John Pugh

Pugh was educated at Prescot Grammar School and Maidstone Grammar School. He graduated from Durham University,{{cite web|url=http://www.politics.co.uk/mps/party-politics/liberal-democrats/pugh-john-$452065.htm|title=John Pugh|work=Politics.co.uk|access-date=17 December 2014|archive-date=27 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527184745/http://www.politics.co.uk/mps/party-politics/liberal-democrats/pugh-john-$452065.htm|url-status=dead}} attending St Cuthbert's Society, where he studied Philosophy.{{cite web |url=http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/guide/seat-profiles/southport

|title=Polling Guide – Southport

|publisher=UK Election Report

|access-date=12 February 2008}}

Formerly a religious studies teacher and Head of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Merchant Taylors' Boys' School, Crosby,{{cite web|url=http://www.merchanttaylors.com/merchant-news/oba-crosby-dinner.html |title=› Merchant Taylors News › OBA Crosby Dinner |publisher=Merchantaylors.com |access-date=17 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217171849/http://www.merchanttaylors.com/merchant-news/oba-crosby-dinner.html |archive-date=17 December 2014 |df=dmy }} Pugh has lived in Southport since 1974. He also taught at Salesian College (later Savio High School) in Bootle.

Pugh joined the Liberal Party in 1977. Pugh served on Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, representing Birkdale, from 1987 until his election to Parliament. At the time of his election, Pugh was leader of the council (from 1992), and of the Sefton Liberal Democrats.{{cite web |url=http://www.libdems.org.uk/john_pugh |title=John Pugh MP |access-date=18 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318174556/http://www.libdems.org.uk/john_pugh |archive-date=18 March 2017 }}

First elected to the House of Commons in the 2001 general election, in his first parliamentary term, Pugh served on the Transport, Local Government and Regions Select Committee and was Liberal Democrat education spokesperson with responsibility for schools. Following his re-election to Parliament in 2005, he served as shadow spokesperson for Transport and Health, and, subsequent to the election of Nick Clegg as party leader worked with Vince Cable as Shadow Treasury spokesperson. In the 2007 leadership election, Pugh supported Clegg in preference to Chris Huhne.{{cite web|url=http://www.libdemvoice.org/opinion-john-pugh-mp-writes-1651.html|title=Opinion: John Pugh MP writes|date=7 October 2007|publisher=Lib Dem Voice|access-date=7 February 2008}}

With the formation of the coalition government in 2010 he was appointed as Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Committee for Health and Social Care, a position he relinquished at the end of 2013 to focus on producing a report examining the social and economic issues facing the North.

In his party's 2015 leadership election, John Pugh supported Tim Farron in preference to Norman Lamb.{{cite web|url=http://timfarron.co.uk/en/article/2015/1091644/5-more-senior-lib-dems-back-farron-for-leader|title=Opinion: 5 more senior Lib Dems back Farron for leader|date=24 June 2015|publisher=Tim Farron|access-date=24 July 2015}}

In December 2015, Pugh voted to extend the bombing of ISIL targets in Iraq to Syria.{{cite web|url=http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2015-12-02&number=139&mpn=John_Pugh&mpc=Southport&house=commons|title=UK Airstrikes Against ISIL in Syria — 2 Dec 2015 at 22:00 — The Public Whip|website=www.publicwhip.org.uk}}

On 19 April 2017, Pugh announced that he would not be standing in the 2017 general election.

Amongst Pugh's campaigning interests was public sector IT, specifically around the role Open Source Software might play. Pugh has argued that the public sector could reduce costs by increasing use of Open Source Software{{cite web

|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2007-10-09b.46.0&s=section%3Adebates+section%3Awhall+section%3Alordsdebates+section%3Ani+speaker%3A11174#g48.2

|title=Debate on Government IT and Software Procurement

|publisher=Hansard

|access-date=7 February 2008}} and has accused the BBC of effectively giving Microsoft illegal state aid in only making their iPlayer download service available on Windows computers (at the time).{{cite web |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/14/thompson_bbc_iplayer_pac/

|title=MP accuses BBC chief of illegally championing Microsoft

|publisher=The Register

|access-date=7 February 2008}}

Pugh has interests in mental health policy.{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/john_pugh/southport|title=John Pugh|publisher=Theyworkforyou.com|access-date=17 December 2014}} In October 2009, Pugh introduced a private members' bill under the 10-minute rule calling for more local control over the NHS.{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm091021/debtext/91021-0004.htm#09102134000002|title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 21 Oct 2009 (pt 0004)|publisher=Publications.parliament.uk|access-date=17 December 2014}}

Locally in Southport, Pugh was interested in saving local pubs, and also in the drinking culture of the UK.{{cite web|url=http://www.southport.tv/page.php?id=JohnPugh-may09|title=Southport.TV Video/Film Archive|publisher=Southport.tv|access-date=17 December 2014}} Pugh saw cheap alcohol deals in supermarkets as one of the major problems causing pub closures, and fuelling the culture.{{cite web|url=http://www.champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=7216|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101028074116/http://champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=7216|url-status=usurped|archive-date=28 October 2010|title=Welcome to Champ News ::: Serving Sefton & West Lancashire|publisher=Champnews.com|access-date=17 December 2014}} He also took the fight for Local Post Offices to 10 Downing Street.[http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/2008/03/] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716162723/http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/2008/03/ |date=16 July 2011 }}

In Transport, Pugh had long campaigned for the reinstatement of the Burscough Curves,{{cite web|url=http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse+documents/rus+documents/route+utilisation+strategies/north+west/consultation+responses/b/burscough+curves+(25+responses).pdf|title=Network Rail - resource not found|website=www.networkrail.co.uk|access-date=28 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416071156/http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/rus%20documents/route%20utilisation%20strategies/north%20west/consultation%20responses/b/burscough%20curves%20%2825%20responses%29.pdf|archive-date=16 April 2016|url-status=dead}} and worked with local groups such as the Ormskirk, Preston and Southport Travellers' Association (OPSTA) and the Southport Rail Transport Forum (SRTF) to save services from {{rws|Southport}} to {{rws|Manchester Piccadilly}}{{cite web|url=http://www.srtf.org.uk/|title=Welcome srtf.org.uk - BlueHost.com|website=www.srtf.org.uk}}

Pugh supports Amnesty International, with whom he is reported to have had close ties with the Formby & Southport Group over a number of years.[http://www.southportreporter.com/122/southportreporter122-5.shtml] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716113647/http://www.southportreporter.com/122/southportreporter122-5.shtml |date=16 July 2011 }}

In 2013, he became one of only four Liberal Democrat MPs to vote against the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill.{{cite web|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/02/labour-and-lib-dem-mps-who-voted-against-gay-marriage-full-list|title=Labour and Lib Dem MPs who voted against gay marriage: full list|date=6 February 2013 |publisher=Newstatesman.com|access-date=17 December 2014}}

He is married to Annette with three daughters and a son.[http://www.libdems.org.uk/www.libdems.org.uk/people/john-pugh.html] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709110138/http://www.libdems.org.uk/www.libdems.org.uk/people/john-pugh.html |date=9 July 2009 }}[http://www.epolitix.com/mpwebsites/mpwebsitepage/mpsite/john-pugh/mppage/biography-e60940f6c6/] {{Dead link|date=December 2014}} He moved to Southport in 1974.

Pugh's interests include philosophy, computers, weight-lifting and supporting Liverpool F.C.

• 2010– Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Committee for Health and Social Care
• 2008–10 Shadow Treasury Spokesperson{{cite web|url=http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?id=uk.org.publicwhip/|title=MP/Lord not found|publisher=Publicwhip.org.uk|access-date=17 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217172211/http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?id=uk.org.publicwhip%2F|archive-date=17 December 2014|url-status=dead}}
• 2006–07 Shadow Health spokesperson
• 2005–06 Shadow Transport spokesperson,
• 2002–05 Shadow Ministerial Spokesman, Education

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.johnpughmp.com/ John Pugh MP] official constituency website
• {{UK MP links | parliament = john-pugh/1454 | hansard = mr-john-pugh | hansardcurr = 260 | guardian = 6882/john-pugh | publicwhip = John_Pugh | theywork = john_pugh | record = John-Pugh/Southport/1115 | bbc = 25198.stm | journalisted = john-pugh }}
• [http://www.openrightsgroup.org/orgwiki/index.php/John_Pugh_MP John Pugh MP] at Open Rights Group
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20040323060943/http://www.southport.gb.com/johnpughdiary/ Diary of John Pugh MP] at Southport.gb.com

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{{s-par|uk}}

{{s-bef|before=Ronnie Fearn}}

{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament
for Southport|years=2001–2017}}

{{s-aft|after=Damien Moore}}

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{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pugh, John}}

Category:1948 births

Category:Living people

Category:Alumni of the University of Nottingham

Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs for English constituencies

Category:People educated at Maidstone Grammar School

Category:Politicians from Liverpool

Category:UK MPs 2001–2005

Category:UK MPs 2005–2010

Category:UK MPs 2010–2015

Category:UK MPs 2015–2017

Category:Alumni of St Cuthbert's Society, Durham

Category:People educated at Prescot Grammar School

Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors

Category:Leaders of local authorities of England