Chris Leslie

{{for|the English electric folk musician|Chris Leslie (musician)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Chris Leslie

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Official portrait of Mr Chris Leslie crop 2.jpg

| caption = Official portrait, 2017

| office = Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer

| leader = Harriet Harman (acting)

| term_start = 11 May 2015

| term_end = 12 September 2015

| predecessor = Ed Balls

| successor = John McDonnell

| office3 = Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury

| leader3 = Ed Miliband

| term_start3 = 7 October 2013

| term_end3 = 11 May 2015

| predecessor3 = Rachel Reeves

| successor3 = Shabana Mahmood

| office4 = Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury

| leader4 = Ed Miliband

| term_start4 = 8 October 2010

| term_end4 = 7 October 2013

| predecessor4 = Stephen Timms

| successor4 = Shabana Mahmood

{{Collapsed infobox section begin|Ministerial offices

|titlestyle = border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder

|embed = yes

| office5 = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs

| primeminister5 = Tony Blair

| term_start5 = 13 June 2003

| term_end5 = 5 May 2005

| predecessor5 = Office established

| successor5 = Bridget Prentice

| office6 = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Regeneration and Regional Development

| primeminister6 = Tony Blair

| term_start6 = 29 May 2002

| term_end6 = 13 June 2003

| predecessor6 = Nick Raynsford{{efn|Office vacant between 29 July 1999 and 29 May 2002.}}

| successor6 = Yvette Cooper

| office7 = Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office

| primeminister7 = Tony Blair

| term_start7 = 11 June 2001

| term_end7 = 29 May 2002

| predecessor7 = Graham Stringer

| successor7 = Douglas Alexander

}}

{{Collapsed infobox section begin|last=yes|Parliamentary offices

|cont = yes

|titlestyle = border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder

|embed = yes

| office8 = Member of Parliament
for Nottingham East

| term_start8 = 6 May 2010

| term_end8 = 6 November 2019

| predecessor8 = John Heppell

| successor8 = Nadia Whittome

| office9 = Member of Parliament
for Shipley

| term_start9 = 1 May 1997

| term_end9 = 11 April 2005

| predecessor9 = Marcus Fox

| successor9 = Philip Davies

}}

| birth_name = Christopher Michael Leslie

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1972|6|28|df=y}}

| birth_place = Keighley, England

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Independent (since 2019)

| otherparty = Change UK (2019)
Labour and Co-operative (until 2019)

| spouse = Nicola Murphy

| alma_mater = University of Leeds

| website = [http://chrisleslie.org Official website]

| footnotes = {{Collapsible list

|titlestyle = background:lavender;text-align:center;

|title = Other offices

|bullets = on

| March–June 2019: Change UK Spokesperson for Economics and Trade

}}

Christopher Michael Leslie (born 28 June 1972) is a British business executive and former politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Shipley from 1997 to 2005 and Nottingham East from 2010 to 2019. A former member of the Labour Party, he defected to form Change UK and later became an independent politician.

Born in Keighley, Leslie was educated at Bingley Grammar School and graduated from the University of Leeds with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Parliamentary Studies and a Master of Arts in Industrial and Labour Studies. After working as an office administrator and political researcher, he was elected to Parliament for Shipley aged 24 at the 1997 general election.

Leslie was a minister in the Department for Constitutional Affairs from 2001 to 2005 but lost his seat at the 2005 general election. He was director of the New Local Government Network think-tank from 2005 until being elected for Nottingham East at the 2010 general election.

Between May and September 2015, Leslie served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in the shadow cabinet of acting Labour leader Harriet Harman. In 2018, he lost a motion of no confidence by his constituency party. In February 2019, Leslie left Labour alongside six other MPs in protest at the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn to form The Independent Group, later Change UK.

Early life (1972–1997)

Leslie was born in Keighley, West Riding of Yorkshire, and attended Bingley Grammar School before becoming a student at the University of Leeds, graduating in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Parliamentary Studies. From 1994 to 1996, he was an office administrator and gained a Master of Arts in Industrial and Labour Studies in 1996, afterwards becoming a political research assistant in Bradford. He was elected to Parliament a month before his 25th birthday.{{cite news|title=Chris Leslie: Electoral history and profile|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/3085/chris-leslie|access-date=2 September 2010}}{{cite web |publisher=Leeds University Reporter |url=http://reporter.leeds.ac.uk/402/section2.htm |date=19 May 1997 |title=From campus to Commons in just six months |access-date=2 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606004140/http://reporter.leeds.ac.uk/402/section2.htm |archive-date=6 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}

Parliamentary career

=In Parliament (1997–2005)=

At the age of 25, Leslie gained the seat of Shipley as a Labour Co-operative candidate in the 1997 general election defeating Marcus Fox, the chairman of the Conservative 1922 Committee and Shipley's Conservative MP since 1970. In the process, Leslie overturned a 12,382 majority, to return a 2,966 majority of his own. It was the neighbouring seat to his hometown of Keighley, another seat taken by Labour from the Conservatives in 1997.

Leslie was the Baby of the House when he first entered the Commons, remaining so until June 2000 when David Lammy, three weeks Leslie's junior, was elected. He was appointed Parliamentary private secretary to Lord Falconer for three-and-a-half years. Leslie held his seat in 2001, but his majority was reduced by a half to 1,428.

Shortly before his 30th birthday, he became a junior minister in the Cabinet Office in 2001, following the recent election. In 2002, he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. He then moved to spend almost two years as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Constitutional Affairs, working again under Falconer from 2003 to 2005. He never rebelled against a Government position during his first time in Parliament{{cite web|title=Christopher Leslie|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/christopher_leslie/shipley|access-date=2 September 2010|website=TheyWorkForYou}} including voting in favour of the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/10354/chris_leslie/nottingham_east/divisions?policy=1049|title=Chris Leslie MP, Nottingham East|website=TheyWorkForYou}}

In the 2005 general election, Leslie lost his seat to Conservative candidate Philip Davies, by fewer than 500 votes.

=Out of Parliament (2005–10)=

Leslie led Gordon Brown's successful (and uncontested) campaign for the leadership of the Labour Party in 2007.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7120088.stm |title=Chris Leslie: Statement in full |work=BBC News |date=29 November 2007 |access-date=2 September 2010}}{{cite news |title=Chris Leslie: If Brown is bold, he can make the voters turn back to Labour |work=The Yorkshire Post |date=20 January 2010 |access-date= 2 September 2010 |url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/opinion/Chris-Leslie-If-Brown-is.6000200.jp}} Having lost his seat in Shipley, in 2005, he became the director of the New Local Government Network, which was described in the Local Government Chronicle in 2001 as a "Blairite think-tank".{{cite web|title=Chris Leslie MP|date=29 March 2010 |url=http://www.nlgn.org.uk/public/alumni/chris-leslie-mp/|access-date=30 November 2016|publisher=New Local Government Network}}{{cite web|url=http://www.lgcplus.com/brum-in-turmoil-over-mayoral-vote/1319453.article |title=Brum in turmoil over Mayoral vote|work= Local Government Chronicle|date= 21 September 2001|access-date= 30 August 2013}}

On 14 April 2010, he was selected as the Labour parliamentary candidate for Nottingham East in the general election campaign, after the National Executive Committee imposed a shortlist and selection panel, following the late resignation of the MP John Heppell.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-leaders-activists-threaten-rebellion-as-brown-helps-secure-seat-for-ally-1941435.html |title=The leaders: Activists threaten rebellion as Brown helps secure seat for ally |author=Brian Brady |newspaper=The Independent |date=11 April 2010 |access-date=3 August 2015}}{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/michaelcrick/2010/04/nottingham_east_update_i_now.html |title=Nottingham East update |author=Michael Crick |publisher=BBC |date=12 April 2010 |access-date=3 August 2015}}

=Return to Parliament (2010–2019)=

Leslie returned to Parliament at the 2010 general election, representing Nottingham East.

Leslie supported Ed Balls for the leadership of the Labour Party during the 2010 leadership election following the resignation of Gordon Brown, voting for David Miliband as his second preference.

In September 2011, he stood in the shadow cabinet elections but missed out on becoming a shadow cabinet minister, however he was promoted to Her Majesty's Opposition becoming Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury. On 7 October 2013, he was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet, becoming Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. In May 2015, he was promoted to Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, replacing Ed Balls, who had lost his parliamentary seat in the 2015 general election. In this role he opposed Labour's proposals for rent controls,{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/30/chris-leslie-interview-labour-shadow-chancellor-election|title=Chris Leslie: 'The temptation for the centre left is to step in and take control'|last=Stewart|first=Heather|date=2015-05-30|work=The Observer|access-date=2020-01-15|language=en-GB|issn=0029-7712}} while receiving income as a residential landlord himself.{{cite news|url=https://www.landlordnews.co.uk/labours-new-shadow-chancellor-against-rent-controls-and-hes-a-landlord/|title=Labour's New Shadow Chancellor Against Rent Controls (and He's a Landlord)|last=Morley|first=Em|date=3 June 2015|work=Landlord News}}

Leslie supported Yvette Cooper in the 2015 Labour leadership election, and was critical of the economic policies of Jeremy Corbyn, calling them "starry-eyed, hard left".{{cite news |last = Watt |first = Nicholas |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/03/jeremy-corbyn-economic-strategy-would-keep-tories-in-power-chris-leslie |title=Corbyn's economic strategy would keep Tories in power, top Labour figure says |work=The Guardian |date=3 August 2015 |access-date=13 October 2015}} On 12 September 2015, Leslie resigned from the Labour front bench following the election of Corbyn as party leader. Leslie is a supporter of Labour Friends of Israel{{cite news|url=https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/mps-%EF%AC%82ock-to-support-labour-israel-group-1.53362|title=MPs flock to support Labour Israel group|work=The Jewish Chronicle|date=22 September 2016}} and Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East.{{cite web|url=https://www.lfpme.org/supporters|title=Parliamentary Supporters|website=LFPME}}

In June 2018 Leslie published a pamphlet through the Social Market Foundation, where he is a member of the Policy Advisory Board,{{cite web |url=http://www.smf.co.uk/about-us/ |title=About Us |publisher=Social Market Foundation |access-date=21 August 2018}} entitled Centre Ground: Six Values of Mainstream Britain.{{cite book | last = Leslie | first = Chris | title = Centre Ground: Six Values of Mainstream Britain | url = http://www.smf.co.uk/publications/centre-ground-six-values-mainstream-britain/ | publisher = Social Market Foundation | date = June 2018}} In August the same year The Guardian reported that "many saw the document as laying the intellectual groundwork for a future new [political] party,"{{cite news | last = Stewart | first = Heather |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/aug/20/prospect-new-uk-party-grows-westminster-political-cracks-brexit |title=Prospect of a new UK party grows as Brexit shifts ground at Westminster |work=The Guardian |date=20 August 2018 |access-date= 20 August 2018}} however Leslie denied this.{{cite news | last = Coates | first = Sam |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/corbyn-critic-makes-pitch-to-win-the-centre-ground-2558mhjvs |title=Corbyn critic makes pitch to win the centre ground |work=The Times |date=18 June 2018 |access-date= 20 August 2018}}

=Vote of No confidence=

In September 2018, Leslie lost a vote of no confidence brought by his Constituency Labour Party and became the fourth Labour MP to have such a motion passed against him. The motion, brought by members of the Mapperley branch of Nottingham East, criticised Leslie for his "disloyalty and deceit", which it dubbed "a severe impediment to Labour Party electability", and as "incompatible" with Leslie continuing as the Labour candidate.{{cite news | last = Bush| first = Stephen|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2018/09/labour-mp-chris-leslie-loses-confidence-vote-his-clp |title=Labour MP Chris Leslie loses confidence vote by his CLP |work=New Statesman |date=28 September 2018 |access-date= 28 September 2018}} Leslie did not attend the vote and had earlier remarked that the party had been infiltrated by the "intolerant hard left".{{cite news | last = Sandeman| first = Kit|url=https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-news/vote-no-confidence-passed-against-1982730 |title=Vote of no confidence passed against Nottingham East MP Chris Leslie |work=Nottingham Post |date=7 September 2018 |access-date= 28 September 2018}} Centrist Labour MPs rallied around Leslie online.{{cite news | last = Coulter | first = Martin|url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/labour-party/jeremy-corbyn/news/98656/corbyn-critic-labour-mp-chris-leslie |title=Corbyn-critic Labour MP Chris Leslie loses vote of no confidence |work=Politics Home |date=29 September 2018 |access-date= 29 September 2018}}

= The Independent Group =

On 18 February 2019, Leslie and six other MPs (Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Angela Smith, Mike Gapes, Gavin Shuker and Ann Coffey) quit Labour in protest at Jeremy Corbyn's leadership to form The Independent Group, later Change UK.{{cite web|date=18 February 2019|title=Seven MPs leave Labour in Corbyn protest|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47278902|access-date=18 February 2019|work=BBC News}} He continued to serve as a Change UK MP after six of its 11 MPs left the party in June 2019.{{Cite web|date=2019-06-04|title=Change UK loses more than half its MPs as Anna Soubry is elected as new leader|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/change-uk-split-anna-soubry-heidi-allen-leader-chuka-umunna-a8943861.html|access-date=2019-09-01|website=The Independent|language=en}} He lost the Nottingham East constituency to the Labour candidate Nadia Whittome in the 2019 general election, losing his deposit with 3.6% of the vote.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/nottingham-east-general-election-2019-3629087|title=Labour regains Nottingham East in the 2019 General Election|last=Fahy|first=Natalie|date=2019-12-11|website=nottinghampost|access-date=2019-12-15}}

Life after parliament

In July 2020, Leslie was appointed chief executive of the Credit Services Association, the trade association of the UK debt collection and purchase industry.{{cite web |title=CSA appoints Chris Leslie as Chief Executive |url=https://www.csa-uk.com/news/517373/CSA-appoints-Chris-Leslie-as-Chief-Executive.htm |website=Credit Services Association |access-date=16 July 2020 |date=16 July 2020}}

Personal life

In February 2005, he married Nicola Murphy, a special adviser to Gordon Brown, in Westminster;{{cite news |title=MP marries a Treasury adviser at Westminster |work=Bradford Telegraph and Argus |url=http://archive.thisisbradford.co.uk/2005/2/24/92703.html |date=24 February 2005 |access-date=2 September 2010 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} the couple became engaged the previous year.{{cite news |title='Yes, Minister' – New Labour proposal wins over MP's girlfriend |work=The Yorkshire Post |url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/39Yes-Minister39--New-Labour.784996.jp |date=5 May 2004 |access-date=2 September 2010}} In April 2016, Nicola Murphy founded Labour Tomorrow, an organisation which funded Labour-connected activists and groups who oppose Jeremy Corbyn as party leader.{{cite news |url=https://news.sky.com/story/blairite-group-amasses-163250000-corbyn-fighting-fund-10539009 |title=Anti-Corbyn Group Amasses £250,000 Fighting Fund |publisher=Sky News |date=16 August 2016 |access-date=9 October 2016}}{{cite news|last=Syal|first=Rajeev|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/21/anti-corbyn-group-funded-tony-blair-spin-doctor-benjamin-wegg-prosser |title=New anti-Corbyn group is funded by former Tony Blair spin doctor|work=The Guardian|date=21 September 2016|access-date=24 September 2016}}