Paul Uppal
Encyclopedia
Paul Singh Uppal is a Conservative Party
politician from the United Kingdom
. He was elected as the Member of Parliament
for Wolverhampton South West in the 2010 general election, winning the seat from the Labour Party
sitting MP Rob Marris
, with 16,344 votes and a majority of 691.
, to Surjit Singh Uppal, a magistrate, and Balbir Kaur on 14 June 1967. His parents are Sikhs of East African descent. He attended Harborne Hill Comprehensive School and left with 3 A levels in Politics, History & Sociology in 1985. He studied Politics and Sociology at Warwick University.
He married wife Kashmir, a lawyer, on 17 November 1991 in Derby. They have three children together. He holds a season ticket
for Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, and is a trustee of the second largest Gurdwara
(Sikh
Temple) in Wolverhampton.
. The seat was traditionally a Conservative-Labour marginal, but became a three-way marginal at the 1992 general election
and a Labour-Liberal Democrat marginal since the 1997 general election
, with the Conservatives pushed into an increasingly distant third place. Uppal came third in 2005, winning just 2,970 votes, with Liberal Democrat John Hemming
replacing the retiring Labour MP Estelle Morris
.
He was selected as the Conservative party candidate on 16 February 2007, in an open primary
in which all residents of Wolverhampton South West had a vote, not just party members, held at Molineux Stadium
. The seat was traditionally a safe Conservative seat, held by Enoch Powell
from 1950 to 1974 and then by Nicholas Budgen
until 1997, when it became a Labour marginal held by Jenny Jones
until 2001 and then Rob Marris
until 2010. However, the Labour majorities gradually reducing at each election, and Uppal won the seat for the Conservatives in 2010.
In July 2010 he was elected Chairman of the All Party Urban Development Group.
In October 2011 he voted against a referendum on the UK's membership of European Union
.
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...
politician from the United Kingdom
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...
. He was elected as 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,...
for Wolverhampton South West in the 2010 general election, winning the seat from 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...
sitting MP Rob Marris
Rob Marris
Robert Howard Marris is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South West from 2001 to 2010....
, with 16,344 votes and a majority of 691.
Early life
Uppal was born in BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, to Surjit Singh Uppal, a magistrate, and Balbir Kaur on 14 June 1967. His parents are Sikhs of East African descent. He attended Harborne Hill Comprehensive School and left with 3 A levels in Politics, History & Sociology in 1985. He studied Politics and Sociology at Warwick University.
He married wife Kashmir, a lawyer, on 17 November 1991 in Derby. They have three children together. He holds a season ticket
Season ticket
A season ticket is a ticket that grants privileges over a defined period of time.-Sport:In sport, a season ticket grants the holder access to all regular-season home games for one season without additional charges. The ticket usually offers a discounted price over purchasing a ticket for each of...
for Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, and is a trustee of the second largest Gurdwara
Gurdwara
A Gurdwara , meaning the Gateway to the Guru, is the place of worship for Sikhs, the followers of Sikhism. A Gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib ....
(Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
Temple) in Wolverhampton.
Political career
Paul Uppal was selected as Conservative Party candidate for Birmingham Yardley less than three months before 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....
. The seat was traditionally a Conservative-Labour marginal, but became a three-way marginal 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 a Labour-Liberal Democrat marginal since 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...
, with the Conservatives pushed into an increasingly distant third place. Uppal came third in 2005, winning just 2,970 votes, with Liberal Democrat John Hemming
John Hemming (politician)
John Alexander Melvin Hemming is a British politician, the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Yardley and Group Chair of the Liberal Democrats on the city council of Birmingham, England....
replacing the retiring Labour MP Estelle Morris
Estelle Morris
Estelle Morris, Baroness Morris of Yardley, PC was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Yardley from 1992 to 2005, and served briefly in the Cabinet as Education Secretary.-Early life:...
.
He was selected as the Conservative party candidate on 16 February 2007, in an open primary
Open primary
An open primary is a primary election that does not require voters to be affiliated with a political party in order to vote for partisan candidates. In a traditional open primary, voters may select one party's ballot and vote for that party's nomination. As in a closed primary, the highest voted...
in which all residents of Wolverhampton South West had a vote, not just party members, held at Molineux Stadium
Molineux stadium
Molineux Stadium is a Premier League football stadium situated in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, England. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club since 1889, and has a long and illustrious history as the first 'new build' stadium in Football League history, one of the...
. The seat was traditionally a safe Conservative seat, held by Enoch Powell
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
from 1950 to 1974 and then by Nicholas Budgen
Nicholas Budgen
Nicholas William Budgen , often called Nick Budgen, was a British Conservative Party politician.Named after St...
until 1997, when it became a Labour marginal held by Jenny Jones
Jenny Jones (Labour politician)
Jennifer Grace Jones is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.Jones was selected to stand for election for Labour through an all-women shortlist. This method of selection was subsequently declared illegal in January 1996 as it breached sex discrimination laws...
until 2001 and then Rob Marris
Rob Marris
Robert Howard Marris is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South West from 2001 to 2010....
until 2010. However, the Labour majorities gradually reducing at each election, and Uppal won the seat for the Conservatives in 2010.
In July 2010 he was elected Chairman of the All Party Urban Development Group.
In October 2011 he voted against a referendum on the UK's membership of European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.