Jim Knight

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James Knight known as Jim Knight (born 6 March 1965, Bexley) is a British politician who has been a Member of Parliament since 2001. As of May 2006 Knight holds the post of Minister of State for Schools in the Department for Education and Skills.

In his first Parliament, Jim Knight generally voted in line with party policy, including all major votes such as those on the Iraq war and top-up fees.

Election history

He first stood for the British Parliament in the 1997 general election as the Labour candidate for Dorset South, but lost. He was however elected on the same day to Mendip District Council, on which he served until 2001, including as Labour Group leader.

He became the member of Parliament for Dorset South in 2001, the only Labour gain from the Tories in the 2001 election. A high-profile anti-Conservative tactical voting campaign was conducted in Dorset, led by Billy Bragg, and Knight may have gained many votes from Liberal Democrats. It is rumoured, though not proven, that the Liberals agreed not to campaign there, on the condition that Labour did the same in other constituencies. Dorset South was the second most marginal seat in the 2001 elections, being only won by 153 votes. (Only Cheadle was more marginal.)

While he was generally expected to have a difficult election in the 2005 election, he won with a margin of 1,812 votes in an election in which Labour gained no seats and suffered a noticeable decline in the popular vote. This can perhaps in part be attributed to the Conservative candidate, Ed Matts, who achieved national fame after doctoring a photo in his campaign literature from a protest against the deportation of a family of asylum seekers into an anti-immigration photo. Knight also benefited from several high-profile ministerial visits during the election campaign.

He was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Rural Affairs, Landscape and Biodiversity in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2005-2006

External links

[Jim Knight MP] official site
[link] Official profile still to be added to the DfES website
[Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Jim Knight MP]
[TheyWorkForYou.com - Jim Knight MP]
[BBC Article on Ed Matts] 13 April, 2005

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