James Morris (British politician)
{{Short description|British politician}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{BLP sources|date = July 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = James Morris
| honorific-suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}}
| image = Official portrait of James Morris MP crop 2.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Official portrait, 2020
| office = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Primary Care and Patient Safety
| primeminister = Boris Johnson
| term_start = 8 July 2022
| term_end =
| predecessor = Maria Caulfield
| successor = Neil O'Brien
| office1 = Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
| primeminister1 = Boris Johnson
| term_start1 = 17 September 2021
| term_end1 = 8 July 2022
| predecessor1 = Marcus Jones
| successor1 = Michael Tomlinson
| office2 = Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
| parliament2 =
| term_start2 = 14 February 2020
| term_end2 = 17 September 2021
| predecessor2 = Michelle Donelan
| successor2 = incumbent
| majority2 =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1967|2|4|df=y}}
| birth_place = Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England
| death_date =
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| nationality =
| party = Conservative
| otherparty =
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| alma_mater = University of Birmingham (BA)
Wadham College, Oxford (MPhil)
Cranfield School of Management (MBA)
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| website = {{URL|www.jamesmorris.co.uk}}
| footnotes =
| office3 = Member of Parliament
for Halesowen and Rowley Regis
| predecessor3 = Sylvia Heal
| successor3 = Constituency abolished
| term_start3 = 6 May 2010
| term_end3 = 30 May 2024
| primeminister2 = Boris Johnson
| termend = 8 September 2022
}}
James George Morris{{London Gazette |issue=59418 |date=13 May 2010 |page=8738}} {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} (born 4 February 1967){{cite web|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U251445/ |title=Who's Who |website=Ukwhoswho.com |date=5 December 2016 |access-date=29 May 2017}} is a British politician who served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Primary Care and Patient Safety from July to September 2022.{{Cite web |title=Ministerial appointments: July 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-july-2022 |access-date=2022-07-08 |website=GOV.UK |date=7 July 2022 |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=James Morris MP |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/james-morris |access-date=2022-09-24 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}} He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Halesowen and Rowley Regis in the West Midlands between 2010 and 2024.{{cite web|url=http://www.halesowennews.co.uk/news/local/8152842.Historic_Tory_win_in_Halesowen_and_Rowley_Regis/ |title=Historic Tory win in Halesowen and Rowley Regis (From Halesowen News) |website=Halesowennews.co.uk |date=7 May 2010 |access-date=29 May 2017}} He also served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household from 2021 to 2022. He is a member of the Conservative Party.
Early life and career
Morris was born on 4 February 1967 in Nottingham and grew up in Nottinghamshire. He has roots in the Black Country: his grandfather worked in the Halesowen Steel works in the 1930s and 1940s, his parents are from the Black Country and his uncle lives in Rowley Regis.{{cite web |url=https://www.jamesmorris.co.uk/about |title=About James | James Morris MP – Member of Parliament for Halesowen and Rowley Regis |access-date=2012-06-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715013641/http://www.jamesmorrismp.com/about |archive-date=15 July 2012 |df=dmy-all }}
Morris was privately educated at Nottingham High School,[http://www.nottinghamhigh.co.uk/senior-school/academic-departments/economicspolitics/politics-society/politics-and-politics-society-review-autumn-2012/ Nottingham High School: Politics Review – Autumn Term 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305090438/http://www.nottinghamhigh.co.uk/senior-school/academic-departments/economicspolitics/politics-society/politics-and-politics-society-review-autumn-2012/ |date=5 March 2016 }} Publisher: Nottingham High School. Published: 2012. Retrieved: 14 March 2013. an independent school for boys in his home city of Nottingham, followed by the University of Birmingham, where he obtained a degree in English Literature.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} He then undertook Postgraduate research at Wadham College, Oxford.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} He later studied at Cranfield School of Management.
Before becoming involved in politics in Halesowen and Rowley Regis, Morris had a successful career as a small businessman specialising in computer software.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}} In 2003 he founded Mind the Gap, an independent campaign to promote civic action and to encourage more grass roots involvement in politics. In 2004 he wrote a pamphlet entitled "Change Starts Small" – which explored how to get more local grass roots involvement in politics and argued that the British political system needed fundamental change.{{cite web |url=https://www.jamesmorris.co.uk/pdf/Change_Starts_Small.pdf |access-date=2012-06-20 |df=dmy-all }} {{dead link|date=January 2021}} Morris is married to Anna and they have two children.
Prior to the 2010 Election, Morris was the Chief Executive of Localis, a local government and localist think tank, where the mission was to 'stimulate and challenge the current orthodoxy of the governance of the UK.' During his time at the think tank, Localis released a number of reports, including The Million Vote Mandate, Can Localism Deliver?, and For Good Measure, all of which he edited.{{cite web |url=http://www.localis.org.uk/archive/11/Publications.htm?offset=3 |title=Publications – Localis ? Local government and Localist think tank producing research seeking devolution of power to Councils |access-date=2012-06-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514235234/http://www.localis.org.uk/archive/11/Publications.htm?offset=3 |archive-date=14 May 2014 |df=dmy-all }}
Parliamentary career
Morris was selected as the seat's Conservative candidate after previous candidate Nigel Hastilow stepped down in November 2007 following Hastilow's remarks stating that warnings by Enoch Powell in his "rivers of blood" speech in 1968 had proved correct.{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/politics_show/7080691.stm | work=BBC News | first=Nick | last=Watson | title=Enoch Powell's ghost | date=7 November 2007}}
Morris served on the Communities and Local Government Committee between 2010 and 2014. He is a member of a number of APPGs, including Youth Affairs, United Nations and Mental Health.{{cite web
|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/memi01.htm
|title=Register of All-Party Groups
|date=15 June 2012
|work=House of Commons of the United Kingdom
|access-date=20 June 2012}} In March 2011, the Sunday Mercury confirmed that Morris had the best attendance record of all 57 West Midlands MPs – attending 96% of votes.[http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2011/03/06/the-west-midland-mps-missing-more-than-half-of-westminster-votes-66331-28285785/3/]{{dead link|date=May 2017}} In the local area, Morris has been a supporter of the successful campaign to Save Rowley Hospital which secured and maintained in-patient facilities at the hospital. He has also raised questions over the future for Halesowen Abbey in Parliament.{{cite web|url=http://www.dudleynews.co.uk/news/blackcountry/9063147.MP_and_Trust_voice_concerns_over_future_of_Halesowen_Abbey/ |title=MP and Trust voice concerns over future of Halesowen Abbey (From Dudley News) |website=Dudleynews.co.uk |date=2 June 2011 |access-date=29 May 2017}}
Morris generally voted against gay rights and against allowing marriage between two people of the same sex.{{cite web |title=How James Morris Voted on Social Issues |url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/24855/james_morris/halesowen_and_rowley_regis/votes |website=They Work For You |access-date=27 July 2019}}{{better source needed|date=January 2021}}
Morris was PPS to Esther McVey, but resigned his position in January 2015 in order to vote for a change in the law that would require planning permission to demolish or change the use of local pubs.{{cite news|title=Halesowen and Rowley Regis MP resigns Govt post over pub issue|url=http://www.halesowennews.co.uk/news/11760992.Halesowen_and_Rowley_Regis_MP_resigns_Govt_post_over_pub_issue/?ref=mr|access-date=5 April 2015|publisher=Halesowen News|date=30 January 2015}}
Morris was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum,{{cite news|last1=Goodenough|first1=Tom|title=Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?|url=http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/02/which-tory-mps-back-brexit-who-doesnt-and-who-is-still-on-the-fence/|access-date=11 October 2016|work=The Spectator|date=16 February 2016|archive-date=3 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203120144/http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/02/which-tory-mps-back-brexit-who-doesnt-and-who-is-still-on-the-fence/|url-status=dead}} but since then has consistently voted for the UK to leave.
On 14 February 2020, Morris was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury (Government Whip) in the second Johnson ministry. On 17 September 2021, he was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household, a senior Government Whip, in the second cabinet reshuffle of the second Johnson ministry.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-september-2021|title=Ministerial appointments: September 2021|date=16 September 2021}} On account of this role, he was "taken hostage" at Buckingham Palace during the 2022 State Opening of Parliament.{{cite web |title=Buckingham Palace has a centuries-old tradition of taking an MP hostage when the Queen or one of her representatives enter Parliament|url=https://www.insider.com/buckingham-palace-queen-elizabeth-parliament-opening-hostage-2019-10|website=Insider |access-date=10 May 2022}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- [https://www.jamesmorris.co.uk/ Official website]
- [http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/11/11371/11371.html CricketArchive Player Profile: James Morris]
- {{UK MP links | parliament = james-morris/3992 | publicwhip = james_morris | theywork = james_morris}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef|before=Sylvia Heal}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for Halesowen & Rowley Regis|years=2010–2024}}
{{s-non|reason=Constituency abolished}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, James}}
Category:People educated at Nottingham High School
Category:Alumni of the University of Birmingham
Category:Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford
Category:Alumni of Cranfield University
Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies