Stewart Jackson

Jackson was born in Woolwich, London, England, and was brought up in south-east London. He was educated at the London Nautical School, an all-boys comprehensive school in Lambeth, and Chatham House Grammar School, an all boys grammar school in Ramsgate, Kent. He then studied economics and public administration at Royal Holloway, University of London, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1988.[http://www.rhul.ac.uk/messages/press/message.asp?ref_no=2210 Election highs for Royal Holloway alumni] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609085453/http://www.rhul.ac.uk/messages/press/message.asp?ref_no=2210 |date=9 June 2011}}, www.rhul.ac.uk He was elected president of the University of London Union for the 1988–89 academic year. During his tenure as president, he faced a no-confidence motion in January 1989, and resigned before he was required to leave office.{{cite news |title=ULU President goes |url=http://felixonline.co.uk/issuearchive/issue/752/download/ |accessdate=27 September 2018 |work=Felix, the newspaper of Imperial College Union |issue=824 |publisher=Felix Imperial |date=20 January 1989 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150314064711/http://felixonline.co.uk/issuearchive/issue/752/download/ |archive-date=14 March 2015 |location=London |page=16 |format=PDF}} He later undertook a Master of Arts (MA) degree in human resource management at Thames Valley University.{{cite web |title=Jackson of Peterborough, Baron, (Stewart James Jackson) (born 31 Jan. 1965) |url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U45462 |website=Who's Who 2024 |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=1 July 2024 |language=en |date=1 December 2023}}

Jackson served on Ealing Borough Council in west London from 1990 to 1998, during which time he was Conservative Party spokesman on planning and housing. He is Vice-President of the Local Government Association.{{cite web |url=http://www.local.gov.uk/vice-presidents;jsessionid=43136967DDB265FB091F79129933DED4 |title=LGA vice-presidents |work=Local Government Association |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801234914/http://www.local.gov.uk/vice-presidents |archive-date=1 August 2012 |df=dmy-all}}

Jackson unsuccessfully contested the parliamentary constituency of Brent South at the 1997 general election. He was then selected as the Conservative candidate for the Peterborough seat in October 2000, and fought the 2001 general election, where he reduced the Labour Party's majority in the constituency from 7,323 votes to 2,854 votes, but lost to the incumbent Labour MP Helen Brinton. Jackson was re-adopted as the Conservative candidate for Peterborough in August 2002, and defeated Brinton at the 2005 general election to become the MP.

In the 2010 general election, held on 6 May, Jackson increased his majority to 4,861 votes over the Labour candidate, Ed Murphy; he was appointed the following month as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Owen Paterson, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, but resigned as PPS on 24 October 2011, after voting against a three-line whip on an EU referendum.{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8840131/Tories-threaten-resignation-over-EU-vote-ban.html |location=London |work=The Daily Telegraph |first=James |last=Kirkup |title=Tories threaten resignation over EU vote ban |date=20 October 2011}}

Following Theresa May's selection as the new Conservative Prime Minister, following David Cameron's resignation, Stewart Jackson was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to David Davis, the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, in July 2016.{{cite web |title=Peterborough MP to work with new Brexit Minister |url=https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/update/2016-07-20/peterborough-mp-to-work-with-new-brexit-minister/ |website=ITV news |publisher=ITV |accessdate=8 November 2019}}

Following the loss of his seat at the 2017 general election, Jackson was appointed Special Advisor and Chief of Staff to the Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40726216 |title=Ex-MP Jackson hired as Brexit adviser |date=2017-07-26 |work=BBC News |access-date=2017-09-23 |language=en-GB}}

On 25 April 2022 Stewart Jackson was appointed to the role of High Speed 2 Residents' Commissioner.{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/department-for-transport-appoints-new-hs2-residents-commissioner |title=Department for Transport appoints new HS2 Residents' Commissioner |author= |date=25 April 2022 |website= |publisher=Department for Transport |access-date=6 June 2022 |quote=}}

It was announced on 14 October 2022, that as part of Boris Johnson's 2022 Political Honours, Jackson would be appointed a life peer.{{Cite web |title=Political Peerages 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/political-peerages-2022 |date=14 October 2022|access-date=15 October 2022|website=GOV.UK |language=en}} On 16 November 2022, Jackson was created Baron Jackson of Peterborough, of Peterborough in the County of Cambridgeshire.{{cite web|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/4971/career|title=Lord Jackson of Peterborough |website=MPs and Lords |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=16 November 2022}}

Together with other MPs on the Conservative right wing, such as Nadine Dorries, Jackson assisted in establishing the Conservative Voice parliamentary grouping led by David Davis (David Cameron's principal opponent in the contest to win the leadership of the Conservative Party) and Liam Fox (former secretary of state for defence). In explaining his decision to join the new right-wing grouping, Jackson said that he hoped it could "get Cameron back on election-winning ground" and away from the "current social liberal mush". He stated that he would vote against the government's legislation to introduce same-sex marriage, and accused his party leader of being "arrogant" for pressing ahead with it.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9730198/David-Cameron-warned-Lords-will-massacre-gay-marriage-laws.html |location=London |work=The Daily Telegraph |title=David Cameron warned Lords will 'massacre' gay marriage laws |date=7 December 2012 |first1=Rowena |last1=Mason |first2=John |last2=Bingham}}

In 2013, he opposed David Cameron's plan to arm the Syrian rebels.{{Cite web|date=2013-06-07|title=Cameron's backbench battle over arming Syrian rebels|url=https://www.channel4.com/news/syria-civil-war-rebels-arm-weapons-david-cameron-backbench|access-date=2022-01-20|website=Channel 4 News|language=en-GB}}

In 2014, Jackson, along with six other Conservative Party MPs, voted against the Equal Pay (Transparency) Bill, which would have required all companies with more than 250 employees to declare the gap in pay between the average male and average female salaries.{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/equal-pay-seven-male-tory-mps-vote-against-bill-to-make-big-companies-reveal-gender-pay-gap-9928964.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/equal-pay-seven-male-tory-mps-vote-against-bill-to-make-big-companies-reveal-gender-pay-gap-9928964.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Equal Pay: Seven male Tory MPs vote against bill to make big companies reveal gender pay gap |work=independent.co.uk |date=16 December 2014|accessdate=18 April 2015}}

Jackson opposed the 2013 bill to allow gay marriage. In March 2015, he told a lesbian constituent: "The feeling's fully mutual. Please feel free to never bother me again" after she requested to be removed from his campaign mailing list because she disagreed with his position on the act.{{cite news |title=Peterborough candidate Stewart Jackson criticised over 'stupid' email exchange |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-32128877 |accessdate=15 April 2015 |work=BBC News |date=31 March 2015}}{{cite web |title=Anti-gay marriage MP tells lesbian voter: 'Don't bother me again |date=31 March 2015 |url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/03/31/anti-gay-marriage-mp-tells-lesbian-voter-dont-bother-me-again/ |publisher=Pinknews |accessdate=26 July 2015}}

In March 2015, Jackson attracted media attention for his response to a constituent which was subsequently circulated on social media. Jackson's email told the constituent “The feeling’s fully mutual. Please feel free to never bother me again” after she requested to be removed from his campaign mailing list because she disagreed with his opposition to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-32128877|title=Peterborough candidate Stewart Jackson criticised over 'stupid' email exchange|work=BBC News|date=31 March 2015|accessdate=29 January 2019}}

On 26 June 2016, Rupert Myers, a political correspondent for The Times, tweeted about the outcome of the Referendum of the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union "I can't get over the fact that the winning side lied about a whole bunch of stuff & yet expect us to live cheerfully with the result". Stewart Jackson replied from his verified Twitter account "Suck it up whiner...".{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/pro-leave-mp-tells-journalist-to-suck-it-up-whiner-over-brexit-concerns-a7105701.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/pro-leave-mp-tells-journalist-to-suck-it-up-whiner-over-brexit-concerns-a7105701.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Pro-Leave MP tells journalist to 'suck it up whiner' over Brexit concerns |work=The Independent |date=27 June 2016 |accessdate=17 October 2016}}

Jackson attracted attention in October 2016, when he used Twitter to state that patriots should not subscribe to The Economist, a liberal, free-market magazine, because of its arguments about the problems leaving the EU would entail.{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/treason-brexit-petition_uk_58047bfbe4b0ee3352126b7a?ir=UK+Politics |title=Tory Councillor Christian Holliday Holds Petition To Make Supporting UK Membership Of EU Treason |work=Huffington Post |accessdate=17 October 2016}}

After losing his seat in 2017, Jackson contacted a former constituent who had been critical of him on Facebook to call him a "thick chav", and also wrote: "If you print any shit about me on Facebook in the future you will regret it."{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/stewart-jackson-tory-mps-facebook-messages-abuse-thick-chav-constituent-a7790296.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/stewart-jackson-tory-mps-facebook-messages-abuse-thick-chav-constituent-a7790296.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Tory MP who lost seat messages former constituent on Facebook to call him a 'thick chav'|date=14 June 2017|work=The Independent}}

In October 2018, Jackson, who is known for his pro-Brexit views, was again criticised after tweeting: "What a pathetic cretin" in response to a picture of an ill child with a duvet depicting the European Union flag. The child was recovering from an operation at the Great Ormond Street Hospital. Jackson subsequently said, after deleting the initial tweet, that he was referring to the child's stepfather rather than the child himself.{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ex-tory-mp-and-brexit-adviser-stewart-jackson-calls-stepdad-of-sick-child-a-pathetic-cretin-on-twitter_uk_5bce4fb7e4b0a8f17eef84f4|title=Ex-Tory MP And Brexit Adviser Calls Stepdad Of Sick Child 'A Pathetic Cretin' On Twitter|date=23 October 2018|work=HuffPost}} The Science Minister, Sam Gyimah, criticised the tweet, saying: "No one can take credibly or seriously people who use that language."{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/oct/23/former-tory-mp-stewart-jackson-urged-to-apologise-for-cretin-jibe-at-boy-with-eu-flag|title=Stepfather of boy with EU flag tells ex-Tory MP to apologise for 'cretin' jibe|first=Jessica|last=Elgot|date=23 October 2018|work=The Guardian}} Heidi Allen, another Conservative MP, responded by describing Jackson as "a pathetic, unkind and nasty man."{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-45951932|title=Stewart Jackson 'unkind and nasty' for child tweet says Heidi Allen|date=23 October 2018|work=BBC News}}

Since losing his seat in 2017, Jackson has made several attempts at a political comeback, though has failed to be selected multiple times.

Ahead of the 2019 General Election, he attempted to be selected for the safe seat of Sevenoaks in Kent, losing to Laura Trott.{{Cite web|url=https://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2019/11/new-shortlists-for-the-aberconwy-and-sevenoaks-candidate-selection-races.html|title=New: Shortlists for the Aberconwy and Sevenoaks candidate selection races|date=November 2019 }}

In 2020, he stood to be the Conservative candidate for Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner, losing to eventual winner Daryll Preston.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cambstimes.co.uk/news/stewart-jackson-hopeful-of-new-police-role-4912228|title=Former MP wants to become police and crime commissioner|date=26 February 2020}} He lost the selection by a margin of two votes despite the endorsement of Home Secretary Priti Patel.

{{Main|United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal}}

On 12 May 2009, both BBC Newsnight, and a second article published by The Daily Telegraph reported that Jackson had claimed £55,000 on housing costs for the constituency house, bringing the total sum to over £66,000.{{cite news|last=Swaine |first=Jon |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5310312/MPs-expenses-Stewart-Jackson-admits-claim-for-pool-work-was-excessive.html |title=MPs' expenses: Stewart Jackson admits claim for pool work was 'excessive' |newspaper=Telegraph |date=12 May 2009 |accessdate=3 September 2010 |location=London}} When asked about how MPs should be housed in their constituencies, Jackson was quoted in The Daily Telegraph as saying that any ban on the second home allowance would be "draconian and unfair".{{cite news|last=Sawer |first=Patrick |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/6112443/MPs-expenses-MPs-who-milked-the-expenses-system-now-complain-about-attempts-to-reform-it.html |title=MPs' expenses: MPs who milked the expenses system now complain about attempts to reform it |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=29 August 2009 |accessdate=3 September 2010 |location=London}}

In May 2013, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) issued a High Court action in an attempt to recover £54,000 in alleged notional Capital Gains arising from Jackson's Peterborough home.{{cite news|last=Swinford |first=Stephen |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/10046237/Expenses-watchdog-sues-Tory-MP-over-second-home.html |title=Expenses watchdog sues Tory MP over second home |newspaper=Telegraph |date=9 May 2013 |accessdate=9 May 2013}}

IP addresses from inside the Houses of Parliament have often edited the Wikipedia biographies of politicians including Jackson in an attempt to remove details on the parliamentary expenses scandal,{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/general-election-2015/11574217/Expenses-and-sex-scandal-deleted-from-MPs-Wikipedia-pages-by-computers-inside-Parliament.html|title=Expenses and sex scandal deleted from MPs' Wikipedia pages by computers inside Parliament|date=26 May 2015|work=Telegraph.co.uk}} and attempts have been made to remove details of Jackson's interaction with a lesbian constituent.{{cite news|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/07/25/tory-mps-wikipedia-entry-edited-from-parliament-to-remove-gay-rights-criticism/|title=Exclusive: Tory MP's Wikipedia entry 'edited from Parliament' to remove gay rights criticism|author=Nick Duffy|newspaper=PinkNews|accessdate=26 July 2015|date=25 July 2015}} Ben Riley-Smith, a correspondent for The Daily Telegraph, argues that it is impossible to prove that changes are made by staff of any particular MP.

In July 2012, Jackson attempted to tackle a vandal in Peterborough. Jackson, who was shopping with his wife and daughter, tried to perform a citizen's arrest after seeing a bus shelter being vandalised. The vandal got away, but only after kicking the MP. Cambridgeshire Constabulary subsequently arrested a twenty-year-old man in connection with the incident who was later found guilty of assault and criminal damage at Peterborough Magistrates Court.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-19026839 |title=Peterborough MP attacked by bus shelter vandal|work=BBC News|date=28 July 2012|accessdate=29 July 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.metro.co.uk/news/906654-tory-mp-stewart-jackson-kicked-as-he-tries-to-be-have-a-go-hero |title=Tory MP Stewart Jackson 'kicked' as he tries to be have-a-go-hero|publisher=Associated Newspapers Limited|work=Metro|date=28 July 2012|accessdate=29 July 2012}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.stewartjackson.org.uk Stewart Jackson MP] official site
• {{UK MP links |parliament=mr-stewart-jackson/1551 |publicwhip=Stewart_Jackson |theywork=stewart_jackson}}
• [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-6059,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle: Stewart Jackson MP]
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-32128877 Peterborough candidate Stewart Jackson criticised over 'stupid' email exchange]

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Category:1965 births

Category:Alumni of Royal Holloway, University of London

Category:Alumni of the University of West London

Category:People educated at the London Nautical School

Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies

Category:Councillors in the London Borough of Ealing

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Category:People educated at Chatham House Grammar School

Category:People from Woolwich

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Jackson of Peterborough

Jackson of Peterborough

Category:British Eurosceptics