Brian Arthur Roland Binley (1 April 1942 – 25 December 2020) was a British Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Northampton South from 2005 to 2015.

Early life

Educated at Finedon Mulso Secondary Modern School on Wellingborough Road, (now a Junior School), in the town of Finedon in Northamptonshire, Brian Binley joined the Conservative Party in 1958. He was an organiser with the National Young Conservatives from 1965 to 1968. He was chairman of the Wellingborough-based BCC Marketing Services Ltd, the company he founded from 1988 to 2001, when it was liquidated by the company that had bought it in late 2001.

Parliamentary career

Binley was the Parliamentary Agent for the Wyre Forest Conservative Association during the 1997 general election campaign. He was elected to Northamptonshire County Council in 1997, where he was a Cabinet Member. He was selected to contest the Labour-held Parliamentary marginal

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

of Northampton South, and defeated the sitting Labour MP Tony Clarke at the 2005 general election by over 4,000 votes. Binley made his maiden speech on 25 May 2005. He was also a Northamptonshire County Councillor for Hackleton division but did not restand for the county council at elections held in 2009. Binley was re-elected in the 2010 general election, with an increased majority of 6,004. In March 2012, Binley was reported as being one of the Conservative MPs to have spoken critically of Party Co-Chairman Sayeeda Warsi at a meeting of the

1922 Committee The 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee, is the parliamentary group of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The committee, consisting of all Conservative backbench member ...

, following Lady Warsi's handling of Roger Helmer

MEP MEP may refer to: Organisations and politics * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, a political party in Sri Lanka * Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (1956), a former political alliance in Sri Lanka * Maison européenne de la photographie, a photography centre ...

's defection to UKIP and later called on her to resign saying she was guilty of "self-destructive lunacy". He was also a critic of

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...

calling on him to "smell the coffee" after the Conservatives faced a terrible defeat in the 2012 local elections and even criticised Number 10 more widely and their attitude towards Conservative backbenchers. He also criticised

's decision to hire

Andy Coulson Andrew Edward Coulson (born 21 January 1968) is an English journalist and political strategist. Coulson was the editor of the ''News of the World'' from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's repo ...

Expenses

On 17 June 2009 it was revealed that Binley had claimed over £50,000 in expenses, renting a flat from his own company, BCC Marketing. Two months after beginning to rent the flat, expenses rules were changed to clarify that MPs could no longer rent properties from businesses in which they had an interest. Binley appealed to the Speaker of the House Michael Martin, whilst still claiming for the flat. Binley lost his appeal after two and a half years, during which time he still claimed for the flat in question. Binley was not required to repay the £57,000 he received while the Speaker deliberated.

Personal life

Binley lived in the constituency for over 20 years, and had two grown sons. In 2006, he became the victim of identity theft, when someone tried to divert his bank statements and unsuccessfully attempted to steal £9,000 from him whilst he was in India. The perpetrator wrote to Binley boasting of his exploits. He received a six-month driving ban in May 2007 having totted up 12 points on his licence when caught doing 37 mph in a 30 mph zone in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. With nine points already, he was given three more and a ban by Towcester magistrates. In January 2013, Binley revealed he was suffering from "low-grade lymphoma affecting white blood cells" and would undergo chemotherapy. In July 2013 Binley stated he would not stand again at the next general election in 2015. Binley died at Northampton General Hospital on 25 December 2020, aged 78.

References

External links

Brian Binley MP Blog
official site
Jacquie Binley & Friends Charity Sky Dive
official site
Brian Binley MP
biography at the site of the Conservative Party
BBC Politics profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Binley, Brian 1942 births 2020 deaths 20th-century English businesspeople 21st-century English businesspeople Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Conservative Party (UK) councillors English marketing people Members of Northamptonshire County Council People from West Northamptonshire District People from Wellingborough UK MPs 2005–2010 UK MPs 2010–2015