Lee Scott (politician)
Lee Scott | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Essex County Councillor for Chigwell & Loughton Broadway | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Gagan Mohindra |
| Member of Parliament forIlford North | |
| In office 5 May 2005 – 30 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Linda Perham |
| Succeeded by | Wes Streeting |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 April 1956 West Ham,Essex, England, UK |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Estelle Dombey |
| Children | 5 |
| Website | www.lee-scott.org.uk |
Lee Scott(born 6 April 1956)[1]is aBritish Conservative Partypolitician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) forIlford Northfrom2005until his defeat at the2015 general election.Scott is an officer of theConservative Friends of Israel.[2]In the2021 Essex County Council electionhe was elected to the ward of Chigwell & Loughton Broadway.
Early life and career[edit]
Scott was born in theEast End of Londonto aBritish Jewishfamily.[3]He was educated at Clarks College in Ilford[1][4][5]and theLondon College of Distributive Trades.[1][6]
From 1972 to 1982, Scott was a Director of Scott & Fishell. He was a sales executive forToshibafrom 1982 to 1984, forITTfrom 1984 to 1986, and forNKRfrom 1986 to 1988. From 1988 to 1998, he was Campaign Director for theUnited Jewish Israel Appeal.[1]
He became a professional fundraiser for several charities, and has also volunteered withVictim Support.He was selected as the Conservative candidate forWaveneyin the2001 general electionbut failed to win the seat fromLabour.[1]
Member of Parliament[edit]
In the2005 general election,Scott gained theIlford Northseat,[1]a key Conservative target that election, defeating the sittingLabourMPLinda Perham.He has a special interest inautismand presented aPrivate Member's Billto Parliament dealing with the care of autistic children once they reached adulthood. He was a member of theselect committeeon transport and was on the select committee on health.
Scott, Patron of the UK Autism Foundation, was nominated by the charity for his work supporting parents, carers, children and adults withautism spectrum disordersacross the United Kingdom. He met Prime MinisterTony Blairand autism campaignerIvan Coreaafter he raised the issue of autism atPrime Minister's Questions.[7]On 9 December 2010, he abstained from voting on the Higher Tuition Fees Bill, which meant he had to resign his position as an aide to the Transport Secretary,Philip Hammond.[8]
During a Parliamentary debate onanti-Semitismin 2014, he stated that he had received several death threats because of his espousal ofJudaism,including five in the last year.[9]From May 2018 to June 2019, Scott was Special Adviser to theSecretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government,James Brokenshire.
At the2015 general election,despite his party gaining an overall majority, Scott lost his seat to Labour'sWes Streeting;Scott said it was like a "bereavement", commenting that he "didn't anticipate losing". Speaking toThe Guardian,he added "It was so close, but right up until 30 minutes before, I was being told that I'd done it – that I'd just scraped home".[10]He stood again at the2017 snap electioncalled byTheresa May,but was unsuccessful, with the seat seeing an 8.5% swing from the Conservatives to Labour. He had previously said he would not stand again, but chose to do so after receiving "200 calls" from supporters who urged him to do so.[11]In 2018, Scott said that he would not be standing again because "I wouldn't put my family through what we went through in the last three of those four elections", referring to what investigative journalistJohn Warecalled "an antisemitic campaign aimed at ousting him from Parliament" linked toMend(Muslim Engagement and Development).[12]
Personal life[edit]
Scott married Estelle Dombey in 1987; he has three daughters and two sons.[1]He supportsLeyton Orient F.C.[1]
References[edit]
- ^abcdefgh'SCOTT, Lee', Who's Who 2013, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2013; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2012; online edn, Nov 2012accessed 31 Dec 2012
- ^Conservative Friends of Israel website,cfoi.co.uk; accessed 15 May 2015.
- ^Jessica Elgot."New Jewish ministers and the Miliband rivalry".The Jewish Chronicle.
- ^"Ilford North".UKPollingReport.Retrieved10 February2008.
- ^Button, Peter (17 April 1999)."On The Lookout For Old Clarkonians".This is local London.Newsquest Media Group. Archived fromthe originalon 23 December 2003.Retrieved10 February2008.
- ^"Meet the MP: Lee Scott".BBC News.BBC. 12 August 2005.Retrieved10 February2008.
- ^"UK Prime Minister meets Autism Campaigners".Retrieved15 May2015.
- ^"Prime Minister's questions".BBC News. 26 January 2011.Retrieved15 May2015.
- ^"Jewish MP Lee Scott says he has received death threats".BBC. 10 July 2014.Retrieved7 April2015.
- ^Bland, Archie (11 May 2015)."'It's like a bereavement': how former MPs cope with a shock defeat ".The Guardian.Retrieved8 March2021.
- ^Blackburn, Ralph (27 April 2017)."Election 2017: Lee Scott confirmed as Conservative candidate for Ilford North".Ilford Recorder.Retrieved8 March2021.
- ^Ware, John."John Ware: The race row played out on streets of Ilford".www.thejc.com.Retrieved8 March2021.
External links[edit]
- Lee Scott MPbiography at the site of the Conservative Party
- ProfileatParliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in ParliamentatHansard
- Voting recordatPublic Whip
- Record in ParliamentatTheyWorkForYou
