James Grundy (politician)

James Nelson Grundy (born 8 December 1978)[2] is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Leigh since 2019.[3]

James Grundy
MP
Official portrait, 2020
Member of Parliament
for Leigh
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byJo Platt
Majority1,965 (4.2%)
Councillor for Lowton East
In office
1 May 2008 – 7 May 2021
Preceded byIan Franzen
Succeeded byMarie Cooper
Personal details
Born
James Nelson Grundy[1]

(1978-12-08) 8 December 1978
Lowton, England
Political partyConservative
Websitewww.jamesgrundy.org.uk

Early life

Grundy was born in Warrington, and raised on the family farm in Lowton, where he still resides.[4][5] Grundy was also educated locally, having attended both Lowton St Mary's Primary School and Lowton High School.

Political career

Grundy was elected to represent the Lowton East ward on Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council as a councillor in the 2008 local elections.[6] He was elected to Parliament at the 2019 general election, taking the seat from Labour's Jo Platt.[7][8][9] This made Grundy the first ever Conservative MP to represent the Leigh constituency since its creation.

Grundy's general election campaign pledges included respecting Leigh's vote to leave the EU in 2016;[10] fighting for vital local transport infrastructure, such as the completion of the Atherleigh Way Bypass,[11] and the re-opening of Golborne and Kenyon Junction stations;[12] and securing investment for Leigh's town centres.[13]

In 2020, Grundy put forward two bids to the Government's Restoring Your Railway Ideas Fund, progressing his pledge to get Kenyon Junction and Golborne Station reopened, following their closure after the Beeching Report. The outcome of these bids was due to be announced in autumn 2020.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Grundy was actively involved in supporting local people and local businesses. He supported local market traders' calls to open food stalls at Leigh Market as soon as the Government lifted restrictions.[14]

In February 2020, a video recording obtained by LBC showed Grundy publicly exposing his genitals in front of a woman at an event in the Rams Head Inn, Lowton, in 2007. Since the event, Grundy has apologised for the incident and the distress he caused.[15][16]

In the summer of 2020, Grundy launched his "Shop Safe, Shop Local" campaign, which encouraged local people to return to their local high street following the Coronavirus pandemic.[17] The petition gained hundreds of signatures, and encouraged Wigan Council to deliver two hours' free parking on weekdays in Leigh's town centres, increased hand sanitization stations on the high street, and free face coverings for shoppers provided to local independent businesses.[18]

As MP for Leigh, Grundy writes regular columns for both the Wigan Observer and Leigh Journal, to update constituents of local issues.[19][20]

References
  1. "No. 62862". The London Gazette. 20 December 2019. p. 23182.
  2. Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. HarperCollins Publishers Limited. p. 255. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
  3. Brunskill, Ian (2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. Glasgow. p. 255. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. "About James Grundy". James Grundy. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  5. Grundy, James (24 April 2020). "JAMES GRUNDY – Let's retain spirit of national unity". Wigan Today. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  6. "Lowton East Election Results 2008". Wigan Council. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  7. "Leigh parliamentary constituency – Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  8. "General Election 2019: Meet the Leigh candidates | Mancunian Matters". Mancunian Matters. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  9. Mutch, James (9 May 2017). "'I am up for the fight', vows Leigh's Conservative candidate for General Election". Leigh Journal. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  10. "Election 2017 dashboard". Democratic Dashboard. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  11. "MP optimistic on making progress to 'benefit people of Leigh'". Leigh Journal. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  12. "MP believes rail investment in the North can pave the way for stations re-opening". Leigh Journal. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  13. "Councillor hoping to make step up to Commons". wigantoday.net. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  14. "Row over Leigh Market's continued closure continues with MP's new letter to council". Leigh Journal. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  15. "Tory MP faces calls to quit after video emerges of him exposing himself in a pub". LBC. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  16. "Tory MP apologises as video of him exposing himself to woman in pub emerges". The Independent. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  17. "JAMES GRUNDY – Support 'shop safe and shop local'". wigantoday.net. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  18. "LEIGH MP LAUNCHES 'SHOP SAFE, SHOP LOCAL' CAMPAIGN". James Grundy. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  19. "Politics | Wigan Today". wigantoday.net. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  20. "Leigh Journal | News, sport, education, leisure in the Leigh area". leighjournal.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
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