Graham Bright
{{Short description|British politician and businessman (1942–2024)|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = Sir
|name = Graham Bright
|honorific-suffix =
|image = Sir Graham Bright 2011.jpg
|caption = Bright in 2011
|office = Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner
|parliament =
|majority =
|predecessor = Office created
|successor = Jason Ablewhite
|term_start = 22 November 2012
|term_end = 11 May 2016
|office2 = Member of Parliament
for Luton South
Luton East (1979–1983)
|parliament2 =
|majority2 =
|predecessor2 = Ivor Clemitson
|successor2 = Margaret Moran
|term_start2 = 3 May 1979
|term_end2 = 8 April 1997
|birth_date = {{birth date|1942|04|02|df=yes}}
|birth_place = Horndon-on-the-Hill, Essex, England
|death_date = {{death date and age|2024|01|19|1942|04|02|df=yes}}
|death_place = Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England
|nationality = British
|spouse = Valerie Bright
|party = Conservative Party
|relations =
|children = Dr Rupert Bright
|residence =
|alma_mater =
|occupation =
|profession =
|signature =
|website =
|footnotes =
}}
Sir Graham Frank James Bright (2 April 1942 – 19 January 2024) was a British politician and businessman. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 1997. He subsequently served as the Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner from 2012 to 2016.
Political career
An active Young Conservative, he cut his political teeth as a member of Thurrock Borough Council from 1965–79, and of Essex County Council from 1967–70. He stood unsuccessfully for Parliament in 1970 and 1974 in Thurrock, and in Dartford at the second general election of 1974, before being elected in Luton East in 1979.{{cite web|url=http://www.grahambright.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/graham_bright.pdf |title=Graham Bright's website |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711121735/http://www.grahambright.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/graham_bright.pdf |archivedate=11 July 2011 |df=dmy-all }} After constituency boundary changes, he transferred to Luton South at the 1983 general election, holding the seat until his defeat at the 1997 general election by Labour's Margaret Moran.
During his time in Parliament, Bright served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to various members of the Cabinet for 18 years, most notably to John Major for his first four years as Prime Minister (1990–94). Bright then went on to serve as a Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1994–97. He received a knighthood in 1994.
Bright introduced two Private Member's Bills to the House of Commons which became law. The first, introduced in 1983 was passed as the Video Recordings Act 1984 that required all commercial video recordings offered for sale or for hire within the UK to carry a classification. Bright supported the abolition of caning in UK schools in 1986.
The second,{{Cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=1990-03-09a.1110.0&s|title=Orders of the Day — Entertainments (Increased Penalties) Bill|website=TheyWorkForYou}} introduced in 1990 was the often referred to as the "Acid House [parties] Bill"{{Cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=1990-04-27a.652.6|title=During the passage of the Bill,...|website=TheyWorkForYou}} became the Entertainments (Increased Penalties) Act 1990. In material relating to his candidature for Cambridgeshire's Police and Crime Commissioner Bright has described these Bills as being "aimed at protecting young people."{{cite web|url=http://www.grahambright.com|title=Graham Bright's personal website|access-date=10 September 2009|archive-date=3 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203111938/http://www.grahambright.com/|url-status=dead}}
In September 2012 Bright was selected by the Conservative party to be their candidate in the election for Cambridgeshire's Police and Crime Commissioner.{{Cite web|url=http://www.southcambridgeshireconservatives.org.uk/news/sir-graham-bright-chosen-pcc-candidate|title=southcambridgeshireconservatives.org.uk|website=www.southcambridgeshireconservatives.org.uk}} He won the election in November that year,{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20348310|title=BBC News – Sir Graham Bright wins | date=16 November 2012}} and appointed his Party and business colleague Brian Ashton as his deputy which was criticised as potential favouritism.{{cite web |title=Cambridgeshire PCC Sir Graham Bright criticised over deputy choice |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-20630085 |website=BBC News |access-date=4 February 2021 |date=6 December 2012}} In December 2012, Bright called for a crackdown on "anti-social" and "dangerous" cyclists.{{cite web| url = http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/News/Police-chief-calls-for-crackdown-on-danger-cyclists-31122012.htm| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130102140711/http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/News/Police-chief-calls-for-crackdown-on-danger-cyclists-31122012.htm| archive-date = 2013-01-02| title = Police chief calls for crackdown on "danger" cyclists {{!}} Cambridge News {{!}} Latest News Headlines From Cambridge City & Cambridgeshire {{!}} National News By Cambridge News}} In November 2013 he said that bicycle helmets should be compulsory.{{cite web| url = http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/News/Police-chief-Sir-Graham-Bright-goes-head-to-head-with-Cambridge-MP-Julian-Huppert-over-cycle-helmets-20131109065145.htm| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131109231104/http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/News/Police-chief-Sir-Graham-Bright-goes-head-to-head-with-Cambridge-MP-Julian-Huppert-over-cycle-helmets-20131109065145.htm| archive-date = 2013-11-09| title = 'Make cycle helmets compulsory' says police chief Sir Graham Bright - but Cambridge MP Julian Huppert disagrees {{!}} Cambridge News {{!}} Latest News Headlines From Cambridge City & Cambridgeshire {{!}} National News By Cambridge News}}
Outside politics
Until he was 15, Bright was educated at Hassenbrook Secondary Modern School in Stanford-le-Hope. He later took courses at Thurrock Technical College. Outside politics, he worked as a marketing executive, factory manager and company director. He was chairman and chief executive of Dietary Foods Ltd for over 30 years.
Bright died on 19 January 2024, at the age of 81.{{cite news |title=Sir Graham Bright, Tory MP who anchored John Major's campaign to succeed Mrs Thatcher as PM – obituary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2024/01/21/graham-bright-conservative-mp-john-major-margaret-thatcher/ |access-date=21 January 2024 |publisher=The Telegraph |date=21 January 2024}}
Notes
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.grahambright.com www.grahambright.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203111938/http://www.grahambright.com/ |date=3 February 2011 }}
- {{Hansard-contribs | mr-graham-bright | Graham Bright }}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef | before = Ivor Clemitson }}
{{s-ttl
| title = Member of Parliament for Luton East
}}
{{s-non | reason = Constituency abolished }}
{{s-new | constituency}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Member of Parliament for Luton South
}}
{{s-aft | after = Margaret Moran }}
|-
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef|before=Peter Morrison}}
{{s-ttl|title=Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister| years=1990–1994}}
{{s-aft|after=John Ward}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bright, Graham}}
Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Category:Parliamentary private secretaries to the prime minister
Category:Place of birth missing
Category:Police and crime commissioners in England
Category:Conservative Party police and crime commissioners