About Andrew
Andrew was born in 1957 in Rochford, Essex. He was the first generation of his family to go to university. After Felsted School he went to Trinity College, Oxford, the College of Europe in Bruges and Wolfson College, Cambridge. He is a former Woodrow Wilson scholar and a Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford.
Before becoming an MP, Andrew’s previous work has included advisor to the then Chancellors of the Exchequer, Nigel Lawson and John Major, and Senior Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Andrew works hard for his constituents, representing them at both the local and national level. He has been instrumental in creating and driving forward numerous campaigns to protect and improve local services, including successful campaigns to save St Richard’s hospital from being downgraded and to secure a new academy school in Midhurst.
He keeps fit by running on the South Downs. He is passionate about preserving the natural beauty of the Chichester District and the Downs for generations to come.
Between 2003 and 2005, Andrew held the positions of Shadow Financial Secretary and Shadow Paymaster General. He forced the government to allow the Parliamentary Ombudsman to examine the Equitable Life scandal which has hurt many of his constituents.
He has also been a very active member of several Select Committees. As a member of the Treasury Select Committee he led the way in cross-questioning the bank bosses so that taxpayers’ money is protected and so that we do not experience another such devastating financial crisis.
As a member of the Committee established after the expenses scandal to reform the House of Commons, he has pressed vigorously for reform of Parliament. He is also a member of the Justice and Constitutional Affairs Committee and has been Chairman of the Joint Committee on Tax Law Rewrite Bills.
Andrew has also worked on a number of major public bill committees, scrutinising and amending legislation as it goes through parliament and holding the government to account. These include the Political Parties and Elections Bill Committee and several Finance Bill Committees. Andrew vigorously opposed the tripartite structure of the Bank of England, FSA and Treasury created by the government in 1999, during the passage of the Financial Services and Markets Bill. He was concerned that it would leave no-one in charge during a crisis and that no single organisation would be held accountable. This lack of leadership proved to be a contributory factor in the recent financial crisis, and he again pushed to reform the system as a member of the Financial Services Bill Committee from December 2009 to January 2010.
Andrew is the founder and chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Extraordinary Rendition, dedicated to ensuring that the UK is not involved in the US programme of kidnap and mistreatment of terrorist suspects. The Group’s website can be found here.
Since entering the House of Commons, Andrew has published extensively on a wide range of subjects. These include an explanation of his opposition to the Iraq war, financial and economic regulation and constitutional reform. A list of his main publications can be found here.
Andrew has twice been voted The Spectator’s ‘Backbencher of the Year’ by leading journalists. The first time he won this prestigious award it was for his "formidable grasp of tax, the euro, and the issues surrounding reform of the House of Lords", according to the citation. His 2009 award recognised his work on cross-examining Britain’s leading banking chiefs on the Treasury Select Committee.