David Burrowes
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David John Barrington Burrowes (born 12 June 1969) is a British politician. He was the
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate from 2005 to 2017, and is the co-founder of the Conservative Christian Fellowship. He has been the Chairman of the Equity Release Council since 2017


Early life

Burrowes was born in Cockfosters and was educated at Highgate School and the
University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...
. Whilst at Exeter, in 1990, Burrowes and Tim Montgomerie founded the Conservative Christian Fellowship. Before entering parliament he worked for Enfield solicitors, Shepherd Harris and Co, specialising in criminal law and was an advocate in police stations and courts in Enfield, Haringey and Hertfordshire. He was an Enfield Borough Council councillor for 12 years.


Parliamentary career

Burrowes contested the safe Labour seat of
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at the 2001 general election achieving a 1.0 swing away from sitting MP Andy Love who won by a majority of 9,772. He was elected MP for Enfield Southgate in May 2005, defeating Minister of State for Education and Skills Stephen Twigg with a majority of 1,747 votes and a swing of 8.7%. He made his maiden speech on 20 June 2005. Labour regained the seat in the 2017 general election on a substantial 9.7% swing.


Select committees and interest groups 2005–2010

Burrowes has been a member of several Select Committees including: Public Administration Select Committee 2005–10, Armed Forces Bill 2005–06, Joint Committee on the Draft Legal Services Bill 2006, Joint Committee on the Draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill 2007. Based on the questions he asks, his main political topics of interest are Justice, Health, Home Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, International Development, though he includes family policy, drugs and alcohol policy and voluntary sector, umbilical cord blood banking, treatment and research in his Parliament biography. Burrowes was a member of several All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) including: Democracy in Burma, British-Cyprus All-Party Parliamentary Group (Chair), Asthma, Child and Youth Crime Group (Vice-Chair), Childcare, Christians in Parliament, Complex Needs and Dual Diagnosis (Chair), Justice for Equitable Life Policy Holders, Fatherhood, Holy See, Human Trafficking, Interest Rate Swap Mis-selling, Legal Aid, Poverty, Prison Health, Pro-Life Group, Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia, Stem Cell Transplantation (Vice-Chair), Sustainable Relationships (Secretary), Voice UK and Youth Affairs. He was chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. In 2005-6, he contributed to debates on violent crime, fatherhood, criminal legal aid, council tax revaluation, and equalities. In 2007-8, he contributed to debates on Chase Farm Hospital, drugs and alcohol addiction, Cyprus, criminal justice, prisons, hospital-acquired infections ('' Clostridioides difficile''), embryo research, Burma, council tax, hit and run fatalities, and fatherhood. In July 2007, he was appointed to the frontbench as Shadow Justice Minister.


Shadow Justice Minister

During the Conservative Party's social justice policy review headed by
Iain Duncan Smith Sir George Iain Duncan Smith (born 9 April 1954), often referred to by his initials IDS, is a British politician who was Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Le ...
, Burrowes chaired the committee looking into addiction. Their 111-page report which dealt with "The nature and extend of social breakdown and poverty today" and "The causes of poverty" was designed to provide policy for an incoming government to tackle "Britain's most acute social problems".


Post 2010 election

He was re-elected in 2010 with a majority of 7626, a swing of 7.2%. He was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to
Francis Maude Francis Anthony Aylmer Maude, Baron Maude of Horsham, (born 4 July 1953) is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician who served as Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General from 2010 to 2015. He also served ...
MP, Minister to the Cabinet Office and
Oliver Letwin Sir Oliver Letwin (born 19 May 1956) is a British politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for West Dorset from 1997 to 2019. Letwin was elected as a member of the Conservative Party, but sat as an independent after having the whip removed in ...
, Minister responsible for Government Policy. In September 2010, Burrowes was reappointed as PPS to Letwin, providing support to Letwin's policy role across government and in particular about drugs and alcohol treatment reform and future policy development. In September 2012, Burrowes was made Parliamentary Private Secretary to Owen Paterson,
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs The secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, also referred to as the environment secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for ...
. He retained his advisory role with Oliver Letwin on the issue of drug and alcohol policy. In 2013, he called for the
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
to review the sentence passed on former Cabinet Minister Chris Huhne which he regarded as too lenient. He was a prominent opponent of the Government's proposals to introduce
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
into England and Wales, and helped establish the Coalition for Marriage against its adoption. He is reported as saying that it would risk leading to an "adulterer's charter", but his call for a referendum to be held on the issue was ignored. At the general election in 2015, Burrowes was elected for a third term and retained the same share of the vote won in 2010. He was Co-Chair of the Complex Needs and Dual Diagnosis APPG ( All-Party Parliamentary Group), Protection of Cultural Heritage APPG, and Stem Cell Transplantation. He was also an officer of the following APPGs – Cyprus, Human Trafficking, Religious Education, Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia, Refugees, and Ending Homelessness. He is Co-Chair of the Complex Needs and Dual Diagnosis APPG, Protection of Cultural Heritage APPG, and Stem Cell Transplantation. In 2015, Burrowes was elected to the Home Affairs Select Committee and re-elected as Executive Member of the Conservative MPs' backbench
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and Chairman of its Justice Committee. He spoke on several issues which led to changes in Government policy and legislation: he called for more Syrian refugees to be accepted in the UK; he successfully led the cross party opposition to assisted suicide and the relaxation of Sunday Trading laws, and he supported the blanket ban on the supply of so-called 'legal highs'. Burrowes supported leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum; his constituency voted Remain by 62.1%. Burrowes's registered members' interests are listed on Theyworkforyou.com, and local donations on Searchthemoney.com. Donors include Christian Action Research and Education.


Constituency issues

Burrowes became a "major focal point of the high profile campaign to stop computer hacker Gary McKinnon," a constituent, being extradited to the United States. The Home Secretary decided to stop the extradition order which Burrowes called "a victory for common sense and compassion". In February 2015, Burrowes was embarrassed to find himself canvassing for the
2015 United Kingdom general election The 2015 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 7 May 2015 to elect 650 Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons. The Conservative Party (U ...
on doorsteps in the home street of neighbouring MP Andrew Love after he and his campaign team accidentally strayed into the wrong constituency. Burrowes consistently opposed the Enfield "Mini Holland" scheme, which was launched by the Council to promote cycling and safer streets in Enfield, but has given rise to many complaints by residents.


2017 Election

Burrowes lost his seat in the 2017 general election to Labour's
Bambos Charalambous Charalambos "Bambos" Charalambous (born 1967) is a British Labour Party (UK), Labour politician who has been the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Southgate and Wood Green (UK Parliament constituency), Southga ...
with a 9.7% swing.


2019 Election

Burrowes was reselected as prospective Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Enfield Southgate in December 2018. Labour held the seat with a slightly increased majority on election night.


Post-Parliamentary career

In May 2021 Burrowes co-authored an essay entitled "Family Matters – the Case for Strengthening Families" with Fiona Bruce the then-MP for
Congleton Congleton is a market town and civil parish in Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is on the River Dane, south of Manchester and north of Stoke on Trent. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 28,497 and the built-up area ha ...
, for inclusion in ''Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age'' published by the Common Sense Group, an informal group of Conservative MPs. Bruce, Fiona and Burrowes, David (May 2021). Family Matters – the Case for Strengthening Families in


Personal life

A keen cricketer and footballer, Burrowes married Janet Coekin in January 1996 in Havering. They have six children, twins Barnaby and Harriet, Dougal, Dorothy, Noah, and Toby. He is a supporter of Arsenal F.C. Burrowes serves as an LEA Governor at Broomfield School and St Paul's CE Primary School in Enfield. He is also a trustee and active participant in his local church.


References


External links

* official site
David Burrowes MP
biography at the site of the Conservative Party
Enfield Southgate Conservatives

BBC Politics page

Enfield Southgate Watch
– Monitoring Website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burrowes, David 1969 births Living people UK MPs 2005–2010 Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Councillors in the London Borough of Enfield People educated at Highgate School Alumni of the University of Exeter UK MPs 2010–2015 UK MPs 2015–2017 People from Southgate, London British Eurosceptics