Ian Levy
{{About|the British politician|the author with the full name Ian Hideo Levy|Hideo Levy}}{{Distinguish|Ian Lavery}}
{{short description|British Conservative politician}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Ian Levy
|honorific-suffix =
|image = Official portrait of Ian Levy MP crop 2.jpg
|caption = Official portrait, 2019
|office = Member of Parliament
for Blyth Valley
|term_start = 12 December 2019
|term_end = 30 May 2024
|predecessor = Ronnie Campbell
|successor = Constituency abolished
|majority =
|birth_name =
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1966|02|14}}
|birth_place =
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = Conservative
|spouse =
|children =
|alma_mater =
|website = {{URL|www.ianlevy.org.uk}}
}}
Ian Levy (born 14 February 1966){{Cite book|last=Brunskill|first=Ian|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1129682574|title=The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election|date=19 March 2020|isbn=978-0-00-839258-1|pages=111|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers Limited |oclc=1129682574}} is a British Conservative Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Blyth Valley from the 2019 general election until the seat's abolition in 2024. He was the only Conservative to represent Blyth Valley since the constituency was created in 1950. He served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) in the Ministry of Defence from 2022 until the general election, in which he failed to win the new seat of Cramlington and Killingworth. Before this, Levy was a PPS in the Cabinet Office.
Early life and career
Levy is of Jewish descent.{{cite news|last=Moore|first=Charles|date=13 December 2019|title=The logic of democracy in this country is iron, as is our rejection of extremism|work=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/12/13/logic-democracy-country-iron-rejection-extremism/}}{{subscription required}} He left school at the age of 16 to become a grave digger.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/politics/mp-column-why-i-got-politics-2997053|work=News Post Leader|title=MP Column: Why I got into politics|date=15 October 2020|access-date=21 March 2021|archive-date=10 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510143604/https://www.newspostleader.co.uk/news/politics/mp-column-why-i-got-politics-2997053|url-status=dead}} Prior to his election, Levy had worked as a healthcare assistant on an inpatient mental health rehabilitation ward in St Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne for over 28 years.{{cite web|url=https://nursingnotes.co.uk/news/politics/newly-elected-mp-falsely-claims-mental-health-nurse|work=Nursing Notes|title=Newly-elected MP falsely claims he is a 'mental health nurse|first1=Ian|last1=Snug|first2=Esther|last2=Beadle|date=13 December 2019|access-date=27 January 2021}}
Parliamentary career
He first contested the Blyth Valley constituency at the 2017 general election, in which incumbent Labour MP Ronnie Campbell held his seat with a majority of 7,915. Levy was subsequently elected for the constituency at the 2019 general election with a majority of 712 votes over Labour candidate Susan Dungworth.{{Cite web |last=Marsh |first=Michael |date=2019-12-12 |title=Tories gain Blyth Valley from Labour in shock election result |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/conservatives-gain-blyth-valley-constituency-17411803 |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=Chronicle Live |language=en}} He was the first Conservative to represent the constituency since its creation in 1950.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000575|title=Blyth Valley|accessdate=8 January 2020|website=BBC News}} It had previously been a safe Labour seat.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/12/13/stunning-tory-seat-victories-2019-general-election/|work=The Telegraph|title=The 24 Labour heartland seats lost to the Tories for the first time in decades|date=14 December 2019}}{{subscription required}} He had campaigned on returning passenger railway services to the area and for a relief road in Blyth, which is supported by Transport for the North and other major highways improvements.{{cite news|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/who-ian-levy-new-conservative-17411637|work=Evening Chronicle|title=Who is Ian Levy? New Conservative MP for Blyth Valley|date=12 December 2019}}{{Cite web |date=25 February 2020 |title=Class of 2019: Meet the new MPs |url=https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/class-of-2019-meet-the-new-mps |access-date=12 July 2022 |website=Politics Home |language=en}} Blyth's railway station had closed in 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50782411|title=Blyth Valley: A constituency that changed its mind|date=15 December 2019}} After his election, he was accused of misleading the public, when the Nursing Times reported his social media posts from the campaign, in which he said he had worked as a mental health nurse. The posts were later amended. Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust confirmed he had worked as a healthcare assistant. The term "nurse" is not legally protected so his posts had not violated the Nurses Registration Act 1919.{{cite news|url=https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/policies-and-guidance/shock-win-tory-candidate-deceived-voters-by-claiming-to-be-a-nurse-13-12-2019/|website=Nursing Times|title=Shock win Tory candidate 'deceived' voters by claiming to be a nurse|date=13 December 2019}}
Levy won the Newcomer of the Year award at The Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Awards.{{cite news|url=https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2020/01/spectator-parliamentarian-of-the-year-the-winners/|work=The Spectator|title=The Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Awards: The Winners|date=22 January 2020|access-date=24 January 2020|archive-date=23 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200123134811/https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2020/01/spectator-parliamentarian-of-the-year-the-winners/|url-status=dead}}
In October 2020, Levy voted against a Labour motion to extend free school meals for eligible children until Easter 2021. He was criticised for this on social media. Levy also alleged that this included threats.{{cite web|last=Meechan|first=Simon|date=25 October 2020|title=Ian Levy slammed for defence of vote to deny poor kids free school holiday meals|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/ian-levy-slammed-defence-vote-19154314|access-date=8 November 2020|publisher=Chronicle Live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-54720141|publisher=BBC News|date=28 October 2020|title=Blyth Valley MP Ian Levy 'receives violent threats' after school meals vote}} In February 2023, a man was given a restraining order for harassing Levy between May and August 2022.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-64609327|title=Man given restraining order after harassing MP Ian Levy|date=11 February 2023|accessdate=23 September 2023|work=BBC News}}
Levy was appointed as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) in the Cabinet Office in April 2022.{{cite web|title=List of Parliamentary Private Secretaries (PPS): April 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-parliamentary-private-secretaries-pps-april-2022|access-date=16 July 2022|publisher=gov.uk}} He supported Boris Johnson's bid to return as PM in the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.{{cite news|url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/23068561.blyth-valley-mp-ian-levy-backing-boris-johnson-tory-leader/|work=The Northern Echo|title=Blyth Valley MP Ian Levy backing Boris Johnson as Tory leader|date=21 October 2022|accessdate=1 December 2022|last=Robinson|first=James}} Later in the year, Levy became a PPS in the Ministry of Defence.{{cite news|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1120927/PPS_List_November_2022.pdf|title=Parliamentary Private Secretaries – November 2022|publisher=gov.uk|accessdate=23 September 2023}}
Blyth Valley was abolished as part of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies. Levy was selected as the Conservative candidate for the new seat of Cramlington and Killingworth in April 2023.{{cite news|url=https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/politics/ian-levy-selected-as-conservative-candidate-for-the-proposed-cramlington-and-killingworth-constituency-4094025|work=Northumberland Gazette|title=Ian Levy selected as Conservative candidate for the proposed Cramlington and Killingworth constituency|date=5 April 2023|accessdate=23 September 2023|last=Coulson|first=Andrew}} He finished third, behind Labour and Reform UK.{{Cite web |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001183 |title=Cramlington and Killingworth results |publisher=BBC |date=5 July 2024 |access-date=12 July 2024}}
Personal life
Levy is married and has two children.{{cite web|url=https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/NorthumberlandCountyCouncil/media/Economy-and-Regeneration/Ian-Levy-pen-portrait-final.pdf|title=Ian Levy MP for Blyth Valley|publisher=Northumberland County Council|page=1|accessdate=21 March 2021}} In January 2024, his wife Maureen Levy was selected as the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Blyth and Ashington in the 2024 general election.{{Cite web |last=Buchan |first=Craig |date=17 January 2024 |title=Wife of Blyth Valley MP Ian Levy selected to contest Blyth and Ashington seat at next election |url=https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/politics/wife-of-blyth-valley-mp-ian-levy-selected-to-contest-blyth-and-ashington-seat-at-next-election-4481879 |website=Northumberland Gazette}}
References
{{Reflist|35em}}
External links
{{Commons category-inline|Ian Levy (politician)}}
- {{UK MP links |parliament=4749 |publicwhip=Ian_Levy |theywork=ian_levy}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef|before=Ronnie Campbell}}
{{s-ttl
|title=Member of Parliament for Blyth Valley
|years=2019–2024
}}
{{s-non|reason=Constituency abolished}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Ian (politician)}}
Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies