Jim Knight

Knight was educated at Eltham College, an independent school in Mottingham in south east London, followed by Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where he studied geography and social & political sciences from 1984 to 1987, gaining a BA Hons.

Knight was manager of Central Studio, the arts centre of Queen Mary's College, Basingstoke, from 1988 to 1990.{{Cite web | url=http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/1154878.Minister_makes_college_comeback_for_big_day/ | title=Minister makes college comeback for big day}} From 1990 to 1991, he was director of West Wiltshire Arts Centre Ltd, then director of Dentons Directories Ltd in Westbury from 1991 to 2001.{{Cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2070036.stm |title = Jim Knight|date = 17 October 2002}}

Knight first stood for Parliament at the 1997 general election as the Labour Party candidate for South Dorset, but narrowly lost by just 77 votes.p.308, Waller, Criddle, "The Almanac of British Politics", Psychology Press, 2002 He was, however, elected on the same day to Mendip District Council, on which he served until 2001; including as Labour group leader.{{Cite web | url=https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-knight-of-weymouth/4160 | title=Lord Knight of Weymouth}}

At the 2001 general election, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for South Dorset by 153 votes in the only Labour gain from the Conservatives that year.p.371, Waller, Criddle, "The Almanac of British Politics", Psychology Press, 2007 At the 2005 general election, Knight increased his majority to 1,812 votes, but with a small decrease in his share of the vote.p.372, Waller, Criddle, "The Almanac of British Politics", Psychology Press, 2007 At the 2010 general election, Knight lost his seat to Conservative Richard Drax by 7,443 votes after an 11.4% drop in his share of the vote.{{Cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/england/8660695.stm | title=Labour's Jim Knight loses to Tory| date=7 May 2010}}

Knight was the campaign co-ordinator for Ed Balls's unsuccessful Labour Party leadership campaign in 2010.{{Cite web |url=http://archive.edballs.co.uk/blog/?p=463 |title=Archived copy |access-date=28 November 2017 |archive-date=1 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201041618/http://archive.edballs.co.uk/blog/?p=463 |url-status=dead }}

Knight was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Rural Affairs, Landscape and Biodiversity in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2005 to 2006. He then moved to become Minister of State for Schools in the Department for Education and Skills. On 28 June 2007, when Gordon Brown disbanded the department, Knight moved to the newly created Department for Children, Schools and Families, as the Minister for Schools and Learners. In October 2008 following the reshuffle, Knight became a member of the Privy Council.{{Cite web |url=https://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/privy-council/privy-council-members/privy-counsellors/ |title=Privy Counsellors | Privy Council |access-date=28 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913232018/https://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/privy-council/privy-council-members/privy-counsellors/ |archive-date=13 September 2016 |url-status=dead }}

In 2009, when MPs expenses were revealed following a leak in the Daily Telegraph,{{Cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5297606/MPs-expenses-Full-list-of-MPs-investigated-by-the-Telegraph.html | title=MPS' expenses: Full list of MPS investigated by the Telegraph| newspaper=The Telegraph| date=16 January 2018}} Knight was ranked 171 out of 645 in the MPs' expenses list, claiming £155,987 in 2007/2008, compared with £137,970 in 2006/2007, of which £94,135 was for staff, £9,746 was for a communications allowance and £4,993 was for personal living expenses.{{cite web |url=http://www.thisisdorset.net/news/tidnews/4370313.What_is_the_cost_of_our_MPs_/ |title=WHAT IS THE COST OF OUR MPS? |access-date=2010-07-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928061818/http://www.thisisdorset.net/news/tidnews/4370313.What_is_the_cost_of_our_MPs_/ |archive-date=28 September 2011 |df=dmy-all }}

In his first Parliament, Jim Knight generally voted in line with party policy, including all major votes such as those on the Iraq war and top-up fees.{{Cite web | url=http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Jim%20Knight&display=summary |title = The Public Whip — Voting Record - Jim Knight MP, South Dorset (11027)}}

Jim Knight held the following positions:

• 2003–2004 – Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rosie Winterton then Minister of State at the Department of Health
• 2004–2005 – Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Ministerial Team at the Department of Health
• 2005–2006 – Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs, the Landscape & Biodiversity
• 2006–2009 – Minister of State for Schools
• 2009–2010 – Minister of State for Employment
• 2009–2010 – Minister for the South West

Knight was created a life peer on 23 June 2010, taking the title Baron Knight of Weymouth, of Weymouth in the County of Dorset.{{Cite web|url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20100407165838/http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/135065/ministers_interests.pdf|title=UK Government Web Archive|website=webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk}}{{London Gazette |issue=59471 |date=28 June 2010 |page=12149}}

In April 2014 he stepped down from the Labour front bench in the House of Lords to take up a full-time role as managing director, online learning at TES Global Ltd, building an online professional development and training service for teachers. Knight was subsequently appointed chief education and external officer at TES Global.

In 2011, Knight was appointed as chair of digital and social inclusion charity Tinder Foundation (now Good Things Foundation). He stood down as chair in 2016 but remains a patron of the Technology, Pedagogy and Education professional association. He is now Chair Emeritus of the Digital Poverty Alliance and co-owner of XRapid, an app that diagnoses malaria and is a board member of Apps for Good. He is also the deputy chair of the Nominet Trust,{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} and an honorary associate of the National Secular Society.{{Cite web|url=https://www.secularism.org.uk/honoraryassociates.html|title=Honorary Associates|website=www.secularism.org.uk|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-08-01}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Jim Knight (politician)}}

• [http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/aboutus/whoswho/ministersinfo.shtml#knight Jim Knight – Department for Children, Schools and Families]
• [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-2955,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle: Jim Knight MP]
• [https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/jim_knight/south_dorset TheyWorkForYou.com – Jim Knight MP]

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Category:1965 births

Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge

Category:Councillors in Somerset

Category:Labour Co-operative life peers

Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II

Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies

Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom

Category:People educated at Eltham College

Category:Politics of Dorset

Category:UK MPs 2001–2005

Category:UK MPs 2005–2010

Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for South Dorset

Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts