Julian Smith Archives - Page 8 of 12

Ripon MP Julian Smith resigns from second jobs worth £144,000

Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon Julian Smith has resigned from three roles advising businesses that earned him £144,000 a year.

The latest MP’s register of interests, published today, shows Mr Smith ended contracts with Hygen Energy, Simply Blue Management and MJM Marine on November 16.

Mr Smith was dragged into the debate around Tory ‘sleaze’ following the resignation of Owen Paterson MP. Mr Smith is paid an £81,932 salary for being an MP.

He received criticism from Brian McDaid, former parliamentary candidate from the Skipton and Ripon Labour Party, who accused Mr Smith of not focusing his time on his constituents.

Mr Smith resigned from his three roles the day before Prime Minister Boris Johnson proposed to ban MPs from acting as paid political consultants or lobbyists.

All the roles were approved by the Advisory Committee of Business Appointments.

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Smith to comment but we did not receive a response.

Mr Smith’s second jobs

Mr Smith was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from July 2019 to February 2020.

In August 2020 he began advising Hygen Energy, previously known as Ryse Hydrogen. Its chief executive Jo Bamford also owns Wrightbus, a Northern Ireland bus manufacturer. The contract was for £60,000 for 20 hours of work.

He was also paid to work for 30 to 40 hours over 12 months for MJM Marine, a cruise ship refurbishment company based in County Down. This contract was also for £60,000.

In January 2021 he began another role, advising Cork-based sustainable energy and aquaculture company Simply Blue Management. He was paid £24,000 for up to two hours work per month.

MPs watch: Extra jobs, adult social care and HS2

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In November, MPs and their second jobs came under close scrutiny as Conservative MP Owen Paterson resigned after coming under fire for breaching parliamentary standards.

Meanwhile, all Harrogate district MPs voted for a controversial new Health and Social Care bill, which saw some Conservative backbenchers rebel against the government.

We asked our three Conservative MPs, Harrogate & Knaresborough’s Andrew Jones, Skipton and Ripon’s Julian Smith, and Selby and Ainsty’s Nigel Adams if they would like to highlight anything in particular that they have been doing this month, but, as usual, we did not receive a response from any of them.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

Mr Jones did not post any news on his website in November.
He spoke eight times in the House of Commons this past month.
Among his contributions was to welcome to the government’s integrated rail plan on November 18. This came despite previous comments by Mr Jones in February 2019 when he described the potential scrapping of the eastern leg of HS2 as a “betrayal of the north”.
He later posted a statement on his Conservative-run website describing the plan as “very positive”.
On November 22, Mr Jones voted with the government on the Health and Social Care Bill. Some Tory backbenchers raised concern that the government’s proposal will see the poor pay more towards their care.
Mr Jones’ Twitter account is for ‘retweets only’.

Julian Smith, MP for Skipton and Ripon.

In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

Mr Smith did not update his website during November.
He tweeted eight times last month. Among his social media posts were tweets congratulating Zoe Metcalfe on being elected North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
During November, Mr Smith’s extra jobs came under scrutiny in the wake of the Owen Paterson affair. Mr Smith earns £144,000 a year from three advisory roles in addition to his £81,932 MP’s salary.
Mr Smith voted with the government on its Health and Social Care bill on November 22.
He did not make any spoken contributions in the House of Commons during November.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

Mr Adams tweeted four times in November.
He posted once on his website on November 18 about Prime Minister Boris Johnson visiting his constituency during the launch of the government’s integrated rail plan.
On November 4, Mr Adams voted for the Leadsom amendment during the Owen Paterson affair. The amendment proposed not suspending Mr Paterson, despite breaching parliamentary standards.
Mr Adams voted with the government on the Health and Social Care bill on November 22.
He appeared in the House of Commons four times during November to make both spoken contributions and to answer questions as a government minister.

Harrogate district Conservative MPs back controversial social care plan

All three of the Harrogate district’s Conservative MPs voted for controversial new plans for social care in England last night.

The proposal, which will see people with less than £100,000 in assets pay towards the new social care cap, were supported by the House of Commons despite a Conservative backbench rebellion.

Some Tory MPs expressed concern that the move would hit the poorest hardest and 19 of them voted against the government.

However, Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, Julian Smith, Skipton and Ripon MP and Nigel Adams, Selby and Ainsty MP which includes rural Harrogate, all voted with the government.

The bill was passed by 272 votes to 246.

The Stray Ferret has contacted the Harrogate district MPs for comment.

Health minister, Edward Argar, told the House of Commons last night that “no one would lose” from the reforms.

What is the government’s plan for social care?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government have tabled plans in an effort to fix the crisis in funding social care.

Under the proposals, there will be a cap of £86,000 which people will have to pay towards the cost of their own care. Once that threshold is met, the government will step in.

The move would mean that those with £20,000 or less in assets would not have to pay anything towards things like washing or dressing at home.

Those with more than £100,000 will have to pay for everything up to the social care cap.

Meanwhile, those with less than £100,000 will have to pay for some of their care – but they can qualify for council support to help meet those costs.

Crucially, however, the support received from the local authority will not contribute towards the social care cap. Instead, that will have to be met from the person’s own income.

This has led to some Conservative MPs expressing concern that the poorest will be hit hardest by the change.

Ripon MP Julian Smith could lose £144,000 under PM’s plan to end consultancy work

Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith could lose £144,000 of consultancy earnings under proposals put forward by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Mr Johnson wrote to Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle yesterday proposing MPs are banned from acting as paid political consultants or lobbyists. He said it would help maintain public confidence in Parliament.

Former Northern Ireland Secretary of State Mr Smith, a Conservative who has represented Skipton and Ripon since 2010, would be one of the most severely affected MPs.

He earns £144,000 from three part-time consultancy roles, all of which were approved by the Advisory Committee of Business Appointments.

According to the BBC, more than 200 MPs received earnings in the last year on top of their £81,932 salary.

Mr Smith, who also owns three London properties, is listed as the second highest earner of consultancy fees behind Andrew Mitchell, the Conservative MP for Sutton Coldfield, who is paid more than £180,000 for six consultancy roles that take up 34.5 days of work.

The Stray Ferret has contacted Mr Smith but he had not replied by the time of publication.

Julian Smith’s jobs

Ryse Hydrogen: £60,000 for 12 months. He is expected to work 20 hours.

In August 2020, Mr Smith took an advisory role with Ryse Hydrogen. Its chief executive Jo Bamford also owns Wrightbus, a Northern Ireland bus production company that has a relationship with the Northern Ireland Office in government.

Simply Blue Management: £2,000 a month for one or two hours a month over 12 months.

In January, Mr Smith began advising Cork-based firm Simply Blue Management. Its website describes itself as ‘the leading early stage developer of sustainable and transformative marine projects’.

MJM Marine: £60,000 for 12 months. He is expected to work 30 to 40 hours.

In March, Mr Smith began advising MJM Marine on ‘business development’. The company calls itself a ‘leading international specialist in cruise ship refurbishment’. It’s based in County Down, Northern Ireland.

Julian Smith MP’s three extra jobs back in spotlight in Tory ‘sleaze’ row

Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon Julian Smith is back in the spotlight for having three consultancy roles that earn him an extra £144,000 a year.

The Guardian reported today that MPs could be barred from holding consultancy positions.

It listed Mr Smith as the second highest paid of 30 MPs that would be affected by the move.

The news comes after the former Conservative MP Owen Paterson MP was found to have used his position to lobby the government on behalf of two companies that paid him.

The issue has reignited the debate over whether MPs should be allowed to hold external positions, and prompted allegations of sleaze.

As previously reported in the Stray Ferret, Mr Smith has three advisory roles outside of Parliament. They are in addition to his £81,932 annual salary as an MP.

All the roles were approved by the Advisory Committee of Business Appointments.

Mr Smith was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from July 2019 to February 2020.

In August 2020 he began advising Ryse Hydrogen, whose chief executive Jo Bamford also owns Wrightbus, a Northern Ireland bus manufacturer. The contract is £60,000 for 20 hours of work.

He is also paid to work for 30 to 40 hours over 12 months for MJM Marine, a cruise ship refurbishment company based in County Down. This contract is also for £60,000.

In January 2021 he began another role, advising Cork-based sustainable energy and aquaculture company Simply Blue Management. He is paid £24,000 over a year for up to two hours work per month.

Pat Marsh, the Liberal Democrat leader on Harrogate Borough Council, said Mr Smith should “rethink” his other jobs and added that MPs should be stopped from taking on other work.

She said:

“His job is being an MP. To take on a paid position is so wrong.

“From a purely democratic position, when you’re elected that should be the major concern, not distracted with outside jobs.

Shan Oakes, co-ordinator for Harrogate & District Green Party, said she was “appalled” by the Owen Patterson affair.

Ms Oakes, who attended the Stray bonfire on Saturday night holding rubbish bags with ‘Tory Sleaze’ written on them. added:

“With Harrogate having lots of Tory voters we assumed we’d get a lot of flack but we had not one negative comment. People were saying ‘thank you’.

“The whole thing stinks. Once these mechanisms of democracy are meddled with like this then we’re on a real road to ruin.”

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Smith to comment but did not receive a response.

Harrogate district MPs abstain from Owen Paterson vote

Local Conservative MPs Andrew Jones and Julian Smith abstained from the controversial vote in the Commons yesterday on whether to suspend former minister Owen Paterson.

MPs voted by 250 to 232 to put off a decision on whether to suspend Mr Paterson.

A total of 98 Conservative MPs did not take part in the vote, despite pressure from the party leadership to vote in favour.

They included Mr Jones, who represents Harrogate and Knaresborough, and Mr Smith, who represents Skipton and Ripon. Both men rarely rebel from the party line.

Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams, who is Minister of State without Portfolio at the Cabinet Office, voted with the government.

The Leadsom amendment was put forward after a Parliamentary standards watchdog found Mr Paterson had breached lobbying rules by approaching MPs about two firms he was working for as a consultant.

The vote was carried and would have seen the formation a new cross-party committee of MPs to review the process for policing MPs and postponed Mr Paterson’s 30-day suspension from the Commons.

But following a fierce backlash, today, the government has now said it will rethink its plans.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Leader of the House, said the changes would not go ahead without cross-party support. He added a further vote on Mr Paterson’s suspension will go ahead.

The Stray Ferret has contacted Mr Smith and Mr Jones about the vote but has not received replies.

MPs watch: Sewage dumps, commissioner resignations and David Amess

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In October, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced his Autumn budget and MPs were criticised for rejecting an amendment to stop raw sewage being pumped into rivers.

All of our district MPs were urged by North Yorkshire Police to report personal security concerns following the murder of David Amess MP in his constituency.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

Mr Jones did not post any news on his website in October.
On October 20, Mr Jones voted against a House of Lords amendment to put a legal duty on water companies and prevent them discharging waste into rivers and seas.
Mr Jones spoke six times in the House of Commons in October.
Two of those contributions were on the environment, including congratulating Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition for hosting its first climate action festival ahead of COP26.
On October 14, following the resignation of Philip Allott as North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Mr Jones posted onto his Conservative-run site that Mr Allott had “done the right thing”. He also paid tribute to David Amess.
Mr Jones’ Twitter account is for ‘retweets only’.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

Mr Smith updated his website three times in September. He posted about Bilsdale transmitter and visiting Grassington hub.
He tweeted 12 times last month. Among his social media posts were tweets paying tribute to David Amess MP. He also paid tribute to James Brokenshire MP, who died on October 8.
Mr Smith was the only one of our district MPs to call for Philip Allott to resign. On October 11, he tweeted that Mr Allott “should go”.
Mr Smith voted against the House of Lords amendment on river sewage.
Mr Smith posted four times on his Facebook page.
He spoke once in the House of Commons this month. On October 26, Mr Smith made a spoken contribution on Northern Ireland.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

Mr Adams tweeted six times in October.
On Twitter, he paid tribute to both James Brokenshire MP and David Amess MP.
He posted once on his website on October 26 about road works being carried out on the A1 and A64.
On October 5, the Stray Ferret reported that a former arms tycoon who donated £33,800 to Mr Adams was back under media scrutiny after the leak of the Pandora Papers.
Mr Adams did not post anything on his social media or website about Philip Allott’s resignation of police commissioner.
Mr Adams voted against the House of Lords amendment on river sewage.
He did not make any spoken contributions in the House of Commons in October.

Police urge Harrogate district MPs to report personal security concerns

North Yorkshire Police has said it has contacted Harrogate district MPs Andrew Jones and Julian Smith about their personal security following the killing of Southend West MP Sir David Amess.

MPs held a minute’s silence this afternoon for Sir David, who died after being stabbed meeting constituents in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. A 25-year-old man has been held on suspicion of murder and the incident has been declared as terrorism.

North Yorkshire Police issued a statement today saying:

“Members of Parliament from North Yorkshire and the City of York have been contacted as part of Operation Bridger, which provides tactical options for protective physical security in their constituencies.

“This is managed by the parliamentary liaison and investigation team that was formed in 2016 following the murder of Jo Cox, the MP for Batley and Spen.

“In order to help protect themselves, their family and staff members, and their constituents while attending surgeries, we are advising our MPs to report any security concerns without delay.

“North Yorkshire Police will continue to review the security advice on a regular basis, based on an assessment of changing threats and risk.”

The two Harrogate district MPs whose constituencies fall in North Yorkshire are Andrew Jones, who represents Harrogate and Knaresborough, and Julian Smith, who represents Skipton and Ripon.

Mr Smith has tweeted personal recollections of fellow Conservative Sir David.

As a youngster I remember @amessd_southend for his oratory, looks & dynamic hair. When I became Chief Whip I saw his humanity- the deep level of commitment he had to his Colleagues when they were ill or in distress was formidable. For him to be killed in this way is devastating.

— Julian Smith MP (@JulianSmithUK) October 15, 2021

Ripon MP Julian Smith calls for police commissioner Philip Allott to go

Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith has said North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott “should go” over comments he made in the wake of Sarah Everard’s murder.

Mr Allott has faced calls for his resignation after saying Ms Everard “never should have submitted” to arrest by killer police officer Wayne Couzens.

Conservative Mr Allott, who was elected in May, also said women needed to be “streetwise”.

He later apologised for his remarks, but indicated he would remain in post.

MP Julian Smith, a Conservative himself and former chief whip, has now spoken out saying Mr Allott had lost the trust of women.

He tweeted on Monday:

“Recent comments of the NY Police & Crime Commissioner were completely unacceptable.

“Prior to Thursday’s Police & Crime Panel meeting to discuss the PCC’s future I believe the PCC has lost trust of women and victims groups & should go.”

Mr Smith’s tweet was supported by North Yorkshire’s former Conservative PFCC Julia Mulligan who replied: “Thank you Julian for speaking out.”

The North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel will meet on Thursday with discussion of Mr Allott’s comments forming part of the agenda.

He is expected to face questions over his remarks made to BBC Radio York on 1 October – the day after the sentencing of Wayne Couzens, who tricked Ms Everard by falsely arresting her for a breach of covid guidelines.

Mr Allott told BBC Radio York:

“A police officer can’t just arrest you. There has to be a reason. So, Covid for example I would classify as a summary offence, it’s not an indictable i.e. sent to prison or potentially go to a Crown Court.

“So women first of all just need to be streetwise about when they can be arrested and when they can’t be arrested.

“She should never have been arrested and submitted to that.”

Mr Allott has since repeatedly apologised.

In one apology, he said on Twitter:

“I would like to wholeheartedly apologise for my comments on BBC Radio York earlier today, which I realise have been insensitive and wish to retract them in full.”

The Stray Ferret also asked Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough and Nigel Adams MP, whose Selby constituency includes part of the Harrogate district, if Mr Allott should stay in his role but we did not receive a response.

MPs watch: Sweary outbursts, animal testing and Bilsdale

Every month the Stray Ferret tries to find out what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In September, the House of Commons returned from recess and the government battled an energy crisis and problems with fuel supply.

Here is what we know after analysing their online presence.

Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP.

In Harrogate and Knaresborough, here is what we found on Mr Jones:

Mr Jones posted 10 times on his MP’s website in September.
Mr Jones published three posts about the Bilsdale transmitter, which has affected television coverage across the district since August.
On September 18, Mr Jones held a constituency surgery at Asda. It was the first since the covid pandemic meant surgeries could not be held.
He asked George Freeman, science minister, to meet him to discuss plans to expand Labcorp on Otley Road. Mr Jones was later criticised by animal rights groups.
On September 27, Mr Jones posted on his Conservative-run site that a planning application to demolish the former Dunlopillo office site in Pannal for apartments should be “called in”. It was later approved because it was submitted under permitted development rights.
Mr Jones’ Twitter account is for ‘retweets only’.

Julian Smith, MP for Ripon and Skipton.

In Skipton and Ripon, here is what we found on Mr Smith:

Mr Smith updated his website six times in September. He also posted about the Bilsdale transmitter and told constituents he was “really sorry” if they were affected by the disruption.
He tweeted 13 times last month. Among his social media posts were tweets congratulating MPs who had been appointed to the cabinet as part of the Prime Minister’s reshuffle.
Mr Smith posted nine times on his Facebook page.
He made no spoken contributions or written questions in the House of Commons last month.

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty which includes rural Harrogate.

In rural south Harrogate, here is what we found on Mr Adams:

A regular Twitter user, Mr Adams tweeted eight times in September.
However, he did not update his website last month. His last post was on August 19.
On September 10, Mr Adams was filmed telling anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray to “f*ck off”. He defended his outburst and said his words reflected the views of many MPs.
Mr Adams was appointed minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office on September 16 as part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle.
On September 23, he answered questions in the House of Commons of mandatory vaccine passports. In one answer, he said the government did not expect the passports to be needed from the end of September.

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Mr Smith’s second jobs

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What is the government’s plan for social care?

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Julian Smith’s jobs

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