Robert Halfon
Robert Henry Halfon (/ˈhælfɒn/; born 22 March 1969) is a British Conservative Party politician, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Harlow since 2010.Robert Halfon currently holds the government position of Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, in the Department of Education.
Robert Halfon | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education[a] | |
| Assumed office 26 October 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | Andrea Jenkyns |
| In office 17 July 2016 – 12 June 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May |
| Preceded by | Nick Boles |
| Succeeded by | Anne Milton |
| Chair of the Education Select Committee | |
| In office 12 July 2017 – 26 October 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Neil Carmichael |
| Succeeded by | Robin Walker |
| Minister without Portfolio | |
| In office 11 May 2015 – 17 July 2016 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Grant Shapps |
| Succeeded by | Brandon Lewis |
| Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party | |
| In office 11 May 2015 – 17 July 2016 | |
| Leader | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Sarah Newton |
| Succeeded by | Anthea McIntyre |
| Member of Parliament for Harlow | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Rammell |
| Majority | 14,063 (32.4%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Henry Halfon 22 March 1969 London, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Domestic partner | Vanda Colombo |
| Alma mater | University of Exeter |
| Website | Official website |
Halfon was formerly a researcher for Conservative MPs, including as Chief of Staff to Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Oliver Letwin. He was also the political director of Conservative Friends of Israel. He was elected to the British House of Commons for Harlow at the 2010 general election. He was re-elected in 2015, 2017, and 2019.
Halfon attended Prime Minister David Cameron's Cabinet from May 2015 and July 2016 as Minister without portfolio and Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party. He served in Prime Minister Theresa May's government as Minister of State for Skills at the Department for Education from July 2016 to June 2017. After returning to the backbenches, Halfon chaired the House of Commons Education Select Committee from July 2017 to October 2022, when he was appointed Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.[1][2][3]
Early life edit
Robert Henry Halfon was born in the Westminster district of London on 22 March 1969,[4] and grew up in London's Hampstead area.[5][6] His mother, Jennifer, is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.[7] His Libyan Jewish father, Clement, is Orthodox and comes from a Sephardic family; he now lives in Israel. Halfon's paternal grandfather, Renato Halfon, was an Italian Jewish clothing manufacturer living in Libya until he was forced to leave in 1968, after which he joined Clement in England.
Halfon was educated at Highgate School and the University of Exeter, graduating with a BA in Politics and MA in Russian politics and Eastern European politics. Alongside David Burrowes, Sajid Javid, and Tim Montgomerie, he was a leading member of Exeter University Conservative Association and helped to turn it from social to political activities.[6] In 1991, he took the issue of compulsory membership of the National Union of Students to the European Court of Human Rights,[8] which decided his application was manifestly ill-founded.[9][10]
Parliamentary career edit
After graduating, Halfon worked for a time selling memberships for an upmarket London hotel, before he got a job as a part-time researcher for Harold Elletson, then-Conservative MP for Blackpool North. He subsequently worked for other Conservative MPs, including Michael Fabricant.[9] He was Chief of Staff for senior Conservative MP Oliver Letwin before becoming political director for Conservative Friends of Israel. He also spent some time working for a leading London-based Public Affairs company, Market Access.
Halfon unsuccessfully contested the seat of Harlow for the Conservative party at the 2001 general election and 2005 general elections, losing by 97 votes on the second occasion.[11]
His third run for Harlow was successful and after the 2010 general election, he was elected to the executive of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs.[12] He delivered his maiden speech in the House on 2 June 2010.[13] He was re-elected at the 2015 general election[14] and 2017 general election.
On 18 July 2014, he was chosen by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, to be his Parliamentary Private Secretary.[15]
Between May 2015 and July 2016, Halfon served as Minister without Portfolio (attending Cabinet) and Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party.[16][17] From July 2016, he was Minister of State at the Department for Education, before being dismissed on 12 June 2017 by the Prime Minister Theresa May.[18]
In the House of Commons he sits on the Liaison Committee (Commons) and Education Committee,[19] and has previously sat on the Public Administration Select Committee.[20]
Campaigns edit
Apprenticeships edit
Halfon is a supporter of apprenticeships, and campaigned for a new university technical college to be built in Harlow, which opened in September 2014 as Sir Charles Kao UTC.[21][22] He set up the Parliamentary Academy, which encourages MPs to employ apprentices in Parliament.[23] He had the first MP's apprentice in the House of Commons and, as of 2013, was on his third apprentice who came from Harlow College.[24] For his work on apprenticeships, he was named Avanta's Politician of the Year in 2013.[25]
Cost of living edit
After becoming an MP, Halfon founded the Petrol Promise campaign, an online website and petition calling for lower fuel tax and an official inquiry into the oil market due to the suspected manipulation of petrol prices.[26] He is a supporter of the FairFuelUK pressure group,[27] and has raised the issue of cheaper petrol in Parliament. He also presented a petition calling for an inquiry into price-fixing at the Office of Fair Trading, signed by 30,000 motorists in 2013.[28] This led to Chancellor George Osborne calling him a "champion of the people he represents".[29] He won The Spectator's Campaigner of the Year Award in 2013 for his work fighting to keep petrol duty low.[30]
Halfon has campaigned against privatised utility companies making excessive profits. In 2013, he published a study of water companies in East Anglia examining their profits and called for an inquiry.[31] He has called for a windfall tax to be imposed on energy companies who are found to be unnecessarily putting up prices to customers.[32]
Halfon has also campaigned for reducing the tax rate on low-paid workers, arguing in 2013 that a near living wage could be achieved if the government reintroduced the 10p band of income tax or increased the National Insurance threshold, citing this as an alternative to the living wage which he said could damage small local businesses.[33]
Israel and Judaism edit
Halfon has said that one of the three things that motivate him in politics is "unashamed support for the State of Israel, as the only real democracy and progressive force in the Middle East".[34] He said, "I have always been very supportive of Israel. I have been to Israel many times for work and family, especially now that my father, who has become more Orthodox, lives in Jerusalem. I talk a lot about Israel in the House of Commons."[7]
Halfon attempted to get Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND), formerly iENGAGE, banned from the House of Commons in 2011.[7] He has also campaigned against Libyan funding of British universities, prompted by the experiences of his Italian-Jewish refugee grandfather Renato Halfon, who was making a living in Libya before being expelled alongside other Jews. Halfon is also concerned about donations from Muslim countries to the University of Oxford, Saudi Arabian donations to the University of Cambridge and links to Iran demonstrated by the University of Edinburgh and Durham University.[7]
On 19 July 2010, he hosted the launch of the Friends of Israel Initiative at the House of Commons.[35][36]
Halfon is vice president of the Jewish Leadership Council.[37] According to Doreen Wachmann of the Jewish Telegraph, he is the Conservative Party's counterpart to Labour MP Louise Ellman, who she said is "never scared to openly proclaim her Jewish identity and fight for Israel and against Islamic extremism at every Parliamentary opportunity".[7]
LGBT rights edit
Halfon voted against the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, which permitted same-sex couples to marry, and much of the secondary legislation implementing the Act.[38] In 2019, he apologised for this and said, "I regret it and I would vote for equal marriage if it came before Parliament now."[39] Later that year, he voted in support of same-sex marriage for residents of Northern Ireland.[40][41]
Trade unions edit
Halfon is a member of the Prospect trade union[42] and a campaigner for Conservative supporters to become more involved in trade unions.[43][44] In 2012, he published a pamphlet through the thinktank Demos called Stop the Union Bashing: Why Conservatives Should Embrace the Trade Union Movement, which relayed the history of trade unionism in the Conservative Party and called for these links to be revived.[45] He is the honorary president of Conservative Workers & Trade Unionists, an affiliated group of the Conservative Party.
Other activities edit
Halfon has signed several early day motions in support of NHS funding for homeopathy sponsored by Conservative MP David Tredinnick.[46]
Halfon has been critical of donations received by UK universities from abroad, in particular the London School of Economics and Political Science.[47]
In July 2018, following the deaths of two children while playing on bouncy castles, Halfon called for an "urgent investigation" into the regulation of them. He argued that "there should be a temporary ban on bouncy castles in public areas until we can ensure they are safe". Earlier, in 2016, a seven-year-old girl died after a bouncy castle broke free from its moorings in Halfon's constituency of Harlow.[48]
Halfon voted for the UK to remain in the EU during the 2016 Brexit referendum, but said after the victory of the leave campaign that he would support leaving in the event of a second referendum: "I've been disgusted at the way the establishment have behaved, and the way certain people in Parliament have behaved in doing everything possible to stop a democratic result."[49] He later voted in favour of triggering Article 50 and for Boris Johnson's Brexit deal.[50]
Halfon does not speak Welsh, but learned a small amount of it in order to speak it in response to a Parliamentary question in January 2020 regarding the steps being taken by the Government Digital Service to ensure services delivered in Wales are provided bilingually.[51]
In October 2020, Halfon was one of five Conservative MPs who broke the whip to vote for a Labour opposition day motion to extend the provision of free school meals during school holidays until Easter 2021.[52]
In November 2021, Halfon introduced a new Ten Minute Rule Bill to prevent future school closures. The Bill, which has the support of the Children's Commissioner for England, a previous Children's Commissioner, and two former Children's Ministers, proposes to reclassify schools and education settings as essential infrastructure alongside power plants, hospitals, and food shops.[53][54] The Bill will include a "triple lock" of measures that will require any future school closures to be reviewed, debated, and authorised by Parliament before being enacted or extended.[55] In February 2022, the Bill will be introduced for a second reading.
Controversies edit
In 2014, Halfon was challenged in Parliament over money paid to his constituency office by a close associate of a Ukrainian magnate, Dmitry Firtash, recently arrested amid allegations of bribery. Firtash's close associate Robert Shetler-Jones, a Briton who was the former CEO of the Ukrainian's business empire Group and was currently deputy chairman of the group's supervisory council had donated £35,000 to Halfon's constituency office. Halfon rejected the accusations of connections with Firtash and said that he had fully declared the money in the Register of Members' Interests.[56]
Halfon admitted in 2015 that he had an affair with the then-chair of Conservative Future, Alexandra Paterson, from 2010 to 2014.[57][58] He admitted to the affair after he was warned that a Conservative aide was trying to blackmail him over it; he alleged that the controversial former Conservative Parliamentary candidate Mark Clarke, dubbed the "Tatler Tory", was attempting to blackmail him to further Clarke's advancement within the party.[59][60] Halfon was further criticised after The Guardian reported that he had claimed over £30,000 in expenses to illicitly meet Paterson when staying at the East India Club in London. His spokeswoman responded that Paterson had not actually stayed at the club for the whole of the nights in question. Halfon was again criticised for having his legal bills of £6,043 paid by Conservative-supporting law firms, despite having previously voted to cut legal aid.[61]
In April 2020, Halfon accused the Board of Deputies of British Jews of having a "left-of-centre political agenda" and complained that the Board had failed to "wish Prime Minister Boris Johnson a good recovery" from his COVID-19 infection in its latest weekly email.[62] The Board described him as "surprisingly ignorant, disingenuous, and outright false" and stated, "Bizarrely, [Halfon] falsely alleges that we did not wish the Prime Minister well over his recent illness when, in fact, we released two messages of support, which were widely covered in the Jewish Chronicle and other Jewish media. [Halfon] also falsely alleges that we did not share a Passover message from the Conservative Party when we did in fact share the Downing Street message as well as sharing the Prime Minister's Chanukah video."[62] Board president Marie van der Zyl said, "Despite contacting [Halfon] via his mobile, his office number, his email and via social media—requesting times where he might be available to speak—he has still not spoken to me, which does bring into question his courage and integrity."[63]
Personal life edit
Halfon's Brazilian wife, Vanda Colombo, converted to Judaism before they married.[7]
Halfon was born with a moderate form of cerebral palsy called spastic diplegia and underwent several major operations as a child, causing an onset of osteoarthritis in his early 30s, and now uses crutches to walk.[9]
Notes edit
- ^ Minister of State for Skills (2016-2017).
References edit
- ^ "Ministerial Appointments commencing: 25 October 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ "Robert Halfon and Nick Gibb return as education ministers". feweek.co.uk. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ "Minister of State (Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education) - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- ^ Jessica Elgot (14 May 2010). "New Jewish ministers and the Miliband rivalry". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
- ^ a b Michael Mosbacher (April 2014). "Underrated: Robert Halfon". Standpoint. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f Doreen Wachmann (2011). "The Tories find new Israel hero in Robert". Jewish Telegraph. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- ^ Halfon v United Kingdom (1991)
- ^ a b c Janet Murray (9 November 2011). "Robert Halfon ~ his story". FE Week. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
- ^ European Court of Human Rights (12 April 1991). Halfon v United Kingdom (decision) (Report). Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- ^ . telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
- ^ Leon Symons (27 May 2010). "1922 Committee success for Halfon". Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
- ^ "House of Commons Debates 02 June 2010 - Education and Health". Hansard. London. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
- ^ Gardner, Gemma; Mata, William (8 May 2015). "Record-breaking victory for conservative Robert Halfon". Harlow Star. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
- ^ "Harlow Star". Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- ^ "Ministerial appointments". Retrieved 11 May 2015.
- ^ "Privy Council Orders of 14 May 2015" (PDF). Privy Council Office. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
- ^ "May sacks four ministers as Cabinet reshuffle continues". Evening Standard. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Robert Halfon elected as Chair - News from Parliament". UK Parliament.
- ^ "Robert Halfon". Parliament UK. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
- ^ Harlow College. . Harlow College. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ^ "Sir Charles Kao UTC in Harlow opens its doors to new students". from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ Summers, Nick. . FE Week. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Harlow College. . Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ^ "Training provider names Robert Halfon as their politician of the year". Your Harlow. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ^ "Are Retailers Just IGNORING an Oil Price Fall? - PetrolPrices.com". www.petrolprices.com. 9 October 2018.
- ^ "FairFuelUK". index.html.
- ^ "PETROL RETAILERS' SUPPORT MP'S DECISION TO HAND PETITION TO THE OFT". Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ^ Osborne, George. "Rt Hon". Hansard. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ^ Payne, Sebastien. "Parliamentarian of Year Awards 2013: the winners". The Spectator. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ^ "Water firms in East of England 'rip off' customers, claims MP". BBC News. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ^ . Politics Home. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ^ Halfon, Robert (23 September 2013). "Robert Halfon MP: How Conservatives should champion the living wage". Conservative Home. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ^ Halfon, Robert (22 February 2016). "Robert Halfon MP: I am voting to stay in the European Union because I am frightened by an uncertain world". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ . Friends of Israel Initiative. 19 July 2010. Archived from the original on 31 July 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ^ . Henry Jackson Society. 19 July 2010. Archived from the original on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ^ "Robert Halfon MP". Jewish Leadership Council. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ "Robert Halfon MP, Harlow". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ^ Robert Halfon supports LGBT+ Rights., retrieved 20 September 2019
- ^ Voted for same sex marriage in Northern Ireland, retrieved 20 September 2019
- ^ "Division 427, Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill - Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
- ^ "Can Tories and trade unions be friends?". BBC News. 6 March 2020.
- ^ "ConservativeHome comment". Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ "Rob's Blog: Conservatives and Trade Unions". Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ Halfon, Robert. . Demos. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ^ Tredinnick, David (29 June 2010). "Early Day Motion #342 British Medical Association Motions on Homeopathy".
- ^ Young, Alexander (10 January 2011). "Conservative MP decries LSE's "blood money"". Archived from the original on 16 July 2012.
- ^ "Death prompts bouncy castle ban plea". BBC News. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- ^ "Harlow MP Robert Halfon "regrets voting Remain"". Your Harlow. 16 October 2019.
- ^ "Harlow MP Robert Halfon responds to Brexit deal with EU". Your Harlow. 24 December 2020.
- ^ Robert Halfon MP Speaks in the House of Commons in Welsh, archived from the original on 15 December 2021, retrieved 29 January 2020
- ^ Halfon, Robert (24 October 2020). "Robert Halfon MP: Why I voted against the government on Free School Meals". Catholic Herald. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Bill to prevent school shutdowns passes first test". BBC News. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ "Draft law seeks Parliamentary veto on future school closures". schoolsweek.co.uk. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ Turner, Camilla (2 November 2021). "'Triple lock' test must be introduced to prevent future school closures, say former ministers". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ "Tory MP challenged on cash received from associate of Ukrainian tycoon Dmitry Firtash". Independent. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
- ^ Halliday, Josh (22 November 2015). "Tory minister claimed expenses for room at club where he met lover". The Guardian.
- ^ Wilson, Jeremy (16 November 2015). "A Tory Minister admitted to an affair with a junior party member after fearing he'd be blackmailed". Business Insider.
- ^ Mason, Rowena (16 November 2015). "Tory minister Robert Halfon admits cheating on partner amid blackmail claims". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ "Tatler Tory scandal: 22-year-old activist's 'lost night' with MP". The Daily Telegraph. 22 November 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
- ^ Halliday, Josh (22 November 2015). "Tory minister claimed expenses for room at club where he met lover". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- ^ a b Harpin, Lee (26 April 2020). "Senior Conservative MP attacks Board of Deputies's 'left of centre political agenda'". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ Decker, Adam (26 April 2020). "Board president questions senior Conservative MP's 'courage and integrity'". Retrieved 27 April 2020.
External links edit
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
- Appearances on C-SPAN