| Bob Neill MP | |
 Bob Neill MP |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2007 |
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Member of Parliament
for Bromley and Chislehurst |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 29 June 2006 |
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| Preceded by | Eric Forth |
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| Majority | 633 (2.2%) |
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| In office 4 May 2000 – 3 May 2008 |
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| Preceded by | New creation |
| Succeeded by | James Cleverly |
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| Born | 24 June 1952 Ilford, London Borough of Redbridge |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics |
Robert James MacGillivray "Bob" Neill (born 24 June 1952) is a British politician and barrister. He was Conservative Party member of the London Assembly for Bexley and Bromley from 2000 until 2008, and was elected as Member of Parliament for Bromley and Chislehurst in a by-election on 29 June 2006, following the death of incumbent MP Eric Forth. He was appointed shadow Minister for London in July 2007 after only a year in parliament. Neill is also currently the Deputy Chairman for Local Government.
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History
Neill attended Abbs Cross Technical High School, Abbs Cross Lane, Hornchurch, and took at degree at the London School of Economics. He was later a councillor in the London Borough of Havering, served as Greater London Council member for Romford 1985-86. He previously stood for the Dagenham parliamentary constituency in 1983, at the age of 30, coming within 2,997 votes of winning the historically Labour seat from Bryan Gould MP. He also stood for election in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in 1994 and 1998.
Neill was first elected to the London Assembly in the 2000 assembly election. He served as Leader of the Conservative Group on the Assembly from 2000 to 2002 and again from 2004.
He is also a member of the EU's Committee of the Regions,[1] and a member of the European People's Party - European Democrats. A pro-European, he supported former Conservative Chancellor Kenneth Clarke in both of his bids for the leadership of the Conservative Party.
A Freemason, he is a member of the Greater London Lodge.[2] His partner is Southend Conservative Councillor Daphne White.[3]
Bromley and Chislehurst by-election
On 3 June 2006 he was adopted as the Conservative candidate for the Bromley and Chislehurst by-election which took place on 29 June 2006. His selection by the local Conservative Association raised eyebrows, as new leader David Cameron had pressed for an "A-List" candidate, to help present Cameron's vision of the new Conservative Party. The Parliamentary constituency forms a part of Neill's London Assembly constituency. He stated at his selection that he would not resign his London Assembly seat as the resultant by-election, which would see around 400,000 voters go to the polls, would be unduly expensive.
A few questions were raised about Neill's position as a non-executive director of the North East London Strategic Health Authority, which fell foul of the House of Commons Disqualification Act of 1975. His response was that, because the body was due to be abolished before he would have had the chance to take his seat in Westminster, any such arguments were immaterial.[4]
Neill won the by-election by just 633 votes, compared to the 13,342 majority achieved by his predecessor at the 2005 general election. Factors contributing to this were assumed by commentators to include a substantial drop in the turnout (down from 64.8 to 40.18%), with the drop disproportionally hitting the Conservative vote; the presence of a high-profile UKIP candidate, Nigel Farage - Labour ended up coming fourth, after UKIP; and a campaign by the Liberal Democrats that heavily focused on Neill personally. In his acceptance speech Neill criticised "a minority of candidates" (which was assumed to be specifically criticising the Liberal Democrat candidate) for their ad hominem attacks on him. These included statements regarding Neill's occupations outside his future parliamentary role (including the nickname "Three Jobs Bob"[5]) and that fact that, at that time, he did not have a home in the constituency.
In 2009 The Times recorded that Neill was claiming an allowance for a second home despite living outside London. A spokesman said that his claims were "in accordance with the rules".[6]
References
- ^ http://cormembers.cor.eu.int/cormembers.aspx?critId=2013974
- ^ London Assembly - Register of Members' Interests
- ^ Senior Tory Selected To Fight Byelection (from Echo)
- ^ Tory candidate accused of breaking by-election law - Telegraph
- ^ Lib Dem says: "Three jobs Bob" should quit the London Assembly
- ^ Ungoed-Thomas, John (5 April 2009). "MP Rudi Vis uses expenses to pay for his rural retirement". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6036476.ece. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
External links
| Assembly seats | ||
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| New creation | Member of the London Assembly for Bexley and Bromley 2000 – 2008 |
Succeeded by James Cleverly |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by Eric Forth |
Member of Parliament for Bromley and Chislehurst 2006–present |
Incumbent |
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