is situated about from Edinburgh along the old A8 road between Edinburgh and Glasgow.- History :...
. He divorced his wife Liz and has a daughter and a son.
In 2005 he admitted to a number of affairs and a conviction for drink driving.