Edward Timpson
Anthony Edward Timpson CBE (born 26 December 1973) is a British Conservative Party politician who was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Eddisbury in Cheshire at the 2019 general election. He was previously MP for neighbouring Crewe and Nantwich, winning a 2008 by-election and retaining the seat until the 2017 general election when he lost to the Labour Party candidate, Laura Smith, by 48 votes. Timpson was Minister of State for Children and Families after the 2015 general election, having been promoted from Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Education.
Early life
Timpson was born in Knutsford, Cheshire, in 1973.[2] His father John is the chairman and owner of the Timpson chain of shoe repair and key-cutting shops, which has been in the family for five generations and has over 1000 stores in the UK and Ireland. Timpson grew up with a brother, sister and over 80 children fostered by his parents.[3][4]
He was educated at Uppingham School and Durham University (Hatfield College), where he studied Politics before converting to Law. He became a barrister in 1998. From 1999, he has practised in Chester as a family law barrister.[5][6]
Political career
First years in the Commons
In July 2007, Timpson was selected as the Conservative candidate for the Crewe and Nantwich constituency,[7] an area which had been represented by the Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody since 1974. After Dunwoody died in April 2008, a by-election was called for May 2008. In the run-up to the by-election, Timpson was the target of a "toff" campaign by Labour, trying to paint him as "a rich man" who would not "understand the problems that people face day-to-day" in contrast to their candidate, Gwyneth Dunwoody's daughter Tamsin Dunwoody.[8] The Conservative campaign focused on local issues, such as crime and antisocial behaviour, closure of post offices and problems at Leighton Hospital, where two women in labour were turned away, as well as national issues - referring to Dunwoody as "Gordon Brown's candidate" and capitalising on dissatisfaction with the Labour government, in particular the removal of the 10% tax rate.[9]
On 22 May 2008, Timpson was elected MP, gaining 20,539 votes (49% of the vote), a swing from Labour of 17.6%.[10][11] This was the Conservatives' first gain in a by-election since 1982. He made his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 16 June 2008.[12] Timpson served on the Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee. He is a Vice-President of Conservative Friends of Poland.[13]
2010 to 2017
Following his re-election on 7 May 2010, Timpson was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary of Theresa May, the Home Secretary. He was appointed as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families at the Department for Education in September 2012.
Timpson was named "Minister of the Year" in 2014 for pushing through reforms increasing the age of leaving foster care from 18 to 21, an initiative he had originally championed as a backbench committee chair.[14] He credited his childhood experiences of living with a large family of fostered children.
He was re-elected in Crewe and Nantwich at the 2015 general election. On 11 May 2015, four days later, David Cameron announced he would become Minister of State for Children and Families at the Department for Education.
Timpson voted for Remain in the 2016 EU membership referendum.[15]
He lost his seat at the 2017 general election by 48 votes after three recounts.[16]
Work from 2017 to 2019
Timpson went on to author a review into education, looking at school exclusions, off-rolling and Special Educational Needs (SEN) students.[17][18][19][20]
In 2018, Timpson was appointed as the chair of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS), for the term from April 2018 to April 2021, succeeding Baroness Tyler of Enfield.[6]
Return to Parliament
Having lost his former seat of Crewe and Nantwich in 2017, Timpson was successfully selected as the Conservative Party's candidate for the neighbouring seat Eddisbury in the 2019 general election. He defeated Antoinette Sandbach (formerly a Conservative MP who was suspended from the party and then defected to the Liberal Democrats).[21]
Personal life
In June 2002, Timpson married Julia Still in south Cheshire. Since then he has lived in Cheshire with his wife and four children, Sam, Elizabeth, Lydia, Nell.
He has completed 15 marathons, including the New York City Marathon in 2007 and the London Marathon in 2008, raising over £15,000.[22] Outside politics Timpson is a fan of football, both watching and playing.
Notes and references
- http://www.edwardtimpson.com/text.aspx?id=11
- "Edward Timpson" in "Dod's Parliamentary Companion, 2009", Vacher Dod Publishing, 2008.
- The Times 8-May-08 Top hats and tails come out as Tory candidate says ‘I’m no Tarporley toff’
- "Labour's 'toff' campaign defended". BBC News. 19 May 2008.
- "Profile at Nicholas Street Chambers".
- Edward Timpson announced as new Cafcass Chair, CAFCASS (6 April 2018).
- "Edward Timpson adopted for Crewe and Nantwich". Conservative Home. 1 July 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
- "Labour's 'toff' campaign defended". BBC News. 19 May 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
- Carter, Helen (5 May 2008). "Tories train their sights on Crewe". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
- The Daily Telegraph Crewe and Nantwich by-election: Rampant Tories crush Labour 23 May-2008
- "Tories snatch Crewe from Labour". BBC News. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
- "Edward Timpson makes his debut". The Daily Telegraph. London. 16 June 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
- Conservative Friends of Poland website Archived 3 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- Rustin, Susanna (29 March 2014). "Edward Timpson: 'I wouldn't be children's minister if my parents hadn't fostered'". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- "EU Vote where cabinet and other MPs stand". London: BBC News. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- Ryan, Belinda (9 June 2017). "Labour's Laura Smith wins Crewe and Nantwich seat after three recounts". crewechronicle. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- "Timpson exclusions review: 9 interesting findings". Schools Week. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- "Edward Timpson publishes landmark exclusions review". GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- "The future of exclusions: Timpson Review at a glance". Tes. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- "Timpson Review on exclusions". NEU. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- Eddisbury General Election 2019 result declared: Edward Timpson has gained the seat for the Conservative Party, Cheshire Live (13 December 2019).
- Edward's marathon effort will aid families in need Crewe Guardian
External links
- Edward Timpson MP official website
- Edward Timpson profile on Conservative Party website
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
- BBC Politics page
- BBC EU Referendum page
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tim Loughton |
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families 2012–2015 |
Succeeded by Sam Gyimah as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Childcare and Education |
| Preceded by Sarah Teather |
Minister for Children and Families 2015–2017 |
Succeeded by Robert Goodwill |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Gwyneth Dunwoody |
Member of Parliament for Crewe and Nantwich 2008–2017 |
Succeeded by Laura Smith |
| Preceded by Antoinette Sandbach |
Member of Parliament for Eddisbury 2019–present |
Incumbent |