Matthew Gordon-Banks

Matthew Gordon-Banks on 21 June 1961 is a British former Conservative Party politician, who was elected in 1992 as the Member of Parliament for Southport, but lost his seat in 1997. Gordon-Banks left the Conservative Party in 2004 to join the Liberal Democrats. In 2016, he was suspended from membership of the Liberal Democrats.[1]

"Matthew Banks" redirects here. For the Australian rules footballer, see Matthew Banks (footballer).

Matthew Gordon-Banks
Member of Parliament
for Southport
In office
9 April 1992 – 1 May 1997
Preceded byRonnie Fearn
Succeeded byRonnie Fearn
Majority3,063
Personal details
Born (1961-06-21) 21 June 1961
NationalityBritish
Political partyConservative Party (until 2004)
Liberal Democrats (2004-2016)
Spouse(s)
Jane Gordon-Banks (née Miller)
​
​
(m. 1992)​
Children2
ResidenceCotswolds
Alma materSheffield Hallam University
ProfessionFormer Army officer and politician, adviser

Early life and career

Gordon-Banks graduated with a BA (Hons) in History and Economics from Sheffield Hallam University.[2] He served in the 1st Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers, from 1979 to 1981 before attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and being commissioned into the Gordon Highlanders in 1981.[2][3]

After leaving the Army in 1983 with a war disablement pension[2] he worked for Barclays Bank[3][2] and in 1984 he was elected as Conservative member for the Heswall Ward on Wirral Borough Council, serving as chairman of the Schools Committee from 1985 to 1986 and the Works Committee from 1986 to 1987.[2] He was re-elected with 75% of the vote in 1988, before standing down from the council in 1990. From 1988 to 1989, he worked as private secretary to Cecil Franks, Conservative MP for Barrow and Furness, and from 1989 he was senior adviser on Middle East affairs for LBJ Ltd.[2]

In the 1987 general election, Gordon-Banks was the Conservative candidate for Manchester Central, a safe Labour seat.

From 1990

Parliamentary career

In 1990, Gordon-Banks was selected to contest Southport, and was elected as the constituency's Member of Parliament (MP) 1992, gaining the seat from the Liberal Democrat Ronnie Fearn. In Parliament, he served on the Transport Select Committee from 1992 to 1997. He was also chairman of the Anglo-Venezuela Parliamentary Group and secretary of the Anglo-United Arab Emirates Parliamentary Group from 1993 to 1997.[2] In 1997, Fearn regained the seat from Gordon-Banks.

Later career

Gordon-Banks represented Northleach on Cotswold District Council from 2000 to 2004,[4] sitting as an Independent Conservative and chairing the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for two years. Having been re-elected unopposed in May 2004, he resigned from the council in November of that year.[5] Gordon-Banks received an MBA from the Donald Harrison School of Business at Southeast Missouri State University in 2001.[2] From 2002 to 2006, he was an adviser to the Joint Security Industry Council and in 2004 he joined the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom as Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and South Asia, a post he held until 2012.[2] From 2006 to 2010, he was Senior Adviser regarding the Middle East and South East Asia in the Advanced Research and Assessment Group of the Defence Academy and from 2007 to 2009 he was an adviser to the International Institute for Security Services.[2] In 2014, he became Director of the Middle East and South Asia branch of the International Institute for Strategic Affairs.[2]

Member of the Liberal Democrats (2004–16)

In 2004, Gordon-Banks switched party allegiance to the Liberal Democrats, joining the party's Executive Committee in Moray, Scotland.[6][7]

Gordon-Banks was suspended from the Liberal Democrats in 2016 after an antisemitic Twitter tweet: "Farron's leadership campaign was organised and funded by London Jews" and "I am glad I never had to represent a constituency with a significant Jewish community because [they] are all bloody hard work". Marie van der Zyl, Vice President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said "The comments by Matthew Gordon Banks on Twitter are of very deep concern. He talks about Jews and money and hints at the age-old canard of the 'Jewish conspiracy'. He must urgently clarify and apologise for his comments, otherwise we would expect the Liberal Democrat Party to invoke disciplinary procedures".[1][8]

Personal life

Gordon-Banks married Jane Miller in 1992 and has a son and a daughter.[2][5]

References
  1. "Lib Dems suspend former Tory MP over antisemitic rant". The Jewish Chronicle. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  2. Biography, Who's Who.
  3. Matthew Banks appointed as PPS to Curry and Jones – via lgcplus.com (subscription required)
  4. "Mr Matthew Banks". Cotswold District Council. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  5. Walker, Tim (24 December 2011). Eden, Richard (ed.). "Oliver Letwin faces questions as his 'aide' is cleared of fraud". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 December 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  6. Siddle, John (26 June 2009). "Former Southport Conservative MP has switched to the Lib Dems". www.southportvisiter.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  7. "Conservative Party 'civil war' hits key Southport battleground". Liverpool Daily Post. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  8. "House of Commons - Antisemitism in the UK - Home Affairs Committee". www.publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Ronnie Fearn		 Member of Parliament for Southport
1992–1997		 Succeeded by
Ronnie Fearn
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