David Jamieson (British politician)

David Charles Jamieson (born 18 May 1947) is a British politician who served as the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner from 2014 to 2021. A member of the Labour Party, he was previously the Member of Parliament (MP) for Plymouth Devonport from 1992 to 2005 and a Solihull Metropolitan Borough Councillor from 2010 to 2014.

David Jamieson
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner
In office
22 August 2014 – 12 May 2021
DeputyYvonne Mosquito
Ashley Bertie
Waheed Saleem
Preceded byBob Jones
Succeeded bySimon Foster
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
In office
11 June 2001 – 10 May 2005
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byKeith Hill
Succeeded byKaren Buck
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office
28 July 1998 – 11 June 2001
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byJon Owen Jones
Succeeded byNick Ainger
Member of Parliament
for Plymouth Devonport
In office
10 April 1992 – 11 April 2005
Preceded byDavid Owen
Succeeded byAlison Seabeck
Personal details
Born
David Charles Jamieson

(1947-05-18) 18 May 1947
Solihull, England
Political partyLabour

Early life and career

Born in Solihull, England, he was educated at Tudor Grange Grammar school, and later at St Peter's College, Saltley, Birmingham.

Before becoming an MP, he was a teacher at Riland Bedford School and later a head of Mathematics at Crown Hills Community College between 1970 and 1981, before becoming the senior vice principal of the John Kitto Community College in Plymouth (1981–1992).

Political career

Early career

Jamieson was elected to the County Borough of Solihull Council for the Lyndon ward at a by-election in July 1970, having been an unsuccessful candidate in the elections in May of that year. He stood for the same ward in 1973 when elections for the new Metropolitan Borough of Solihull was established but the three Conservative candidates were all narrowly elected.

Jamieson first stood for Parliament, unsuccessfully, for Birmingham Hall Green in February 1974, losing to Conservative incumbent Reginald Eyre by 21,036 votes (43.5%) to 27,280 (56.5%).[1] He was then the Labour Party candidate for Plymouth Drake in 1987, gaining 9,451 votes (24%) and coming third, behind SDP–Liberal Alliance candidate David Astor and the incumbent Conservative MP, Janet Fookes.[2]

Member of Parliament

He then stood for Plymouth Devonport in the 1992 general election and was successful, defeating Conservative candidate Keith Simpson by 24,953 votes (48.7%) to 17,541 votes (34.3%).[2]

After the Lyme Bay canoeing tragedy, in which four Southway Community College pupils died on a canoeing expedition with the St Albans Challenge Centre in Lyme Bay, Dorset, in 1993, he guided a private member's bill through the House of Commons which became the Activity Centres (Young Persons Safety) Act 1995; the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority was established in January 1995 to implement the new law.[3][4][5]

He was re-elected in 1997 with 31,629 votes (60.9%) and was appointed a government whip. After being re-elected in 2001 with 24,322 votes (58.3%), he was appointed the Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the Department for Transport, with responsibility for shipping, rail and aviation. He remained there until leaving office on 10 May 2005.[3]

He chose to step down at the 2005 general election, saying that he had achieved all he set out to and likened his departure to a chapter in a book coming to a natural end.[6] He also felt that the Mackay Vision would be best served by a new MP taking it forward.[7] He was succeeded by Labour candidate Alison Seabeck.

After leaving the House of Commons, Jamieson worked as a consultant for Golden Arrow Communications, which represented transport companies such as Hutchinson Ports, National Express and GNER.

Local councillor

Jamieson was elected to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council on 7 May 2010 representing the Kingshurst & Fordbridge ward in the north of the Borough,[8] and was promoted to hold the Cabinet portfolio for Transport and Highways following the formation of a Liberal Democrat-Labour coalition administration on the authority on 25 May 2010.[9]

He subsequently became leader of the Labour group on the council, but in the May 2014 elections, he lost his seat to UK Independence Party candidate Debbie Evans. He polled 713 votes to her 1,022.[10] Speaking to the Solihull Observer, he said, "I will now enjoy retirement. I have already retired once but this time I mean it. Before I stood in this election I said that this would be the last time I stand."[11]

Police and Crime Commissioner

In June 2014 he indicated he was a candidate for the vacancy of West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner; on 14 July, the selection panel chose him as the official Labour Party candidate. The vacancy was caused by the death of the incumbent, Bob Jones, formerly a Labour councillor from Wolverhampton.[12]

The election was held on 21 August 2014 and Jamieson was declared the winner with 50.8% of the vote.[13] Shortly afterwards, he was sworn in and confirmed that Yvonne Mosquito, the Acting PCC, and Jones' deputy, would be his deputy.[14]

His first pledge after being elected was to find the money to reactivate all of the West Midlands' speed cameras, and he said that his top priorities were recruiting more police officers, improving neighbourhood policing and reducing the number of fatalities and injuries on the region's roads.[15]

Jamieson was re-elected in 2016. After narrowly missing out on victory with 49.8% of the vote in the first round, he won 63.3% in the second round against the Conservative candidate.[16]

Jamieson did not run for re-election in the elections in 2021.[17]

References
  1. "UK General Election results February 1974". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Politics Resources. 28 February 1974. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  2. "United Kingdom Parliamentary Election results 1983-97: English Boroughs part 2". Election.demon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  3. "David Jamieson". BBC News. 17 October 2002. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  4. "Mum's anger at plan to scrap law brought in after four Plymouth children died". The Herald. 12 October 2011. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  5. "Activity Centres (Young Persons' Safety) Bill". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 27 January 1995. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  6. "Familiar faces prepare to bow out". BBC News. 6 April 2005. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  7. "'Time for something new' says MP". BBC News. 24 February 2005. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  8. "Solihull Council - Meeting Agendas". 3 March 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2011.
  9. "Solihull Council New Administration". solihull.gov.uk. 26 May 2010. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011.
  10. "Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, 2014". englishelections.org.uk. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018.
  11. Solihull Observer Archived 26 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine. 29 May 2014.
  12. "The Chamberlain Files". The Chamberlain Files. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  13. "West Midlands PCC named as David Jamieson in 10.3% turnout election". BBC News. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  14. McCarthy, Nick; Elkes, Neil (22 August 2014). "Labour's David Jamieson is new West Midlands Police & Crime Commissioner". Birmingham Mail.
  15. "New PCC David Jamieson wants to turn speed cameras back on". Birmingham Post. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  16. McCarthy, Nick (6 May 2016). "David Jamieson re-elected as Police and Crime Commissioner". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  17. "Crime commissioners staying on after elections postponed over coronavirus". Express & Star. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
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