David Nuttall

David John Nuttall^[2] (born 25 March 1962) is a British Conservative Party politician. He is Member of Parliament (MP) for Bury North, having won his seat in the House of Commons at the 2010 general election.^[3]

Career

Nuttall was born in Sheffield and educated at Aston Comprehensive School in Rotherham.^[4] He left school at 18 and became a trainee solicitor in a firm of solicitors in Sheffield. He qualified as a fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives, and obtained a law degree by correspondence from the University of London.^[4] He was admitted as a solicitor in December 1990 and became a partner in his firm, rising to senior partner in 1998. He became a notary public in November 1998.^[4]

Politics

Nuttall joined the Conservative Party in 1980 and contested a number of local government elections, spending six years as a councillor on Rotherham Borough Council. He contested the constituency of Sheffield Hillsborough in the 1997 General Election, was one of the Conservative candidates for the constituency of Yorkshire and the Humber in the 1999 European Parliament elections, and contested the constituency of Morecambe and Lunesdale in the 2001 General Election.^[4]

He contested the seat of Bury North in 2005, but was defeated by incumbent Labour candidate David Chaytor. He contested the seat again in the 2010 election and was successful in overturning the Labour majority, winning by a margin of 2,243 (5.0%).^[3][4] Nuttall lives with his wife, Susan, in Tottington, Lancashire.^[4]

Appearances in Parliament

Nuttall made his maiden speech on 10 June 2010 during a debate on "Tackling Poverty in the UK".^[5][6] In his speech Nuttall said: "I intend to be a strong and independent advocate for my constituents".

Nuttall's first question in the House of Commons attracted some local comment when, in the week that cuts in spending and public sector job cuts were announced, Nuttall chose to express regret over the freezing of the spending on the civil list and implications for the Queen's diamond jubilee.^[7] The Bury Times carried several letters protesting his stance.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Nuttall is rated as one of the Conservatives' most rebellious MPs.^[12]

Nuttall handed PM David Cameron a petition for an in/out referendum on Britain's membership in the EU after he got 100,000 signatures calling for it. Afterwards, Cameron said he would not back such a referendum saying "it is in Britain's interest to remain in the EU". ^[13] On 5 February 2013 Nuttall voted against in the House of Commons Second Reading vote on same-sex marriage in Britain.^[14]

In 2013 Nuttall was one of four MPs who camped outside Parliament in a move to facilitate parliamentary debate on what they called an "Alternative Queen's Speech"—an attempt to show what a future Conservative government might deliver.^[15] Some 42 policies were listed including reintroduction of the death penalty and conscription, privatising the BBC, banning the burka in public places and preparation to leave the European Union.^[15]

In 2014 Nuttall along with six other Conservative Party MPs voted against the Equal Pay (Transparency) Bill which would require all companies with more than 250 employees to declare the gap in pay between the average male and average female salaries.^[16]

In October 2015 Nuttall joined with Conservative MPs Philip Davies and Christopher Chope to "talk out" a private members' bill intended to limit hospital parking charges for carers.^[17]

In March 2016 he joined three other Conservative backbench MPs in "talking out" a bill by Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, which aimed to reverse moves to privatise the NHS. By filibustering for three and a half hours, Caroline Lucas was left with just 17 minutes to present her bill, which was subsequently shelved without a vote.^[18]

In December 2016 he was criticised for implying that those who receive unemployment benefits are 'scared of getting a job'.^[19] His response was in opposition to the SNP who had been pushing against benefit sanctions, a controversial punishment for those deemed not to be searching for work hard enough in line with government recommendations. Benefit sanctions can last up to 3 years and leave the claimant with no legitimate source of income whatsoever for that period.

References

External links

• David Nuttall MP official constituency website
• David Nuttall MP Conservative Party profile
• Bury Conservatives
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record