David Laws: Difference between revisions
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===Expenses=== |
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On 28 May 2010, the ''[[Daily Telegraph]]'' claimed that Laws had claimed over £40,000 on his expenses in the form of second home costs, from 2004 to late 2009.<ref name="BBC Expenses"/> In actual fact, he had been renting a room at a property owned by his long-term partner, James Lundie.<ref name="Telg Expenses">{{citeweb|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/7780642/MPs-Expenses-Treasury-chief-David-Laws-his-secret-lover-and-a-40000-claim.html|title=MPs' Expenses: Treasury chief David Laws, his secret lover and a £40,000 claim|publisher=Daily Telegraph|date=2010-05-28|accessdate=2010-05-28}}</ref> |
On 28 May 2010, the ''[[Daily Telegraph]]'' claimed that Laws had claimed over £40,000 on his expenses in the form of second home costs, from 2004 to late 2009.<ref name="BBC Expenses"/> In actual fact, he had been renting a room at a property owned by his long-term partner, James Lundie.<ref name="Telg Expenses">{{citeweb|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/7780642/MPs-Expenses-Treasury-chief-David-Laws-his-secret-lover-and-a-40000-claim.html|title=MPs' Expenses: Treasury chief David Laws, his secret lover and a £40,000 claim|publisher=Daily Telegraph|date=2010-05-28|accessdate=2010-05-28}}</ref> Lundie who works for the Political Affairs team of [[political lobbying|lobbying]] firm, [[Edelman]].<ref>{{citeweb|url=http://elections.edelman.co.uk/author/james-lundie/|title=Election 2010|publisher=Edelmans|accessdate=2010-05-28}}</ref> |
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According to the ''Telegraph'', Laws claimed between £700 and £950 a month between 2004 and 2007 to sub-let a room in a flat owned and lived in by his partner in [[Kennington]], [[South London]].<ref name="BBC Expenses"/> After the flat was sold for a profit of £193,000 in 2007, Laws's partner bought a nearby house for £510,000. Laws then began claiming to rent the “second bedroom” in this property, at a cost of £920 a month, until September 2009. Laws, whose main home is in his Yeovil constituency, then began renting another flat. This flat was not owned by his partner, who remained at the Kennington house. Since 2006, parliamentary rules have banned MPs from “leasing accommodation from...a partner.”<ref name="Telg Expenses"/> |
According to the ''Telegraph'', Laws claimed between £700 and £950 a month between 2004 and 2007 to sub-let a room in a flat owned and lived in by his partner in [[Kennington]], [[South London]].<ref name="BBC Expenses"/> After the flat was sold for a profit of £193,000 in 2007, Laws's partner bought a nearby house for £510,000. Laws then began claiming to rent the “second bedroom” in this property, at a cost of £920 a month, until September 2009. Laws, whose main home is in his Yeovil constituency, then began renting another flat. This flat was not owned by his partner, who remained at the Kennington house. Since 2006, parliamentary rules have banned MPs from “leasing accommodation from...a partner.”<ref name="Telg Expenses"/> |
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Revision as of 23:08, 28 May 2010
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (May 2010) |
David Laws | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief Secretary to the Treasury | |
| Assumed office 12 May 2010 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Liam Byrne |
| Member of Parliament for Yeovil | |
| Assumed office 7 June 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Paddy Ashdown |
| Majority | 13,036 (22.8%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 November 1965 Farnham, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Domestic partner | James Lundie |
| Alma mater | King's College, Cambridge |
David Anthony Laws (born 30 November 1965) is a British politician and the current Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He is a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Yeovil, which was previously represented by Paddy Ashdown. There was a substantial swing against the Liberal Democrats when Laws was first elected, but his majority has since increased to more than 13,000.
Following the 1999 Scottish Parliament election, Laws played a leading advisory role in the negotiation of the Scottish Parliament coalition agreement with Labour, as the UK party's then Policy Director.[1] Laws was again a lead negotiator following the 2010 general election, part of the team of four that negotiated a deal for the Liberal Democrats to go into a governing coalition with the Conservatives.[2] He was one of five Liberal Democrats to obtain Cabinet positions when the coalition was formed, becoming Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Biography
Laws was born in Farnham, Surrey, and educated at St George's College, a Roman Catholic independent school in Weybridge from 1974 to 1984. Laws graduated with a double first from King's College, Cambridge, in economics in 1987.
Career
Laws went into investment banking, becoming a Vice President at JP Morgan from 1987 to 1992 and then Managing Director, being the Head of US Dollar and Sterling Treasuries at Barclays de Zoete Wedd.
He left in 1994 to take up the role of economic adviser to the Liberal Democrats. From 1997–9 he was the party's Director of Policy and Research.
Parliamentary career
He contested Folkestone and Hythe in 1997.
On his election to parliament he became a member of the Treasury Committee, and in November 2001 he was appointed the party's deputy defence spokesperson. A year he later took up the position of Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury and launched "a spending review".
He was appointed the Liberal Democrats' Work and Pensions Spokesman in 2005, a position in which he has been highly critical of the government's handling of the Child Support Agency and flaws in the tax credits system. He subsequently served his party as the Liberal Democrat Children, Schools and Families spokesman.
He is the co-editor of the Orange Book (2004).
Shadow Chancellor George Osborne offered Laws, who is generally seen, along with other Orange Book authors, as being on the right-wing of the Lib Dems, a seat in the Conservative Shadow Cabinet, but was rebuffed, with Laws saying "But I am not a Tory, and if I merely wanted a fast track to a top job, I would have acted on this instinct a long time ago." [3][4]
Following the resignation of Sir Menzies Campbell on 15 October 2007, he announced that he would not be a candidate for the leadership of the party.[5]
Government
Following the 2010 general election, Laws joined the Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He has been tasked with cutting spending in order to reduce the UK deficit.[6]
On leaving his position as Chief secretary to the Treasury following the change of UK government in May 2010, his predecessor Liam Byrne left him a note that stated, "Dear Chief Secretary, I’m afraid to tell you there’s no money left. Kind regards - and good luck! Liam". Byrne said the letter was meant as a private joke.[7]
Outlining spending cuts in May 2010 Laws said Child Trust Fund payments would be axed by January 2011.He said halting these payments to newborns from the end of the year - and the top-up payments - would save £520m. Mr Laws said: "The years of public sector plenty are over, but the more decisively we act the quicker and stronger we can come through these tough times." He said that "We also promise to cut with care, we are going to be a progressive government even in these tough times." [8]
Expenses
On 28 May 2010, the Daily Telegraph claimed that Laws had claimed over £40,000 on his expenses in the form of second home costs, from 2004 to late 2009.[9] In actual fact, he had been renting a room at a property owned by his long-term partner, James Lundie.[10] Lundie who works for the Political Affairs team of lobbying firm, Edelman.[11]
According to the Telegraph, Laws claimed between £700 and £950 a month between 2004 and 2007 to sub-let a room in a flat owned and lived in by his partner in Kennington, South London.[9] After the flat was sold for a profit of £193,000 in 2007, Laws's partner bought a nearby house for £510,000. Laws then began claiming to rent the “second bedroom” in this property, at a cost of £920 a month, until September 2009. Laws, whose main home is in his Yeovil constituency, then began renting another flat. This flat was not owned by his partner, who remained at the Kennington house. Since 2006, parliamentary rules have banned MPs from “leasing accommodation from...a partner.”[10]
A spokesman for UK Prime Minister David Cameron said: "The prime minister has been made aware of this situation and he agrees with David Laws's decision to refer himself to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner."[9]
See Also
References
- ^ Mark Pack, A Delicate Balance: the history of Liberals and hung Parliaments, 30 September 2009
- ^ Haroon, Siddique (11 May 2010). "Profiles: The Liberal Democrat, Conservative and Labour negotiators". The Guardian.
- ^ Tories step up hunt for defectors, BBC News, 23 March 2007
- ^ Open maw not big tent, The Guardian, 22 June 2007
- ^ Menzies Campbell resigns as leader of the Lib Dems after just two years
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8675705.stm
- ^ Hutton, Robert. "`There's No Money Left,' U.K. Minister Learns From Predecessor". Bloomberg. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
- ^ George Osborne outlines detail of £6.2bn spending cuts
- ^ a b c "Treasury Minister David Laws apologises over expenses". BBC News. 28 May 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
- ^ a b "MPs' Expenses: Treasury chief David Laws, his secret lover and a £40,000 claim". Daily Telegraph. 28 May 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
- ^ "Election 2010". Edelmans. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
External links
- David Laws MP official constituency website
- Profile at the Liberal Democrats Party
- Yeovil Liberal Democrats
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
- Website at ePolitix.com
- Profile: David Laws BBC News, 17 October 2007
- BBC Politics page