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Jonathan Sayeed (born 20 March 1948) was a Conservative Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom 1983-1992 and 1997-2005.

Early Life

Jonathan was the son of the late M M Sayeed, chartered electrical engineer, and L S Sayeed.[1] He is sometimes described as 'Anglo-Indian' of 'half-Indian'; however Jonathan did not describe himself as a member of an ethnic minority.[2][3] Jonathan was educated in Suffolk.[4]

He joined the Royal Navy in 1965, when he was 18. He spent two years at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and then studied at the Royal Naval Engineering College, Manadon, Plymouth, for a BSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.[4]

Career in Business

After leaving the Royal Navy, Jonathan joined Marks and Spencer PLC and has held Directorships in various international companies since 1974:[4]

  • Founder director, Wade Emerson & Co Ltd 1974-82.[1]
  • Chairman and chief executive, Calmady Insurance Services Ltd 1982-83.[1]
  • Chairman, Ranelagh Ltd 1992-96.[1]
  • Non-executive director, Love Lane Investments Ltd (Holding Company) 1992-96.[1]
  • Chairman, Training Division Corporate Services Group PLC 1996-97.[1]

Private Life

On 18 October 1980 Jonathan married Nicola Anne Power (born 11 November 1956), daughter of Norman and Joy Power.[1][5] Mrs Sayeed prefers to be known as Anne. They have 2 sons:

  • Edward (born 13 March 1985).[1][5] Edward spent some time as a research assistant to his father in the House of Commons.[6]
  • Richard (born (16 Feb 1988).[1][5]

Whilst he was MP for Mid-Bedfordshire, Jonathan lived in Lord North Street in Westminster, and also had a house in Houghton Conquest.[7]

He is (or was) a member of the Carlton Club. His interests include golf, sailing, tennis, skiing, classical music, reading and architecture. He has [allegedly] written and co-written several books.[4][8]

MP for Bristol East 1983-92

Sayeed was elected Member of Parliament for Bristol East at the 1983 General Election, where he defeated Rt Hon Anthony Wedgwood Benn (formerly Viscount Stansgate). The constituency was created for the 1983 general election, partly from the Bristol South East constituency, where Rt Hon Anthony Wedgwood Benn had been MP for the previous 32 years.[4] For the Conservatives, this was one of "the three great prizes" of the election, as Anthony Wedgwood Benn was "the man they most love to hate".[9] Nationally, Labour only got 28% of the vote, which was "the lowest proportion of the vote that Labour had won since 1900 when the party was founded."[10]

In the 1987 General Election, Jonathan more than doubled his majority.

Jonathan served on the Select Committees for Defence and the Environment; was Chairman of the Shipping and Shipbuilding Committee; and Deputy Chairman of the All-Party Maritime Group.[4] In 1988, He secured an Urban Development Corporation for Bristol despite the opposition of the then Environment Secretary, Nicholas Ridley.[11][4] Jonathan started to climb the ministerial ladder in 1991, when he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Lord Belstead as Paymaster General.[1][4] However in 1992 his career took a step back, when he lost his seat to Labour in the General Election.[4]

Jonathan Sayeed's Parliamentary Election Results

Bristol East Mid Bedfordshire
1983 1987 1992 1997 2001
Conservative 19,844 21,906 19,726 24,176 22,109
Labour 18,055
Tony Benn 		17,783
R.R. Thomas 		22,418
Jean Corston 		17,086
Neil Mallett 		14,043
James Valentine
Liberal 10,404
P.E. Tyrer 		10,247
Don Foster 		7,903
John Kiely 		8,823
Tim J. Hill 		9,205
Graham Mabbutt
Other 343
E.H. Andrews
NF (UK) 		286
P.M. Kingston
Ind NF 		270
I.H.M. Anderson
NF 		2,257
Shirley Marler
Referendum 		1,281
Chris Laurence
UKIP
311
G.A. Dorey
Ecology 		174
Marek J. Lorys
Natural Law
Turnout 73.9% 78.7% 80.3% 78.9% 65.9%
Result align=center style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Con Gain align=center style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Con Hold align=center style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | Lab Gain align=center style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Con Hold align=center style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | Con Hold
Source 1997 Election
1997 & 2001 elections

Career Interlude 1992-97

In 1996 Jonathan sold his Public Affairs company, and was appointed Chairman of the Training Division of Corporate Services Group Plc.[12]. In May 1997, he stood down as Chairman after being elected Member of Parliament for Mid-Bedfordshire.[4]

MP for Mid Bedfordshire 1997-2005

He returned as MP for Mid Bedfordshire in the 1997 general election until 2005.


Progress with his Career

Jonathan served on the Broadcasting Select Committee, and was appointed by the Speaker of the House of Commons to the Chairman’s Panel. This small group of senior MPs act as Chairmen of the Committees that debate legislation.[4]

In the 1999-2000 session of Parliament, Lord Weatherill and Jonathan were introduced a private member's bill, which successfully became UK law. This was the "Census (Amendment)" bill.[13][14]

Jonathan was chairman of European Standing Committee C,[15] was joint-chairmen (together with Labour MP Bill O'Brien) of the Standing Committee on Regional Affairs.[16]

Despite his long parliamentary career, he only achieved his first front-bench post in 2001, when he was appointed as shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.[17][18] This was a junior shadow ministerial post; the Shadow Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary was Peter Ainsworth.[19] Jonathan continued as shadow Minister after a reshuffle by the Conservative leader The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith in July 2002.[20]

In early 2003, the British Prime Minster The Rt Hon Anthony C.L. Blair supported American plans for the invasion of Iraq. British armed forces were deployed to participate in the invasion. The British Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith supported British government policy on this. Three members of the Conservative front-bench and one Conservative whip resigned their posts so that they could vote against the war:

Views

Whilst he was MP for Bristol East, Jonathan called for establishment of charity-run hostels for the homeless on derelict council land.[4]

Economically, Jonathan was on the right of the Conservative party, opposing British entry into the single European currency. He had strong views on defence. On social matters, he was on the more liberal wing of the party, with the exception of gay rights where opposed the lifting of the ban on homosexuals in the armed forces. As an MP he was a well informed and thoughtful contributor to debates on foreign policy in the Middle East.[17]

Jonathan urged for new roads to regenerate towns and inner-cities. He campaigned against a proposed 17-tonne lorry ban, against illegal sites for travellers, and against 'unnecessary' development of the Bedfordshire countryside.[4]

Ruin

For much of the time when Jonathan was MP for Mid-Bedfordshire, the chairman of the local constituency party was Mrs Alexandra Messervy. Mrs Messervy also became one of Jonathan's paid assistants in the House of Commons. During this time, Mrs Messervy set up a travel company called The English Manner Ltd.. The main business of this company is to sell tours of Britain to Americans, in which customers can have tea with members of the English upper class. The majority of shares in the company were owned by Mrs Messervy, though some shares were owned by Jonathan.[23][24]

In May/June 2003 or 2004, Ashley Green succeeded Alexandra Messervy as local constituency party chairman.[25][23]

In the Summer of 2004, the Sunday Times claimed "The English Manner Ltd charges clients up to £500 per day for access to the Palace of Westminster through Jonathan Sayeed".[23]

"The Conservative whip was suspended from Sayeed from 3rd February to 7th March 2005 after the House of Commons Committee on Standards and Privileges recommended that he be suspended from the service of the House. The Committee found that a company in which he had an interest had appeared to derive financial benefit from his offering tours of Parliament and risked damaging the reputation of Parliament."[26][27]

Jonathan said that the suspension was "unjust and wrong" but he made an "unreserved" apology to MPs in the Commons chamber: "I accept that a complaint was brought because of ineffectual internal controls in a company in which I had an interest and that as an MP I was negligent in not checking the actions of that company. For that I unreservedly apologise to the House." He told colleagues he had disposed of his shares in The English Manner and resigned as a consultant to it. He said: "I can assure the House that I have never used my access to the House or its facilities for direct or indirect commercial benefit and I have never solicited or received any payment for any tour or entertainment within the Palace of Westminster." [23]

On 17 Feb 2005, the Mid-Bedfordshire Conservative Branch held a meeting at the Rufus Centre in Flitwick to consider Jonathan's future.[23] The meeting decided by a majority of 173 to 126, that Jonathan should remain the Conservative candidate in the forthcoming General Election. After the vote, Constituency association president Sir Stanley Odell resigned in protest.[28]

"The Committee issued a second report on 17th March 2005 criticising Sayeed for failing to apologise for his conduct as the first report had ordered, for sending out a circular on House of Commons stationery to members of the Mid Bedfordshire Conservative Association asking for their support in his reselection, and misuse of allowances to pay for work on his home. Following this report, the Conservative Party removed the whip from Sayeed permanently."[26] Under Conservative Party rules, a sitting MP can only be an approved Conservative party candidate in a parliamentary election if he/she has the Conservative Party whip.[29] This enables the Conservative Party leader to over-rule local constituency Conservative Party branches who want to retain their sitting MP as candidate.

On 14 March 2005, it was announced that Jonathan Sayeed would not be contesting the May 2005 general election, on grounds of ill health."[28]

Jonathan was one of two Conservative MP had the party whip withdrawn at the time of the election.[30] The other was Howard Flight, who was deselected over comments he made on Tory spending plans.[31]

BBC Bias in Coverage of Jonathan's Ruin

BBC News Online's coverage of the scandal involving Jonathan was "fulsome and detailed, leaving no doubt that Sayeed was, to use their term, a Tory."[32] "It had headlines such as Sayeed to stand down as Tory MP and Tour row MP loses Tory party whip."[32]

At about the same time there was a scandal involving a Labour Government minister, Chris Pond who was "arrested after launching a violent attack on a young mother's house".[33] BBC News Online's coverage was sparse; it had a story MP cautioned for criminal damage. "Nowhere in the headline or even in the story is it mentioned that Chris Pond is a Labour MP. Nor is it mentioned in the headline that Pond is a government minister".[32]

"As with much BBC bias, either of these stories, Sayeed or Pond, taken in isolation, would be fine. It is when you put them together and compare the detailed coverage of 'Tory' Sayeed with the bland coverage of 'MP' Pond that the BBC's 'angle' becomes apparent. If Pond were a Conservative Minister in a Conservative government in the run up to a general election you could bet that the BBC, along with much of Fleet Street, would be much more interested in his story, leading bulletins with it and generally baying for his head. Lucky for Pond that he's not a 'Tory'."[32]

Under treatment

proposed sweeping changes to the Nuclear non proliferation treaty - some of which were subsequently adopted

Since 2005

He retired from Parliament at the General Election of 2005 and currently is Chairman of a Public Affairs company.

External links

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j BBC Vote 2001 Jonathan Sayeed
  2. ^ In 1997 "the half-Indian former MP Jonathan Sayeed (who did not identify as an ethnic minority candidate) was returned for Mid-Bedfordshire." p199, Butler, David and Kavanagh, The British General Election of 1997, pub Palgrave Macmillan, 1997, ISBN 0312210795
  3. ^ "The Anglo-Indian Conservative MP, Jonathan Sayeed, is not included amongst ethnic minority MPs." p206, Butler, David and Kavanagh, Dennis, The British General Election of 2001, pub Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. ISBN 0333740327
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m St Albans & Harpenden News from The Herts Advertiser MP for Mid-Bedfordshire - Jonathan Sayeed
  5. ^ a b c The Power family] The date of the marriage given in this website is 11 November 1956, which cannot be correct since it was the day Nicola Anne Power was born.
  6. ^ Register of Interests of Members' Secretaries and Research Assistants
  7. ^ Nomination Papers for 2001 General Election.
  8. ^ The only publications listed on Amazon under Jonathan Sayeed are House of Commons papers.
  9. ^ Guardian, 10 June 1983 Tories hail a massive majority
  10. ^ p372, Cawood, Ian, Britain in the Twentieth Century, pub Routledge, 2003, ISBN 0415254574
  11. ^ The was created under the following Statutory Instruments:
    • Bristol Development Corporation (Area and Constitution) Order 1988S.I. 1989/91
    • Bristol Development Corporation (Area and Constitution) (Amendment) Order 1988S.I. 1989/92
    • Bristol Development Corporation (Planning Functions) Order 1989 S.I. 1989/93
  12. ^ This company has a website www.corporateservicesgroup.co.uk
  13. ^ House of Commons Information Office, Factsheet L3
  14. ^ p220, Peele, Gillian, Governing the UK: British Politics in the 21st Century (Modern Governments), pub Wiley, 44th edition, 2004, ISBN 0631226818
  15. ^ Parliamentary Publications, Daily List no.125, Daily List no. 215, for Titles published on Monday 6th November 2000
  16. ^ p218-9, Trench, Alan, The State of the Nations 2001: The Second Year of Devolution in the United Kingdom, pub Imprint Academic, 2001, ISBN 0907845193
  17. ^ a b c BBC News Jonathan Sayeed, 21 Oct 2002
  18. ^ www.dodonline.co.uk
  19. ^ Ainsworth: Our task is to revive the countryside], article on Conservative Party website on speech by Peter Ainsworth at the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool on 9 October 2001.
  20. ^ Office of the Leader of the Opposition: July 2002
  21. ^ House of Commons: Weekly Information Bulletin: 22nd March 2003
  22. ^ Guardian 18 Mar 2003 Parliament gives Blair go-ahead for war
  23. ^ a b c d e BBC News 8 February 2005 Commons suspends Tory MP Sayeed
  24. ^ The English Manner Ltd.
  25. ^ Alexandra Messervy is known to have been local constituency party chairman at the time of the district council elections in May 2003.
  26. ^ a b www.election.demon.co.uk
  27. ^ Standards and Privileges Committee Third Report: On the Conduct of Mr Jonathan Sayeed 2nd February, 2005
  28. ^ a b BBC News, 14 Mar 2005 Sayeed to stand down as Tory MP
  29. ^ White, Michael (2005-03-29). "Howard: no regrets over sacked MP". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-11-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ Keele University 2005 General Election: List of Retiring MPs
  31. ^ BBC News Howard defends action over Flight 27 Mar 2005]
  32. ^ a b c d Biased BBC: March 2005
  33. ^ The Mail on Sunday, 20 Mar 2005 Minister arrested for attack on young mother


Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
(New constituency)
 Member of Parliament for Bristol East
1983–1992 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Mid Bedfordshire
1997–2005 		Succeeded by
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jonathan_Sayeed&oldid=168979165

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