Gary Sambrook Explained

Office:Executive Secretary of the 1922 Committee
Leader:Boris Johnson
Liz Truss
Rishi Sunak
Term Start:29 June 2021
Alongside:Bob Blackman
Predecessor:Nigel Evans
1Blankname:Chairman
1Namedata:Sir Graham Brady
Office1:Member of Parliament
for Birmingham Northfield
Predecessor1:Richard Burden
Termstart1:12 December 2019
Termend1:30 May 2024
Office2:Member of Birmingham City Council
for Kingstanding
Successor2:Rick Payne
Term Start2:13 February 2014
Term End2:5 May 2022
Party:Conservative Party
Birth Date:1989 6, df=yes
Profession:Politician

Gary William Sambrook[1] (born 25 June 1989)[2] is a British Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Northfield from 2019 until 2024.[3] He has served as the Joint Executive Secretary of the backbench 1922 Committee since 2021.[4]

Political career

Sambrook became a councillor for Birmingham City Council in 2014, winning the Kingstanding ward seat, based on the area of the same name, in a by-election. During his campaign to become a councillor, he appeared in the Birmingham Mail when two local supporters, Ben Coleman and Michael Mason, composed a song in support of his campaign.[5] He has also worked for MP James Morris.[6]

Parliamentary career

At the 2019 general election, Sambrook was elected to Parliament as MP for Birmingham Northfield with 46.3% of the vote and a majority of 1,640.[7] [8] [9]

Sambrook is a member of both the Procedure and Ecclesiastical Committees.[10] According to the Financial Times, Sambrook is an "influential backbencher" and an executive secretary of the 1922 Committee.[11]

In October 2020, Sambrook, along with most other Conservative MPs, voted against a Labour Party Opposition Day Motion to extend the emergency COVID-19 pandemic provision of providing free school meals during school holidays until Easter 2021.[12] Sambrook's vote inspired grafitti reading "Gary Sambrook eats big dinners", to which he was reported by the BBC as responding "Apparently if you disagree that vouchers is the only way to solve poverty this is what happens."[13] The grafitti was noted as surreal by The Economist[14] and "the most perfect sentence ever written" by The Guardian columnist Joel Golby.[15]

In August 2021 he opposed the conversion of a residential home into a children's home for up to four children with emotional, behavioural and educational difficulties by circulating a letter stating, among various reasons, it would have a "negative impact on the area" and would "compromise the quality of the area". Sambrook said: "All children deserve a good quality home to live in. Especially children in care".[16]

In October 2021, Sambrook voted against an amendment to an Environment Bill that would have made it more difficult for water companies to dump raw sewage into rivers because Sambrook maintained it "was not fully costed and there was no plan to implement it" and "was also predicted to cost around £150 billion".[17]

In January 2022, Sambrook was named as one of the MPs plotting to oust Boris Johnson from his position as Prime Minister over Partygate.[11] [18] In an email to constituents he stated "I would expect anyone who is found to have broken the law to seriously consider their position in government, and that includes the Prime Minister".[19] By February however he was no longer calling for Johnson to resign.[20] [21] In July 2022, in the aftermath of the Chris Pincher scandal, Sambrook accused Johnson of blaming other people for his own mistakes and again called on him to resign.[22]

Sambrook was re-selected in March 2023 as the Conservative candidate for Birmingham Northfield at the 2024 general election.[23]

Personal life

Sambrook is a freemason.[24] [25] He is gay.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Members Sworn. Hansard.parliament.uk. 18 December 2019. 28 January 2020.
  2. Book: Brunskill, Ian. The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. 19 March 2020. 978-0-00-839258-1. 105. HarperCollins Publishers Limited . 1129682574.
  3. News: Birmingham Northfield parliamentary constituency – Election 2019 . BBC News.
  4. Web site: Pleased to have been elected unopposed along with @BobBlackman as Joint Secretary of the 1922 Committee. Looking forward to another year of working constructively with backbench colleagues and Government on delivering our pledges. Mobile.twitter.com. 8 June 2022.
  5. Web site: Poll: Is this the best (or worst) political campaign song ever? Vote Gary!. Greatrex . Jonny . 28 January 2014. Birmingham Mail . 17 April 2020.
  6. Web site: Gary Sambrook MP . art4charity . 23 March 2021 . 27 March 2022.
  7. News: General election 2019: Tories take Birmingham Northfield . 5 May 2022 . BBC News . 13 December 2019.
  8. News: Birmingham Northfield Parliamentary constituency . 1 December 2019 . BBC News . BBC.
  9. Web site: Parliamentary General Election Results December 2019 . 14 December 2019 . Birmingham City Council.
  10. Web site: Parliamentary career for Gary Sambrook - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament. 9 July 2021. members.parliament.uk. en.
  11. News: Hughes . Laura . Cameron-Chileshe . Jasmine . 20 January 2022 . Who are the Tory MPs plotting against Boris Johnson? . 5 May 2022 . Financial Times.
  12. https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/one-birmingham-mp-voted-against-19145449 How Birmingham MPs voted in free school meals plea
  13. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-54699067
  14. https://www.economist.com/britain/2023/07/20/the-rise-of-the-self-pitying-mp
  15. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/27/england-food-tories-children-free-school-meals-holidays
  16. News: Cardwell . Mark . Residents slam 'disgusting' MP letter opposing children's home . 5 May 2022 . Birmingham Mail . 13 August 2021 . en.
  17. News: Dare . Tom . 27 October 2021 . Birmingham MP accused of 'letting our waterways fill with waste and sewage' . Birmingham Live . 4 May 2022.
  18. News: Sheridan . Danielle . Meet the MPs leading the 'pork pie plot' rebellion against Boris Johnson . 5 May 2022 . The Telegraph . 19 January 2022.
  19. News: Ferguson . Emily . Who are the pork pie plotters? The 18 Tory MPs hoping to oust Boris Johnson . 5 May 2022 . inews.co.uk . 19 January 2022 . en.
  20. News: 'The Boris Johnson we love' - Birmingham MP throws support behind Prime Minister . 5 May 2022 . www.birminghamworld.uk . en.
  21. News: Bush . Stephen . Boris Johnson's toxicity has an upside – it damages his potential successors . 5 May 2022 . New Statesman . 1 February 2022.
  22. News: Boris Johnson: Embattled PM vows to keep going amid Tory revolt . 6 July 2022 . BBC News . 6 July 2022.
  23. 1639365966889926667 . GarySambrook89 . Pleased to have been re-adopted tonight as the @Conservatives candidate for the next general election . . March 24, 2023.
  24. News: Top Tory says: 'I'm a Freemason and proud'. Elkes. Neil. 13 February 2018. Birmingham Mail . 18 December 2019.
  25. News: Every homeless child in city B&Bs to get teddy bear after 1,000 donated to BrumWish campaign . Balloo. Stephanie. 14 December 2020. Birmingham Mail . 17 December 2020 .