John Howell (politician)
John Michael Howell OBE FSA FRGS MP (born 27 July 1955)[1] is a British Conservative politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Henley, having won the seat in the 2008 Henley by-election.
John Howell | |
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![]() Howell in 2017 | |
Member of Parliament for Henley | |
Assumed office 26 June 2008 | |
Preceded by | Boris Johnson |
Majority | 14,053 (23.9%) |
Personal details | |
Born | Wandsworth, London, England | 27 July 1955
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse(s) | Alison Parker (m. 1987) |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater | University of Edinburgh, St John's College, Oxford |
Website |
Early life
Howell was born in Wandsworth.[2] He studied at the University of Edinburgh and holds a doctorate in archaeology from St John's College, Oxford.[3]
Career before Parliament
He worked as a tax inspector (1982–1985) for the Inland Revenue (now known as HM Revenue and Customs) before moving into the world of accountancy and consultancy as a tax adviser at Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young. He became a partner in Ernst & Young in 1990.
Howell was a business presenter for BBC World around 1994–95, though according to Michael Crick "the most remarkable thing about his presenting, apparently, was that he used to wear a bow-tie."[4]
In May 1996, Howell helped setup Fifth World Productions Company. He was one of the directors there until his resignation in October 2003.[5] Howell also held directorships with associated media production companies – Land & Vision Ltd (1998–2002) and The Solution Channel Ltd (2000–2002).[6]
In 2000, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for "services to Export in Central and Eastern Europe."[7]
Howell was a councillor on Oxfordshire County Council from 2004 to 2009.
Parliamentary career
Howell first became MP for Henley at the 2008 Henley by-election, when the newly elected Mayor of London Boris Johnson resigned as MP.
Following his retaining his seat at the 2010 General Election, Howell was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the House of Commons and the Lord Privy Seal, then Sir George Young, Bt. MP.[8] He served on the Work and Pensions Select Committee and Justice Committee.[9]
In 2012 Howell reported receiving death threats after responding to a question on whether he would be acting to try to halt Israeli military actions with a reference to Hamas rocket attacks in an online exchange.[10][11] Howell is a member of the Parliamentary Group of the Conservative Friends of Israel.[12] Howell declared having received free flights to and accommodation in Israel in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.[13]
Howell was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum,[14] but changed his view shortly after. He repeatedly voted in favour of the withdrawal agreement of the UK from the EU, and advocated against a second referendum on the terms of this withdrawal deal.[15]
At the Conservative Party Conference in 2017, he was quoted by the Henley Standard as saying: "My message to Boris is to keep his bloody mouth shut!" regarding Johnson's demand that the post-Brexit transition should last "not a second longer" than two years.[16] A year later, at the party conference in 2018, when Theresa May was being undermined by Johnson, The Guardian reported Howell as saying: "As far as I'm concerned Boris can just fuck off."[17]
In 2019, following the election of Johnson to the leadership of the Conservative Party, Howell was quoted by the Henley Standard as saying: "Boris has been elected by a large majority of the party members and I'm a democrat and we must follow that."[18]
In the May 2020 scandal around government special advisor Dominic Cummings breaking quarantine rules, Howell advocated against looking further into the advisor's behaviour, stating that a formal investigation "would be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut", and said that there "is advice which allows moving children in certain circumstances".[19]
As of 2020, since 2010 he has only rebelled on 9 votes out of more than 2,000 votes he has cast, and has not rebelled at all under Johnson's premiership to date.[20]
Other interests
Howell is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (who own and run Kelmscott Manor in West Oxfordshire) and of the Royal Geographical Society.[3]
Books
- Settlement and Economy in Neolithic Northern France, British Archaeological Reports, 1983. ISBN 978-0-86054-199-8.
- Understanding Eastern Europe: The Context of Change, 1994. ISBN 978-0-74941-510-5.
References
- "Howell, John Michael, (born 27 July 1955), MP (C) Henley, since June 2008". Who's Who. 2008. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.247248.
- "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- "About John". John Howell MP. Archived from the original on 14 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
- "BBC NEWS | Talk about Newsnight | Tory candidate was bow-tie wearing presenter". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- "FIFTH WORLD PRODUCTIONS LIMITED - Company Credit Reports, Company Accounts, Director Search Reports". www.companysearchesmadesimple.com. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- "Company Credit Check, Company Search, Company Accounts, Director Search". www.companysearchesmadesimple.com. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- "No. 55710". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1999. p. 14.
- UK Parliament Biographies - John Howell, OBE MP Archived 27 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- "John Howell". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- "MP's fear over death threats". Henley Standard. Henley Standard. 26 March 2012. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- "30 March 2012". Bucks Herald. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- "About CFI". CFI. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- "TheyWorkForYou". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- Goodenough, Tom (16 February 2016). "Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?". The Spectator. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- "Brexit Response". John Howell, MP for the Henley Constituency. Official website. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- "Boris, Howell or Bagpuss?". www.henleystandard.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- Hyde, Marina (3 October 2018). "It's Theresa May v Boris Johnson at the Tories' Groundhog conference". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- "Former Henley MP is named Prime Minister". www.henleystandard.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- "Henley MP holds judgement on Cummings furore". Henley Standard. 24 May 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- "The Public Whip — Voting Record - John Howell MP, Henley (14131)". www.publicwhip.org.uk. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Henley Conservatives
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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Preceded by Boris Johnson |
Member of Parliament for Henley 2008–present |
Incumbent |