Nick Brown
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| The Right Honourable Nick Brown MP |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 3 October 2008 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
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| Preceded by | Geoff Hoon |
| In office 2 May 1997 – 27 July 1998 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Alastair Goodlad |
| Succeeded by | Ann Taylor |
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| In office 28 June 2007 – 3 October 2008 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Bob Ainsworth |
| Succeeded by | Thomas McAvoy |
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| In office 11 June 2001 – 13 June 2003 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Des Browne |
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| In office 27 July 1998 – 11 June 2001 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Jack Cunningham |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Beckett (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) |
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Member of Parliament
for Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend Newcastle upon Tyne East (1983 – 1997) |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 9 June 1983 |
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| Preceded by | Mike Thomas |
| Majority | 7,565 (23.9%) |
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| Born | 13 June 1950 Hawkhurst, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Labour |
| Residence | 12 Downing Street |
| Alma mater | University of Manchester |
| Religion | Humanism |
Nicholas Hugh "Nick" Brown (born June 13, 1950) is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend since 1983. He has served as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Minister of State for Work and Pensions, Deputy Chief Whip, and is currently in his second spell as the Government's Chief Whip[1].
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[edit] Early life
Brown was brought up in Tunbridge Wells, attending Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys before studying at the University of Manchester. After graduating, he worked in advertising for Procter and Gamble, but in 1978 he moved to be Legal adviser to the Northern Region of the GMBATU, based in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1980 he was elected to Newcastle City Council, representing Walker ward. His role in the union gave him a role in maximising the union's influence in Labour Party selections.
[edit] Political career
When Mike Thomas, the sitting Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne East, defected to the SDP, Brown was chosen as the new Labour Party candidate for the seat, easily keeping it for Labour in the 1983 general election. He went on to the Labour front bench in 1985 as a spokesman on Legal Affairs; from 1988 he was a Treasury spokesman and from 1994 he shadowed Health.
Originally elected the Commons in the same year as Gordon Brown and Tony Blair he was initially close to both men but over time he became his namesake Brown's staunchest ally, though the two are unrelated. In the 1994 Labour leadership election he acted as Brown's unofficial campaign manager, and according to Brown's biographer Paul Routledge, advised against him pulling out of the contest in Blair's favour.
In 1995 he was appointed Deputy Chief Whip and played a central role in the close Parliament in trying to defeat the Conservatives. After Labour's election victory in 1997, he was appointed Chief Whip, but stayed there only for a year, moving to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1998. This move, which followed the publication of the Routledge biography earlier that year, was widely seen as a demotion, and ascribed to his close connection with Brown. Not long after this, he was forced by the News of the World newspaper in 1998 to announce that he is gay. This he did with characteristic good humour, telling an audience of farmers: "It's a lovely day. The sun is out - and so am I."[2]
His tenure at MAFF saw several animal health crises ending with the 2001 foot and mouth crisis. Brown's handling of the outbreak, which some in the media and politics used to attack the government, was criticised, though throughout he maintained the support of the farming and food industries and the veterinary profession. Suggestions that a vaccination strategy should have been practised in preference to the culling of hundreds of thousands of animals, made with the benefit of hindsight, did not help his cause, and he was demoted out of the Cabinet to be Minister of Work at the Department for Work and Pensions after the general election of 2001. In June 2003, he was dropped from the Government altogether, receiving the news of his axing by Tony Blair during the course of a party held to mark his 20 years as an MP.
Brown remains closely allied to Gordon Brown. In 2004 he was one of the organisers of a rebellion over the government's proposals for student finance, but hours before the vote announced that he had received concessions from the Government and would now support it. It was suspected that the Chancellor had ordered him to back down, but the affair cost him some credibility. On 29 June 2007 he was announced as Brown's new Deputy Chief Whip and Minister for the North East.
Following a government reshuffle, he was returned to his original government position of Government Chief Whip, retaining his position as Minister for the North East.
In 2009, Brown was put in charge of investigating questionable expense claims by Labour MPs. According to The Daily Telegraph, between 2004 and 2008, he himself claimed a total of £87,708 for his constituency home including £18,800 for food. Allowances sought, without submission of receipts, included £200 a month for repairs, £200 a month for service and maintenance and £250 a month for a cleaner.
In 2007-8, Brown's mortgage interest repayments totalled £6,600, but he also claimed a total of £23,068, just £15 below the maximum allowable amount for the year. The claim included £4,800 for food – the maximum allowable amount – £2,880 for repairs and insurance, £2,880 for services, £897.65 for cleaning, £1,640 for phones and £1,810 for utilities. Brown, however, has pointed out that he saved the taxpayer a considerable amount of money by turning down a Government car and driver upon being made Chief Whip, the annual cost of which would have been around £100,000.[3]
In 2001 he was granted the freedom of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, on the same day as Alan Shearer.
Nick Brown is a supporter of the British Humanist Association.
[edit] References
- ^ Number 10 Press release
- ^ "UK Politics - Gay minister speaks out". BBC News. 1998-11-08. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/210301.stm. Retrieved 2007-07-28.
- ^ http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-evening-chronicle/2009/05/12/mps-expenses-north-east-minister-opens-up-72703-23601259/
[edit] External links
- Official website by Nick Brown
- The Labour Party - Rt Hon Nick Brown MP official biography
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Nick Brown MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Nick Brown MP
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mike Thomas |
Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend Newcastle upon Tyne East (1983–1997) 1983–present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Alastair Goodlad |
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury 1997–1998 |
Succeeded by Ann Taylor |
| Chief Whip of the House of Commons 1997–1998 |
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| Preceded by Jack Cunningham |
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 1998–2001 |
Succeeded by Margaret Beckett as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
| New office | Minister of State for Work 2001–2003 |
Succeeded by Des Browne |
| Preceded by Bob Ainsworth |
Treasurer of the Household 2007–2008 |
Succeeded by Thomas McAvoy |
| Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Commons 2007–2008 |
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| Preceded by Geoff Hoon |
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury 2008–present |
Incumbent |
| Chief Whip of the House of Commons 2008–present |
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