72.13.91.132 (talk) Removed unbalanced comment and innuendo which appears to be written from a party political POV. Tag: references removed |
77.68.47.88 (talk) Undid revision 358724724 by Widefox (talk) Tag: references removed |
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On Christmas Eve 2008 Grant Shapps [http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Tories_unveil_homelessness_strategy&in_article_id=456316&in_page_id=34&in_a_source= launched] the Conservative [http://www.shapps.com/reports Blueprint for Tackling Homelessness] at St Mungos Homeless Hostel in Camden. |
On Christmas Eve 2008 Grant Shapps [http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Tories_unveil_homelessness_strategy&in_article_id=456316&in_page_id=34&in_a_source= launched] the Conservative [http://www.shapps.com/reports Blueprint for Tackling Homelessness] at St Mungos Homeless Hostel in Camden. |
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==Business== |
==Business== |
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In 1990, aged 21, Grant Shapps founded [http://www.printhouse.co.uk/company PrintHouse Corporation], a design, print, website creation and marketing business sited in London. |
In 1990, aged 21, Grant Shapps founded [http://www.printhouse.co.uk/company PrintHouse Corporation], a design, print, website creation and marketing business sited in London. He stepped down as a Director in the same week in 2009 when MP's expenses were made public during the expenses scandal, and it became clear that he had utilised PrintHouse for numerous transactions<ref>BBC MP's Additional Cost Allowances http://mpsallowances.parliament.uk/mpslordsandoffices/hocallowances/allowances-by-mp/grant-shapps/grant_shapps_0708_CA.pdf</ref>. |
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He was also a director of How To Corp Ltd http://www.howtocorp.com <ref>Grant Shapps, Changes to the Register of Members' Interests http://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=11917</ref> where he used the pseudonym Michael Green<ref>Hugh Muir's Diary http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2005/dec/08/1</ref>. It had become clear moonlighting was no longer acceptable <ref>Tories intend to keep second jobs until next election http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/25/mps-second-jobs-conservative-party</ref>. As of 2008, his wealth was estimated at £1m<ref>19 of the 29 Shadow Cabinet members are MILLIONAIRES http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/article8061.ece</ref>. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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===Grant Shapps=== |
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* [http://www.shapps.com/ Grant Shapps MP] official site |
* [http://www.shapps.com/ Grant Shapps MP] official site |
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* [http://www. |
* [http://www.SaveMySurgery.com SaveMySurgery.com] by Grant Shapps |
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* [http://www. |
* [http://www.SaveNewBarnfield.comm SaveNewBarnfield.com] by Grant Shapps |
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* [http://www.SaveNewBarnfield.comm SaveNewBarnfield.com] |
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* [http://www.cond.org.uk/ COND Campaign] Innocent Children Off DNA Database run by Grant Shapps |
* [http://www.cond.org.uk/ COND Campaign] Innocent Children Off DNA Database run by Grant Shapps |
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* [http://www.welhatpostoffices.org Save Our Welwyn Hatfield Post Office] |
* [http://www.welhatpostoffices.org Save Our Welwyn Hatfield Post Office] by Grant Shapps |
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* [http://www.HospitalSOS.com Hospital SOS] Campaign to save acute services at QE2 Hospital in Welwyn Garden City |
* [http://www.HospitalSOS.com Hospital SOS] Campaign to save acute services at QE2 Hospital in Welwyn Garden City by Grant Shapps |
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* [http://www.Quieter-A1M.com Quieter A1M Motorway through Welwyn Hatfield] |
* [http://www.Quieter-A1M.com Quieter A1M Motorway through Welwyn Hatfield] by Grant Shapps |
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* [http://www.48HourGP.com 48 Hour GP] Website to track problems with GP appointment booking nationwide |
* [http://www.48HourGP.com 48 Hour GP] Website to track problems with GP appointment booking nationwide by Grant Shapps |
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* [http://www.printhouse.co.uk/ PrintHouse Corporation] Design & Print company founded by Grant Shapps |
* [http://www.printhouse.co.uk/ PrintHouse Corporation] Design & Print company founded by Grant Shapps |
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===Other=== |
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*[http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/grant_shapps/welwyn_hatfield They Work For You — Grant Shapps Former Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield] |
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*[http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Grant_Shapps&mpc=Welwyn_Hatfield&house=commons The Public Whip — Grant Shapps MP] voting record |
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* {{Hansard-contribs | mr-grant-shapps | Grant Shapps }} |
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Revision as of 06:51, 28 April 2010
Grant Shapps (born 14 September 1968, Watford) is the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Welwyn Hatfield in the United Kingdom. He first won the seat in the 2005 election on 5 May 2005.
Biography
Shapps was born in Watford in Hertfordshire and educated at Watford Grammar School for Boys, followed by Cassio College where he completed a Business & Finance course at Manchester Metropolitan University (then Manchester Polytechnic), where he received a Higher National Diploma[1]. In 1990 he founded his own printing company, PrintHouse Corporation. It has grown into a successful commercial design, print and web development company.[1]
Shapps married Belinda Goldstone in 1997 and they have three children[2]. Shapps' cousin is Mick Jones, of punk rock band the Clash.[3]
Political career
Shapps first stood for Parliament during the 1997 election as the Conservative candidate for North Southwark and Bermondsey[4]. In 1999 he was selected for the Welwyn Hatfield constituency for the 2001 election.[citation needed]
Shapps was reselected to fight Welwyn Hatfield in 2002 and continued his local campaigning over the next four years, he stood again in the 2005 election and was elected as the Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield, defeating the Labour MP and by then Minister for Public Health, Melanie Johnson. He received 22,172 votes (49.6%) recording the second highest swing in the 2005 election of 8.2% from Labour to Conservative, a majority of 5,946 (13.3%). According to Simon Hoggart writing in The Guardian, Shapps had 22 pictures of himself in his election address,[5] although Hoggart did later concede that those who pitched "person" over "party" at a time when the Conservative Party was behind in the polls actually received better results in the 2005 election.[5] The Welwyn Hatfield swing was the second highest Labour to Conservative swing of the 2005 election, Welwyn Hatfield was one of the most marginal seats in the country.[5] Grant Shapps founded and runs the busy Welwyn Hatfield Discussion Forum.
Shapps publicly backed David Cameron's bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party, seconding Cameron's nomination papers. Upon Cameron's election as Party Leader Shapps was appointed Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party with responsibility for Campaigning.[citation needed]
Shapps was a member of the Public Administration Select Committee between May 2005 and February 2007. In July 2007 Shapps was 'promoted' to attend the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Housing Minister.
Shadow housing minister
In July 2007, Grant Shapps became Shadow Housing Minister attending Shadow Cabinet[6].
At a time when Prime Minister Gordon Brown made housing a priority, Shapps became responsible for developing Conservative housing policy.[citation needed] He argues in favour of a community-up approach to solving the housing crisis and warns against the Government's strategy of top-down Whitehall driven housing targets, which he believes have failed in the past.[7] His Housing portfolio is considered to be one of the battlegrounds for the next British General Election.[citation needed] In his 2007, 2008 and 2009 Conservative Party Conference speeches on Housing, Shapps outlined a vision of localism being used to replace centrally imposed housing targets with the aim of creating more new build overall.[8] Shapps was Shadow Housing Minister during the period of the last four Labour Government Housing Ministers.
In April 2009 Grant Shapps launched the Conservative Party's 9th Green Paper on policy called Strong Foundations. In it Shapps argues for new Local Housing Trusts designed to allow local communities to grant themselves planning permission to expand and a new Right To Move intended to encourage more mobility within the social housing sector.
Reports and Research
During his time in Parliament, Grant Shapps researched and published reports[9] on a variety of subjects that received national press coverage.[10][11][12][13]
Since becoming Shadow Housing Minister, five of Shapps' reports have dealt with the causes and effect of homelessness from rough sleeping through to so-called "sofa surfing".[14] On Christmas Eve 2007, Shapps slept on the pavement of Victoria station in a sleeping bag, waking Christmas morning soaked from a downpour.[15] Shapps says he wanted to draw attention to the fact that there are 130,000 homeless children in England, saying, "It served its purpose. Homelessness struggles to get on the news agenda and I wanted to try and highlight the plight of children who sleep rough every night".[15] His work became sufficiently influential within the homelessness sector that when he launched the Homelessness Foundation with Conservative leader David Cameron in May 2008, leading lights from the sector including Chief Executives from charities like Shelter, Crisis and the Founder of the Big Issue, John Bird, all joined the Advisory Panel of the Conservative Homelessness Foundation[16]. The Foundation's aim is to provide academic research into homelessness[17].
On Christmas Eve 2008 Grant Shapps launched the Conservative Blueprint for Tackling Homelessness at St Mungos Homeless Hostel in Camden.
Business
In 1990, aged 21, Grant Shapps founded PrintHouse Corporation, a design, print, website creation and marketing business sited in London. He stepped down as a Director in the same week in 2009 when MP's expenses were made public during the expenses scandal, and it became clear that he had utilised PrintHouse for numerous transactions[18]. He was also a director of How To Corp Ltd http://www.howtocorp.com [19] where he used the pseudonym Michael Green[20]. It had become clear moonlighting was no longer acceptable [21]. As of 2008, his wealth was estimated at £1m[22].
Expenses
In the MP's expenses scandal of 2009 Grant Shapps was categorised by The Telegraph as an Expenses Saint [23].
References
- ^ a b BBC - Meet the MP: Grant Shapps
- ^ Grant Shapps MP - Profile Conservative Party
- ^ Newsnight, BBC2, 14th April 2010
- ^ The Guardian
- ^ a b c Simon Hoggart, "Here is Paul ... and here ... and here", The Guardian, 14 May 2005.
- ^ Grant Shapps MP - Profile - Conservative Party
- ^ Andrew Porter, "Shapps Sleeps rough for Christmas", The Telegraph, 29 December 2007.
- ^ Text of Grant Shapps's 2007 conference speech.
- ^ National investigations and reports from Grant Shapps MP
- ^ Roughly Sleeping on BBC Radio 4 Today Programme [1].
- ^ The Messy Business of Conception on BBC TV
- ^ Underperformance of the Assets Recovery Agency on BBC Radio File on 4
- ^ Inconsistencies regarding retention of innocent children's DNA Data BBC One TV News Coverage [2]
- ^ Studies and Reports by Grant Shapps MP
- ^ a b Porter, Andrew (GMT 29/12/2007). How Grant Shapps slept rough for Christmas, telegraph.co.uk. Accessed 2008-05-31.
- ^ BBC Homelessness a disgrace - Cameron
- ^ Tories launch new group to tackle homelessness
- ^ BBC MP's Additional Cost Allowances http://mpsallowances.parliament.uk/mpslordsandoffices/hocallowances/allowances-by-mp/grant-shapps/grant_shapps_0708_CA.pdf
- ^ Grant Shapps, Changes to the Register of Members' Interests http://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=11917
- ^ Hugh Muir's Diary http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2005/dec/08/1
- ^ Tories intend to keep second jobs until next election http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/25/mps-second-jobs-conservative-party
- ^ 19 of the 29 Shadow Cabinet members are MILLIONAIRES http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/article8061.ece
- ^ [3]
External links
Grant Shapps
- Grant Shapps MP official site
- SaveMySurgery.com by Grant Shapps
- SaveNewBarnfield.com by Grant Shapps
- COND Campaign Innocent Children Off DNA Database run by Grant Shapps
- Save Our Welwyn Hatfield Post Office by Grant Shapps
- Hospital SOS Campaign to save acute services at QE2 Hospital in Welwyn Garden City by Grant Shapps
- Quieter A1M Motorway through Welwyn Hatfield by Grant Shapps
- 48 Hour GP Website to track problems with GP appointment booking nationwide by Grant Shapps
- PrintHouse Corporation Design & Print company founded by Grant Shapps