Greg Knight

{{for|the founder and former chief executive of Welbeck Solutions|Greg Knight (businessman)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix = The Right Honourable Sir

| name = Greg Knight

| honorific_suffix =

| image = Greg knight speaks at meeting.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption = Knight in 2009

| office = Junior Government Whip
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household

| term_start = 4 September 2012

| term_end = 7 October 2013

| primeminister = David Cameron

| predecessor = Mark Francois

| successor = Desmond Swayne

| office1 = Minister of State for Industry

| term_start1 = 23 July 1996

| term_end1 = 2 May 1997

| primeminister1 = John Major

| predecessor1 = Timothy Eggar

| successor1 = John Battle

| office2 = Government Deputy Chief Whip
in the House of Commons
Treasurer of the Household

| term_start2 = 7 June 1993

| term_end2 = 23 July 1996

| primeminister2 = John Major

| predecessor2 = David Heathcoat-Amory

| successor2 = Andrew MacKay

| office3 = Lord Commissioner of the Treasury

| primeminister3 = Margaret Thatcher
John Major

| term_start3 = 25 July 1990

| term_end3 = 27 May 1993

| predecessor3 = Michael Fallon

| successor3 = Andrew MacKay

| office4 = Member of Parliament
for East Yorkshire

| predecessor4 = John Townend

| successor4 = Constituency abolished

| term_start4 = 7 June 2001

| term_end4 = 30 May 2024

| office5 = Member of Parliament
for Derby North

| predecessor5 = Phillip Whitehead

| successor5 = Bob Laxton

| term_start5 = 9 June 1983

| term_end5 = 8 April 1997

| birth_name = Gregory Knight

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1949|4|4|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Blaby, Leicestershire, UK

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality =

| party = Conservative

| otherparty =

| height =

| spouse = Janet Ormond{{cite web|url=http://www.driffieldintouch.com/news/126/ |title=Siedmere event hailed a success – "also enjoying the evening were the Rt Hon Greg Knight, MP, his wife Janet" |publisher=driffieldintouch.com |access-date=9 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110421000243/http://www.driffieldintouch.com/news/126/ |archive-date=21 April 2011 }}

| relations =

| children =

| parents =

| relatives =

| education =

| alma_mater = The College of Law

| occupation =

| profession = Solicitor

| website = [http://www.gregknight.com/ www.gregknight.com]

}}

Sir Gregory Knight (born 4 April 1949) is a British politician, author and musician. He served as the Conservative MP for East Yorkshire from 2001 to 2024, having previously served as the MP for Derby North from 1983 to 1997. He also served as a minister in the governments of Margaret Thatcher, John Major and David Cameron.

Education and professional life

Born in Blaby, Leicestershire, Knight was educated at Alderman Newton's Grammar School, Leicester, and the College of Law Guildford, qualifying as a solicitor in 1973.

Political career

Knight served as a Leicester City Councillor for Castle Ward and Leicestershire County Councillor for Evington Division from 1976 to 1981.

He was MP for Derby North from 1983 until the 1997 election, when he lost his seat. He returned to the House of Commons in 2001 after successfully contesting the East Yorkshire seat.

As a backbencher, in the 1980s, he succeeded in amending licensing law in England and Wales by doubling 'drinking up time' on licensed premises from ten to twenty minutes, a concession that was welcomed by the industry and drinkers alike. However the 2003 Licensing Act ended standard permitted hours and provides for an unspecified drinking up time determined by the licensee's discretion.

He is in favour of bringing back capital punishment and spoke out against the apartheid government of South Africa during the 1980s.

He was deputy Chief Whip under John Major between 1993 and 1996 and Minister of State for Industry at the Department of Trade and Industry from 1996 until the Conservative defeat at the 1997 election. He was made a Privy Councillor in 1995, entitling him to the style "Right Honourable".{{cite web|url=http://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/privy-council/privy-council-members/privy-counsellors/#k|title=Privy Counsellors|publisher=Privy Council Office|access-date=12 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111221115352/http://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/privy-council/privy-council-members/privy-counsellors/#k|archive-date=21 December 2011|url-status=dead}}

He served under Michael Howard as a shadow minister for Environment and Transport until 2005. In the 2005–10 Parliament, he was chairman of the House of Commons Procedure Committee and on four other House of Commons select committees: the Liaison Committee, Administration Committee, the Committee on Modernisation of the House and the Standards and Privileges Committee. He was re-elected unopposed to the chair of the Procedure Committee in 2010.

In 2009, The Daily Telegraph reported that Knight had claimed £2,600 in expenses for "driveway repairs" at his constituency home, though Knight stated that his cars were kept separately and paid for out of his own pocket.{{cite news|last1=Jamieson|first1=Alistair|title=Greg Knight: MP's driveway repairs on expenses|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5336317/Greg-Knight-MPs-driveway-repairs-on-expenses.html|access-date=26 March 2015|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=17 May 2009}}

Knight has successfully piloted two of his Private Members Bills into law. In 2011, he was successful in taking through Parliament the Estates of Deceased Persons (Forfeiture Rule and Law of Succession) Act 2011, a bill to make the distribution of estates fairer.{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm110304/debtext/110304-0001.htm#11030451000004|title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 04 Mar 2011 (pt 0001)|work=Hansard|publisher = UK Parliament |access-date=12 May 2015}}

He rejoined the government in September 2012 as a senior whip and Vice Chamberlain of the Royal Household, a position he held until October 2013.

Knight is a Eurosceptic and is in favour of Brexit.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35616946|title=EU vote: Where the cabinet and other MPs stand|date=22 June 2016|access-date=21 December 2019}}

In 2018, he introduced his second Private Member's Bill, the Parking (Code of Practice) Bill, which mandates the Government to introduce a statutory code of practice for the operators of private car parks, to require transparency and good practice to ensure that motorists are not treated unreasonably. The bill was passed by Parliament and became an Act in March 2019.{{cite web|url=https://services.parliament.uk/bills/2017-19/parkingcodeofpractice.html|title=Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019|year=2019|website=www.parliament.uk|access-date=28 March 2019}}

Knight has argued in Parliament for "double summertime", which would see the clocks go forward by two hours during summer.{{cite news|last1=Williams|first1=Rob|title=Time for debate? Don't forget the clocks go back overnight... but should they?|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/time-for-debate-dont-forget-the-clocks-go-back-overnight-but-should-they-8904258.html|access-date=26 March 2015|work=The Independent|date=26 October 2013}}

He is Secretary of the British American Parliamentary Group, one of the largest and most active all-party groups at Westminster.

An avid motorist, he is critical of initiatives seen as 'anti-car', such as congestion charging, pedestrianisation schemes, speed humps and some 'park and ride' proposals. He is chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Historic Vehicles Group{{cite web|url=http://www.historicvehicles.org.uk/|publisher=Parliamentary Historic Vehicles Group|title=Officers|access-date=12 May 2015}} and successfully called on the Government to exempt historic vehicles from MOT tests.[http://gregknight.com/2011/11/knight-welcomes-mot-exemption-review/ GregKnight.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130103045636/http://gregknight.com/2011/11/knight-welcomes-mot-exemption-review/ |date=3 January 2013 }}

In 2011, he was shortlisted as the 'Industry Champion of the Year' by the International Historic Motoring Awards, for his work in supporting the historic and classic car movement.{{cite web|url=http://historicmotoringawards.com/categories.php?category=company&page=shortlist|title=Category|work=International Historic Motoring Awards|access-date=12 May 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402195454/http://historicmotoringawards.com/categories.php?category=company&page=shortlist|archive-date=2 April 2015}}

Knight announced in June 2023 that he would stand down at the 2024 general election.{{cite news |title=Conservative MP Sir Greg Knight to step down at next election |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-66037229 |access-date=28 June 2023 |work=BBC News |date=27 June 2023}}

Personal life

He plays the drums and is a founder member of MP4{{cite web|url=http://mp4theband.co.uk|title=MP4 The Band|work=MP4|access-date=12 May 2015}}—the world's only parliamentary rock group. The others are fellow former MPs Kevin Brennan and Ian Cawsey and Peter Wishart MP. Whilst he was a Leicester councillor, he co-wrote and played on "It's a Leicester Fiesta" (1979).{{cite web |title="Song for Belper" |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001gk63 |publisher=BBC |access-date=10 January 2023}}

He has backed several other artists on the drums in live shows including George McCrae and Fergal Sharkey[http://www.gregknight.com/mp4news.php GregKnight.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205050819/http://www.gregknight.com/mp4news.php |date=5 February 2011 }} and, in the studio, he played drums backing KT Tunstall, Steve Harley, Ricky Wilson and David Gray on the charity single "You Can't Always Get What You Want" released in December 2016 by Chrysalis Records.[http://www.gregknight.com/1january2011.php GregKnight.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110123014518/http://www.gregknight.com/1january2011.php |date=23 January 2011 }}

Honours

{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} In 1995, he was sworn in as a member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council. This gave him the Honorific Title "The Right Honourable" for life.
{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} In October 2013, he was awarded a Knighthood for political service. This gave him the Honorific Title "Sir" for life.{{Cite web |date=21 October 2013 |title=Knighthoods conferred: Greg Knight MP and John Randall MP |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/knighthoods-conferred-greg-knight-mp-and-john-randall-mp |access-date=12 May 2015 |website=GOV.UK}}

Publications

Westminster Words (1988), published by Buchan and Enright
Honourable Insults (1990), published by Robson Books
Parliamentary Sauce (1993), published by Robson Books
Right Honourable Insults (1998), published by Chrysalis Books
Naughty Graffiti (2005), published by Anova Books
Dishonourable Insults (2011), published by The Robson Press ({{ISBN|9781849541619}})

References

External links

[http://www.gregknight.com gregknight.com]
{{UK MP links | parliament = sir-greg-knight/1200 |hansardcurr = 1343 | hansard = mr-greg-knight | publicwhip = greg_knight | theywork = greg_knight}}

{{s-ttl |title=Member of Parliament for Derby North |years=1983–1997}}

{{s-ttl |title=Member of Parliament for East Yorkshire |years=2001–2024}}