Kelvin Hopkins
Encyclopedia
Kelvin Peter Hopkins is a British
Labour Party
politician
, who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Luton North
since 1997
.
, the son of renowned physicist Harold Hopkins
FRS, and was educated at the Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School for Boys
, Barnet
, London
and the University of Nottingham
where he was awarded a BA
degree in Politics, Economics and Mathematics with Statistics. In his early years he was for a time (1958-63) a "semi-professional" jazz musician playing tenor saxophone and clarinet.
With the exception of two years as a lecturer at the St Albans
FE College (now called Oaklands College
) from 1971 he has worked entirely within the trade union
movement. He joined the Trades Union Congress
as an economist in 1969, and rejoined the TUC following his stint in education in 1973. He was appointed as a policy and research officer with NALGO in 1977, leaving its successor UNISON
in 1994.
at the 1983 General Election
finishing in second place some 11,981 votes behind the sitting Conservative
MP John Carlisle
. He was elected to the House of Commons at the 1997 General Election
for Luton North with a majority of 9,626 (taking it from the Conservatives, with over half of the total votes) and has remained the MP there since. He made his maiden speech
on 28 November 1997.
In parliament
he was a member of the broadcasting select committee for two years from 1999, and has served on the Public Administration Select Committee
since 2002. He has also served as an adviser to the Minister of Sport Richard Caborn
on yachting
since 2002. He is a member of many all-party groups and is the chairman of the group on further education and lifelong learning
; he serves as the vice chairman on the groups on jazz appreciation
; historic vehicles
; Norway
; constitution and citizenship; transport infrastructure and trans-European networks; he also serves as the treasurer to the group on building societies
and financial mutuals. He is on the left wing of the party, being a member of the Socialist Campaign Group
.
In the fiscal year of 2007-08, total expenses claims amounted to £121,809, of which second home allowance was £1,242. He also emerged well from the 2009 MPs expenses scandal
, being deemed a Daily Telegraph "saint" for minimal second home claims.
In June, 2010, he was selected as a Labour member of the Transport Select Committee.
Hopkins has signed the People's Pledge
a newly created cross party campaign for an EU referendum and is a member of its Advisory Council.
, having signed an early day motion in support of its continued funding on the National Health Service
.
, he is a keen photographer
, saxophonist
, and enjoys sailing
on the Norfolk Broads. He is an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society
and is a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association
, as well as a vice-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group. He is a governor of Luton Sixth Form College
(since 1993). He has lived in Luton since November 1969. He commutes to Westminster on the train via Thameslink
.
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
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, who has been 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 Luton North
Luton North (UK Parliament constituency)
Luton North is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
since 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...
.
Background
Kelvin Hopkins was born in LeicesterLeicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, the son of renowned physicist Harold Hopkins
Harold Hopkins
Harold Horace Hopkins FRS was a renowned British physicist. His Wave Theory of Aberrations, , is central to all modern optical design and provides the mathematical analysis which enables the use of computers to create the wealth of high quality lenses available today...
FRS, and was educated at the Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School for Boys
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School for Boys
Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet is a boys' grammar school in Barnet, North London, which was founded in 1573 by Edward Underne, Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester and others, in the name of Queen Elizabeth I..-Admissions:...
, Barnet
Barnet
High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, North London, England. It is a suburban development built around a twelfth-century settlement and is located north north-west of Charing Cross. Its name is often abbreviated to Barnet, which is also the name of the London...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and the University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
where he was awarded a 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...
degree in Politics, Economics and Mathematics with Statistics. In his early years he was for a time (1958-63) a "semi-professional" jazz musician playing tenor saxophone and clarinet.
With the exception of two years as a lecturer at the St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
FE College (now called Oaklands College
Oaklands College
Oaklands College is a Further education college in Hertfordshire, England in the United Kingdom.- Profile :Oaklands College is a large general Further Education College. It has campus sites in St Albans City, St Albans Smallford, Alban Park, Welwyn Garden City and a further training provision in...
) from 1971 he has worked entirely within the trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
movement. He joined the Trades Union Congress
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
as an economist in 1969, and rejoined the TUC following his stint in education in 1973. He was appointed as a policy and research officer with NALGO in 1977, leaving its successor 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...
in 1994.
Political career
Hopkins was a councillor on Luton Borough Council for four years from 1972. He unsuccessfully contested Luton NorthLuton North (UK Parliament constituency)
Luton North is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
at 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...
finishing in second place some 11,981 votes behind the sitting 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 John Carlisle
John Russell Carlisle
John Russell Carlisle is a former Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the Luton West constituency and later Luton North constituency in Bedfordshire...
. He was elected to the House of Commons at 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...
for Luton North with a majority of 9,626 (taking it from the Conservatives, with over half of the total votes) and has remained the MP there since. He 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 28 November 1997.
In parliament
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
he was a member of the broadcasting select committee for two years from 1999, and has served on the Public Administration Select Committee
Public Administration Select Committee
The Public Administration Select Committee is a Select Committee appointed by the British House of Commons to examine the reports of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and to consider matters relating to the quality and standards of administration provided by civil service departments,...
since 2002. He has also served as an adviser to the Minister of Sport Richard Caborn
Richard Caborn
Richard George Caborn PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Central from 1983 to 2010...
on yachting
Yachting
Yachting refers to recreational sailing or boating, the specific act of sailing or using other water vessels for sporting purposes.-Competitive sailing:...
since 2002. He is a member of many all-party groups and is the chairman of the group on further education and lifelong learning
Lifelong learning
Lifelong learning is the continuous building of skills and knowledge throughout the life of an individual. It occurs through experiences encountered in the course of a lifetime...
; he serves as the vice chairman on the groups on jazz appreciation
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
; historic vehicles
Classic car
A classic car is an older car; the exact meaning is variable. The Classic Car Club of America maintains that a car must be between 20 and 40 years old to be a classic, while cars over 45 years fall into the Antique Class.- Classic Car Club of America :...
; Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
; constitution and citizenship; transport infrastructure and trans-European networks; he also serves as the treasurer to the group on building societies
Building society
A building society is a financial institution owned by its members as a mutual organization. Building societies offer banking and related financial services, especially mortgage lending. These institutions are found in the United Kingdom and several other countries.The term "building society"...
and financial mutuals. He is on the left wing of the party, being 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...
.
In the fiscal year of 2007-08, total expenses claims amounted to £121,809, of which second home allowance was £1,242. He also emerged well from the 2009 MPs 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...
, being deemed a Daily Telegraph "saint" for minimal second home claims.
In June, 2010, he was selected as a Labour member of the Transport Select Committee.
Hopkins has signed the People's Pledge
People's Pledge
The People's Pledge is a political campaign that seeks a referendum in the United Kingdom on the European Union. It aims to achieve this by getting voters to sign a pledge to help secure a majority of Members of Parliament in Parliament who support an EU referendum. The 1975 European Communities...
a newly created cross party campaign for an EU referendum and is a member of its Advisory Council.
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 an 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...
.
Personal life
He married Patricia Mabel Langley on 21 August 1965 in Barnet and they have a son and a daughter. A French speakerFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, he is a keen photographer
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, and enjoys sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
on the Norfolk Broads. 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 is 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...
, as well as a vice-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group. He is a governor of Luton Sixth Form College
Luton Sixth Form College
Luton Sixth Form College is a sixth form college situated in Luton, Bedfordshire, England.-Admissions:It is noted for its multiethnic population; 62% of the College's students are from minority ethnic groups.-History:...
(since 1993). He has lived in Luton since November 1969. He commutes to Westminster on the train via Thameslink
Thameslink
Thameslink is a fifty-station main-line route in the British railway system running north to south through London from Bedford to Brighton, serving both London Gatwick Airport and London Luton Airport. It opened as a through service in 1988 and by 1998 was severely overcrowded, carrying more than...
.
External links
- Kelvin Hopkin's Website
- ePolitix - Kelvin Hopkins ePolitix website
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Kelvin Hopkins MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Kelvin Hopkins MP
- The Public Whip - Kelvin Hopkins MP voting record
- BBC News - Kelvin Hopkins profile 10 February, 2005