James Gray (British politician)

PPC for Charles Kennedy's seat of Ross, Cromarty and Skye at the 1992 general election, Gray was returned to Parliament for North Wiltshire constituency in 1997, becoming a Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Michael Howard, and to his successor John Gummer. His particular responsibility was to the Ministers of State for Housing, Local Government and the Environment from 1992 until 1995, when he became a Director of the public affairs consultancy Westminster Strategy. Gray also served as governor of two schools in Balham and in the London Borough of Wandsworth. In 1994, he was elected as vice-chairman of Tooting Conservative Association, serving for two years.

At the 1997 general election, Gray was elected to the House of Commons as Member for the North Wiltshire constituency, following the retirement of the former Conservative Member, the Earl of Kilmorey. Gray won the seat with a majority of 3,475 and has been returned ever since.

Gray made his maiden speech on 11 June 1997, in which he spoke of his constituency's largest town of Chippenham, and of his sadness at the massacre in his childhood home town of Dunblane.[3]

His shadow ministerial career began with his appointment as a Conservative Whip in October 2000 and then as a Shadow Minister for Defence in 2001. He served as Shadow Minister for the Countryside from 2002 to 2005. After the 2005 general election, he served for just one week as Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, as Peter Duncan had lost his seat.[4] Gray resigned after stating that the Scottish Parliament should be abolished and replaced with Scottish MPs travelling to Edinburgh to conduct devolved business.[5] He was replaced by Eleanor Laing, similarly a Scottish MP representing an English constituency.

Gray has served on a variety of Parliamentary select committees[6] He sat on the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee from 1997 to 2001. He served from 2001 to 2003 on the Broadcasting Committee. He was a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee for the 2005 Parliament, and Chairman of the Conservative Rural Action Group (2002–2005).

Gray founded the All Party Group for the Army in 2004 and was the sitting MP on David Cameron's policy group for National and International Security, chaired by Dame Pauline Neville-Jones (2006–07). The Group published their report, An Unquiet World in July 2007.[7]

In March 2009, Gray was a member of a cross-party parliamentary delegation to Afghanistan to learn about British Army operations there. During the visit, British service personnel demonstrated the process by which wounded soldiers are flown into Kandahar on a Hercules and transferred across the runway to a C-17 equipped with the latest medical equipment, and were photographed with medical staff on board. Gray denied allegations that he had taken photographs of a "dying soldier" posted on the blog of Iain Dale,[8] stating that after a reminder to delete any images including injured servicemen, he had checked his camera and found none.[9] According to Gray it was night time and the delegation was kept 500 yards away from the injured soldiers.[9] Following the publication of two articles in The Sun and Daily Mail, the incident was investigated by the Press Complaints Commission and Gray's complaints were upheld.[10][11]

At the 2010 General Election, Gray once again stood in the constituency of North Wiltshire: he won by a majority of 7,483 votes, winning 25,114 votes and securing 51.6% of the 48,699 who voted. The number of votes he received had risen by 1.9% since the last election, whilst support for the Labour Party had fallen by 5.3% in his constituency.

In the 2010 Parliament he sat on the Procedure Committee, Panel of Chairs and until 2013 the Finance and Services Committee. From 2013 onwards he sat on the Defence Committee and Committees on Arms Export Controls. In May 2014 he was one of seven unsuccessful candidates for the chairmanship of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee.[12]

In the previous parliament he served as the Chairman of the All-Party Group for Multiple Sclerosis. He was Treasurer of the APPG for Suicide Prevention, a vice-chairman of the APPG on Agriculture and Food for Development and a founder and member of the APPGs for Historic Churches and Dairy Farmers. He was also a member of the all-party groups for Financial Markets and Services, Middle Way (hunting and animal welfare), Minerals, Racing and Bloodstock Industries and Solvent Abuse. Gray's stated countries of interest are America, China, Mongolia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Russia.[13]

Gray has signed several early day motions, sponsored by Conservative MP David Tredinnick, in support of the continued funding of homeopathy on the NHS.[14]

Gray campaigned against the closure of RAF Lyneham. In January, he hosted a special 1½ hour Westminster Hall debate on the subject of 'The RAF Air Transport Fleet and RAF Lyneham'.[15][16] Following the debate, Gray published a dossier on a number of significant changes in the Air Transport Fleet which should, according to Gray, result in the decision to close RAF Lyneham being reversed.[17]

In a House of Commons debate on 9 December 2010, Thomas Docherty, the Labour Member of Parliament for Dunfermline and West Fife accused Gray of directing a "racist remark" towards Willie Bain. Gray was alleged to have told McBain to "get back to Jockland".[18] Gray responded: "I cannot imagine what sedentary remark the hon. Gentleman may have heard, but I am certain that had it been out of order in any shape, size or form, Mr Speaker, who was then in the chair, would have picked me up on it. Further to that, as a Scot born, bred and educated, who never left the borders of Scotland until the age of 21, I think that unlike [Thomas Docherty], I have the highest respect and love for my native heath. I would never say a single word against it."[19]

In March 2019, Gray was one of 21 MPs who voted against LGBT inclusive sex and relationship education in English schools.[20][21] A keen Brexit supporter, he was an advocate for pro-Brexit lobby group Leave Means Leave.[22]

In September 2021, he issued an apology after joking that a bomb should be delivered to the office of Labour Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds. Gray said: "It was a foolish remark. I meant no offence and hope none was taken."[23][24] In October 2021, he was criticised after confusing Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi and Health Secretary Sajid Javid at a reception in Parliament, allegedly saying "they all look the same to me."[25] Gray acknowledged that he mixed up the names of the two ministers but denied saying "they all look the same to me".[24]

Main article: United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal

In May 2009, Gray's expenses were highlighted in the media when he was accused of claiming for Remembrance Day wreaths.[26] It was claimed that his action had angered Forces charity groups. It was reported that Gray then complained to the Leader of the House of Commons when he was told that Remembrance Day wreaths were not a legitimate expense. These claims were denied by Gray who argued that Military and Council representatives do not pay for wreaths out of their own pockets.[27] Details of Gray's expenses, published by House of Commons Authorities, show that he was never reimbursed for the cost of Remembrance Sunday wreaths. Gray was later criticised for claiming £2,000 decorating fees for a second home on the day he moved out.[28] Gray organised three special surgeries in Corsham, Wootton Bassett and Malmesbury to answer any questions from his constituents regarding his expenses.[29]