Ian Levy (politician)

Ian Levy (born 14 February 1966) is a British Conservative Party politician who was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Blyth Valley at the 2019 general election. He is the first Conservative to represent Blyth Valley since the constituency was created in 1950.

Ian Levy

MP
Levy in 2019
Member of Parliament
for Blyth Valley
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byRonnie Campbell
Majority712 (1.7%)
Personal details
Born (1966-02-14) 14 February 1966[1]
Blyth, Northumberland, England
Political partyConservative
Websitewww.ianlevy.org.uk

Life

Levy was elected as MP for Blyth Valley in the 2019 general election with a majority of 712 votes. He had previously contested the seat in the 2017 general election. He was the first Conservative MP to represent the constituency since its creation in 1950.[2] It had previously been a notionally safe Labour seat.[3] He had campaigned on returning passenger railway services to the area and for a relief road in Blyth, Northumberland.[4] Blyth's railway station had closed in 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts.[5] He is of Jewish descent.[6]

Prior to his election, Levy had worked as a healthcare assistant on an inpatient mental health rehabilitation ward in St Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne.[7] After his election, he was accused of misleading the public after the Nursing Times reported he had made a series of social media posts during the campaign stating he had worked as a mental health nurse. The posts were later amended. Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust confirmed he had worked as a healthcare assistant. The term "nurse" is not legally protected so Levy's posts had not violated the Nurses Registration Act 1919.[7][8]

Levy won the Newcomer of the Year award at The Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Awards.[9]

References
  1. "Members' Names Data Platform query". UK Parliament. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  2. "Blyth Valley". BBC News. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  3. "The 24 Labour heartland seats lost to the Tories for the first time in decades". The Daily Telegraph. 14 December 2019.(subscription required)
  4. "Who is Ian Levy? New Conservative MP for Blyth Valley". Evening Chronicle. 12 December 2019.
  5. "Blyth Valley: A constituency that changed its mind". 15 December 2019.
  6. "The logic of democracy in this country is iron, as is our rejection of extremism". The Daily Telegraph. 13 December 2019.(subscription required)
  7. "Newly-elected MP falsely claims he is a 'mental health nurse'". Nursing Notes. 13 December 2019.
  8. "Shock win Tory candidate 'deceived' voters by claiming to be a nurse". Nursing Times. 13 December 2019.
  9. "The Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Awards: The Winners". The Spectator. 22 January 2020.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Ronnie Campbell		 Member of Parliament for Blyth Valley
2019–present		 Incumbent
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