James George Hargreaves (born 14 July 1957), known as George Hargreaves or J. G. Hargreaves, is a religious minister, community worker,
political campaign
A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referen ...
er, former leader of the Christian Party, former music producer, songwriter, TV producer and currently working as a Christian movie promoter, screenwriter and missionary.
Early life
Of Trinidadian descent, Hargreaves grew up in
Islington
Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ...
. He is fifth out seven siblings. His life was saved by a
firefighter
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions als ...
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
, the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
Woolverstone Hall
Woolverstone Hall is a large country house, now in use as a school and available at times as a function venue, located south of the centre of Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It is set in on the banks of the River Orwell. Built in 1776 for William ...
, a
boarding school
A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of " room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exte ...
owned by the
Inner London Education Authority
The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was an ad hoc local education authority for the City of London and the 12 Inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990. The authority was reconstituted as a directly elected body corp ...
. While still at school, he formed a band named Snapp with Tony Ajai-Ajagbe and three other school friends. In 1973 the band were signed by M&W Music Productions, which was owned by Dave Myers and John Worsley, writers of the 1971 UK Eurovision Song Contest entry "Jack in The Box" sung by Clodagh Rodgers. A single written by Myers and Worsley called "Cheat, Cheat" was released in 1974 on Cube Records.
Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe developed their own songwriting skills and in 1977 they signed as Motown's Jobete Music's only UK based songwriting team.
Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe soon moved into producing. In the 1980s, Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe negotiated a label deal with Michael Levy's Magnet Records. Their label, Midas Records, was the first to release recordings by Sinitta, which Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe wrote and produced. They were also the first to record Yazz as a member of the pop group The Biz.
Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe wrote the 1983 season theme tune for the BBC1 daily magazine show '' Pebble Mill at One'' and the theme tune for the BBC2 show '' 655 Special'' hosted by David Soul and Sally James. Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe also wrote the first single for Five Star. called " Problematic". Hargreaves used his influence with the music producer of ''Pebble Mill at One'' to get Five Star on the show, which launched their career. The songwriting partnership between Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe ended in 1983, shortly after they completed Sinitta's second single " Never Too Late". Tony Ajai-Ajagbe died of AIDS in 1995.
Hargreaves continued to write songs on his own. He wrote and produced Simon Cowell's first hit with Sinitta, "
So Macho
"So Macho" is a song by American-British singer Sinitta. The song was released in 1985 as her self-titled début album's second single.
Song information
Sinitta was both Simon Cowell's and Fanfare Records' first signing. Cowell had contacted re ...
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...
'', 13 April 2007 He told ''
Scotland on Sunday
''Scotland on Sunday'' is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by JPIMedia and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate '' The Scotsman''. It was originally printed in broadsheet format but in 20 ...
'' that "So Macho" was intended "... for women to dance round their handbags to and for the gay scene to go mad to on poppers" and that "I was never gay, but I had a lot of lovely friends in the gay scene."Kate Foster, Reverend's disco hit funds electoral bid , ''Scotland on Sunday'', 6 June 2004 Cowell went on to describe Hargreaves as a "well known songwriter" in his autobiography '' I Don't Mean to be Rude, but...''.
Hargreaves topped the chart in Iceland with an Icelandic version of a Christmas song originally recorded, but never released, by Sinitta (with Simon Cowell singing Santa "Ho ho hoes" in the background vocals) The song "I Won't Be Lonely This Christmas" became Heima Um Jólin and was sung by Helga Möller.
Hargreaves' first Top 50 chart hit was " Feel Like The First Time", which reached number 45 on the UK chart in August 1986, but faded fast when "So Macho" entered the top 50 some seven month after its initial release. " Feel Like The First Time" was however Sinitta's biggest hit in the US, going top ten in the '' Billboard'' Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart. The song and the production of " Feel Like The First Time" was greatly influenced by Madonna's producer
Steve Bray
Steven Bray (born June 1969) is a British activist from Port Talbot in South Wales who, in 2018 and 2019, made daily protests against Brexit in College Green, Westminster. He is variously known as Stop Brexit Man, Mr Stop Brexit or the Stop B ...
(writer and producer of Madonna's smash hit " Get Into The Groove". Bray also co-wrote and produced the song " Baby Love" with the US singer Regina who was signed to Hargreaves' US production company West 78th Street Records. Hargreaves worked on the mix of the "Baby Love" record and gained an insight into how to make 'Madonna sounding songs' and applied his new knowledge to Sinitta with " Feel Like The First Time". Regina's "Baby Love" reached number 9 on the US chart and was later covered by
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane Minogue () is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. She initially gained recognition for her appearances on the television show '' Young Talent Time'' (1982–1988) and for her role as Emma Jackson on t ...
.
Christian ministry and community work
In 1990 Hargreaves was ordained as a
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestantism, Protestant Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian movementInternational Ministerial Council of Great Britain and served as an associate pastor at Edmonton Temple church in North East London. He taught New Testament Greek at Edmonton Temple's 'Word of Life' bible college.
He studied for a Diploma in Christian Ministry at the International Bible Institute of London, where he gained a Distinction. He then obtained a BA Honours degree in Theology from London University's King's College and a Post-graduate Diploma in Theology from Oxford University. He then went on to win the first Studentship Award for Oxford University's newly formed Centre for Christianity & Culture. The award funded his studies for a master's degree in
Anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...
. As part of the conditions of the Studentship Award he also gave a series of lectures at the Centre for Christianity & Culture on the subject of the Black Majority Churches in Britain. He was also a member of the Black Theology in Britain group with Professor Robert Beckford and other black leading theologians. Hargreaves is an
Associate of King's College
The Associateship or Associate of King's College (AKC) award was the degree-equivalent qualification of King's College London from 1833. It is the original qualification that King's awarded to its students. In current practice, it is an optional ...
(AKC).
In 1994 Hargreaves married Maxine Williams, the founder and pastor of Hephzibah Christian Centre in Hackney, and he joined his wife in Christian ministry as co-pastor of the church. Hargreaves, apart from pastoring the Hephzibah Christian Centre with his wife Maxine, was also deeply involved in community work in North East London and elsewhere.
Whilst studying at Oxford University from 1995-1997 Hargreaves served as an Associate Chaplain at Campsfield House Immigration Detention Centre.
He served as
Hackney Council
Hackney London Borough Council is the local government authority for the London Borough of Hackney, London, England, one of 32 London borough councils. The council is unusual in the United Kingdom local government system in that its executive fu ...
's strategic partnership representative for the Christian community in Hackney. He was also employed as faith community manager for
Waltham Forest Council
Waltham Forest London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Waltham Forest in London, England which has existed since the London Government Act 1963 was commenced in 1965, replacing three local authorities: Chingford ...
and played a major role in maintaining good community relations with the Muslim community in the borough in the aftermath of the 2005 7/7 attacks in London.
In mid-1997, whilst working as a project worker for the charity Hackney Employment Link Project, Hargreaves made a successful bid to the European Union's European Social Fund for funding to launch the LEAP adult literacy programme in Hackney. As lead teacher for the programme he taught many adults how to read.
In 1998, again with European funding, Hargreaves launched the Hephzibah Intro-net Project, setting up two of the earliest cybercafes in London, one at Edmonton Green and the other at the New Deal Campus in Hackney. The project introduced unemployed young people to the Internet, website design and Wireless Application Protocol, which Hargreaves himself taught.
From 2001 to 2004 Hargreaves edited the CANDL Light newsletter for Barnardo's Church and Neighbourhood Development in London Project.
In 2004, Hargreaves and his wife, Maxine, founded the East London Christian Choir School in Hackney, an independent school which used the Accelerated Christian Education programme.
Hargreaves served as Chair of the
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
's 'STOP & SEARCH Community Consultative Committee' under Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick. The committee revised the Stop and Search protocol for the Metropolitan Police only to see their work disregarded when the police were given new Stop & Search powers unde section 44 of the
Terrorism Act 2000
The Terrorism Act 2000 (c.11) is the first of a number of general Terrorism Acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It superseded and repealed the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 and the Northern Ireland (Em ...
.
Hargreaves also served on the Metropolitan Police 'Operation Blunt' anti-knife crime committee and attempted to initiate a knife and gun bin programme in Waltham Forest and Hackney.
Hargreaves no longer pastors a church, instead he now travels the world as a missionary focusing on empowerment through the creative arts. He recently developed a stage play with Ugandan actors in Uganda for the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
He has also been responsible for promoting Christian movies in the UK and across Africa, including ''Black Nativity'' (2013), ''God's Not Dead'' (2014) and '' Selma'' (2014).
Hargreaves is a regular commentator on BBC1's ''Sunday Morning Live'' show and appears from time to time on other news and current affairs programmes.
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'', 29 September 2006 The party stood only in the Scottish region at the 2004 European Parliament election as Christian Peoples Alliances (CPA) were fielding no candidates in the region.
Hargreaves then stood for the party at the
2004 Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election
A by-election was held for the United Kingdom Parliament of the United Kingdom, Parliament seat of Birmingham Hodge Hill (UK Parliament constituency), Birmingham Hodge Hill, on 15 July 2004. The by-election was called following the resignation of ...
Na h-Eileanan an Iar
The Outer Hebrides () or Western Isles ( gd, Na h-Eileanan Siar or or ("islands of the strangers"); sco, Waster Isles), sometimes known as the Long Isle/Long Island ( gd, An t-Eilean Fada, links=no), is an island chain off the west coast ...
, where he took 7.6% of the votes cast and beat the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
candidate.
In 2006, Hargreaves renamed Operation Christian Vote the Christian Party (Proclaiming Christ's Lordship). The party was to be simply called the Christian Party, but the Electoral Commission objected, claiming that it might be confused with the Christian Democratic Party or the Christian Peoples Alliance; so the extra words "Proclaiming Christ's Lordship" were added.
In Scotland the short form,
Scottish Christian Party
The Christian Party (also the Scottish Christian Party and Welsh Christian Party ()) is a minor political party in Great Britain.
History
The party originated as Operation Christian Vote, founded by George Hargreaves, a Pentecostal minister and ...
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...
, 20 April 2007 was permitted and Hargreaves stood under the name Scottish Christian Party in the 2006 Dunfermline and West Fife by-election, taking 1.2% of the vote.
In November 2006 Hargreaves personally funded the
Employment Tribunal
Employment tribunals are tribunal public bodies in England and Wales and Scotland which have statutory jurisdiction to hear many kinds of disputes between employers and employees. The most common disputes are concerned with unfair dismissal, ...
s of nine
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service
Strathclyde Fire & Rescue was, between 1975 and 2013, the statutory fire and rescue service for the area of Strathclyde, Scotland. It was the largest fire and rescue service in Scotland, and one of the largest in Europe. Its territory ranged ...
firefighters who were suspended after refusing to distribute leaflets at a gay pride march. The case was settled out-of-court.
Hargreaves was also involved in protests against '' Jerry Springer: The Opera'', claiming that "Jerry Springer proved the greatest rallying point for Christian activism in the past 10 years".Stephen Armstrong, Putting the fun into fundamentalism , '' Sunday Times'', 23 July 2006
The Scottish Christian Party put up candidates in every region in the 2007 Scottish Parliament election. Hargreaves also founded the Welsh Christian Party to contest the
2007 National Assembly for Wales election
The 2007 National Assembly for Wales election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the National Assembly for Wales. It was the third general election. On the same day local elections in England and Scotland, as well as the Scotti ...
2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election
The 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election was a by-election held in the United Kingdom on 10 July 2008 to elect a new Member of Parliament (MP) for constituency of Haltemprice and Howden. The by-election was triggered by the surprise and cont ...
, where he asked the Haltemprice and Howden electorate to use their vote to demand a referendum on the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
, which he believes to be "the greatest threat to our civil liberties".
In August 2008, Hargreaves fronted the Channel 4 programm ''Make Me a Christian''
He had planned to stand in the Western Isles in the 2010 general election, but withdrew his candidacy in February 2010 after his wife's cancer returned. However, he stood as a candidate for Barking in the 2010 general election and despite being terminally ill, his wife Maxine, stood as a candidate in Hackney. Maxine died of cancer in February 2011.
In February 2015, Simon Gilbert of the Coventry Telegraph published that UKIP had planned to select Hargreaves to stand as a candidate for
Coventry South
Coventry South is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Zarah Sultana of the Labour Party.
Members of Parliament MPs 1950–1974
MPs 1997–present
Constituency profile and boundaries
Co ...
in the 2015 general election. However, Hargreaves had never joined UKIP, despite being courted by them on several occasions, and no such agreement had ever been reached to stand in Coventry South.
In 2015, in recognition of his Christian ministry, community work and political leadership, Hargreaves was awarded an honorary doctorate in Christian Ministry from Excel University.
Hargreaves has now retired from politics and no longer belongs to any political party.
Elections contested
UK Parliament elections
Scottish Parliament elections (Electoral Additional Region)
European Parliament elections