About Andrew
Andrew grew up in Essex, the son of a furniture retailer. He was the first generation of his family to go to university and studied at Trinity College, Oxford, the College of Europe Bruges and Wolfson College, Cambridge. He is a former Woodrow Wilson scholar and Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford.
Andrew’s Experience
Prior to becoming MP for Chichester in 1997, Andrew was a Senior Economist at the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development. He had previously worked as an advisor to successive Chancellors of the Exchequer, Nigel Lawson and John Major.
From 2010 to 2015 Andrew was Chairman of the Treasury Select Committee. He was one of the most persistent examiners of the banks after the 2008 financial crisis.
The Committee regularly took evidence from, and questioned, Government Ministers, regulators and economists. This includes the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Governor of the Bank of England, and the heads of the banks.
In July 2012, Parliament asked Andrew to chair a new Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards. This was in response to the Libor rate-fixing scandal. Made up of both MPs and Peers, including the Archbishop-Elect, former Chancellor Nigel Lawson, and former Cabinet Secretary Andrew Turnbull, the Commission examined the professional standards and culture of the UK banking sector.
Andrew is also the founder and chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Extraordinary Rendition, dedicated to ensuring that the UK is not involved in the US programme of kidnap and mistreatment of terrorist suspects. The group has been instrumental in helping to uncover the truth about Britain’s involvement in rendition after 9/11.
Between 2003 and 2005, Andrew held the positions of Shadow Financial Secretary and Shadow Paymaster General. He forced the Government to change its rules so that the Parliamentary Ombudsman could examine the Equitable Life scandal which has hurt many of his constituents.
Andrew has worked hard for his constituents, representing them at both the local and national level. He is passionate about preserving the natural beauty of the Chichester District and the Downs for generations to come.
Since 1997 he has been instrumental in creating and driving forward numerous campaigns to protect and improve local services.
This includes the successful campaign to save St Richard’s Hospital from being downgraded; helping secure the go-ahead for the Chichester flood defence schemes in the wake of the terrible floods of 1999; the Almodington Association’s fight against glasshouses; the creation of a new academy in Midhurst; and help with Chichester Harbour Conservancy’s ongoing battle to preserve the harbour.
Andrew has published extensively on a wide range of subjects. Most notably, in his 2003 essay, Axis of Anarchy, Andrew argued against the war in Iraq, saying that the pre-emptive strike was without clear justification and explaining that the doctrine of regime change was damaging.
He has also written extensively about financial regulation, the economy, as well as constitutional change, presenting the case for a smaller House of Commons, and a reformed House of Lords.
During his time in Parliament he has won the following Spectator magazine awards:
- · 2012 ‘Select Committee Chairman of the Year’;
- · 2009 ‘Backbencher of the Year’;
- · 2000 ‘Backbencher of the Year’.
Since 1997 Andrew has been a member of numerous Parliamentary Select Committees. These include:
- Joint Committee on Consolidation of Bills Etc, Member: 1997-2001;
- Public Administration, Member: 1997-2001;
- Treasury Select Committee, Member: 2001-03, 2009-10, Chair 2010-2015;
- Treasury Sub-Committee, Member: 2001-04;
- Constitutional Affairs/Justice, Member: 2005-10;
- Joint Committee on Conventions, Member: 2006;
- Reform of the House of Commons, Member: 2009-10;
- Joint Committee on Tax Law Rewrite Bills, Member: 2009-10, Chair: 2010;
- Liaison Committee, Member 2010-2015;
- Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards, Chair: 2012-2014