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Oliver Newton Colvile (born 26 August 1959) is a British politician. He is a former
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization ...
Member of Parliament (MP) for Plymouth Sutton & Devonport.


Background

Colvile's father served as an
officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fr ...
in the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
for over thirty years, his grandfather was the
First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...
of Plymouth's Naval barracks, whilst his uncle was a
Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
officer who served at Stonehouse. Colvile says his interest in politics took hold whilst at
Stowe School , motto_translation = I stand firm and I stand first , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent school, day & boarding , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster ...
when he became fascinated by how an idea could become law or a policy to protect
civil liberties Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties may ...
, to enhance people's freedom and for the enjoyment of life. He joined the Conservative Party's staff at the age of 21, working for Ministers and
backbench In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of the " ...
MPs. He later devised community campaigns which saw the Conservatives return to Parliament a number of its candidates in marginal seats. Colvile has lived for the past 10 years at ''The Millfields'' (formerly the Royal Naval Hospital),
Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymout ...
.


Political career

Colvile unsuccessfully contested the
Plymouth Sutton Plymouth, Sutton was, from 1918 until 2010, a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. History Pl ...
constituency in the
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...
and
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
general elections, both times losing to the sitting Labour MP Linda Gilroy. Colvile won its successor seat, Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, at the 2010 general election with a majority of 1149 and 34.3% of the votes cast, ousting Gilroy with a swing of 6.9% calculated after allowing for significant boundary changes. He held the seat at the 2015 general election with a reduced majority of 523. Colvile was named by Conservative Home as one of a minority of loyal Conservative backbench MPs not to have voted against the government in any significant rebellions. Colvile lost his seat at the 2017 general election to
Luke Pollard Luke Pollard (born 10 April 1980) is a British politician who has served as House of Commons of the United Kingdom, Member of Parliament (MP) for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport (UK Parliament constituency), Plymouth Sutton and Devonport since 20 ...
of the Labour Party. ;Parliamentary and government roles *
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
Affairs Select Committee. (26 July 2010 until July 2016) *
Public Bill Committee In the British House of Commons, public bill committees (known as standing committees before 2006) consider Bills – proposed Acts of Parliament. The House of Lords does not have such committees, as Bills are usually considered by the House as a ...
for the Defence Reform Act 2014. * Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the ministers at the Ministry of Defence. * PPS to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (July 2016 until June 2017).


Electoral Commission and police investigation

In March 2017, the
Electoral Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
fined the Conservative Party £70,000. During the 2015 general election coaches of activists were transported to marginal constituencies including Plymouth Sutton & Devonport to campaign alongside or in close proximity to local campaigners. The tour party stopped off at the Jury's Inn in Exeter Street, Plymouth, where it used 29 rooms. The inclusion in the Party national return of what in the commission's view should have been reported as candidate spending meant that there was a realistic prospect that this enabled its candidates to gain a financial advantage over opponents. Oliver Colville was investigated by Devon and Cornwall Police over whether he breached election spending rules. Devon and Cornwall Police subsequently confirmed that a file has been passed to the
Crown Prosecution Service The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The main responsibilities of the CPS are to provide legal adv ...
for a decision on whether Mr Colville should be prosecuted for electoral fraud in relation to the 2015 general election.


Japan Tobacco

Colvile was criticised when it was revealed in October 2011 that he received hospitality equivalent to £694.80 from
Japan Tobacco Hepburn: ''Nippon Senbai Kōsha'' , type = 1985-: Public (''kabushiki gaisha'') 1949-1985: Statutory corporation , traded_as = , industry = FoodTobacco , foundation = 1898 (as Imperial Japanese Tobacco Company)1 June 1949 (as Japan Tobacco ...
, owners of the Benson & Hedges and Silk Cut brands, paying for a visit to see Test match
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
at
The Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since it ...
that summer, coming shortly after he voted in favour of relaxing the smoking ban. Colvile was again criticised in July 2013 when it was revealed he received two free tickets (worth £1,260) to the RHS
Chelsea Flower Show The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the ''Great Spring Show'',Phil Clayton, ''The Great Temple Show'' in ''The Garden'' 2008, p.452, The Royal Horticultural Society is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural ...
, again from Japan Tobacco.


European Union

Colvile was in favour of Britain remaining in the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...
during the 2016 referendum campaign.


Overseas trip

In March 2013 Mr Colvile, who was then vice-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on the Armed Forces made an all-expenses-paid trip to
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...
as a delegate of the
UK Defence Forum The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Nor ...
that he received from the
Saudi Arabian government The politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in the context of a unitary absolute monarchy along Islamic lines, where the King is both the head of state and government. Decisions are, to a large extent, made on the basis of consultation among t ...
.


Other interests

Following a spell at an agency advising on business development, since 1996 Oliver Colvile has run a communications business specialising in handling community consultation for major
regeneration Regeneration may refer to: Science and technology * Regeneration (biology), the ability to recreate lost or damaged cells, tissues, organs and limbs * Regeneration (ecology), the ability of ecosystems to regenerate biomass, using photosynthesis ...
projects. He is a member of the
Federation of Small Businesses The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is a UK business organisation representing small and medium-sized businesses. It was formed in 1974 as the National Federation of Self Employed (NFSE). The current name for the organisation was adopted in ...
and the
Institute of Directors The Institute of Directors (IoD) is a British professional organisation for company directors, senior business leaders and entrepreneurs. It is the UK's longest running organisation for professional leaders, having been founded in 1903 and inco ...
, and is also a former director of the Enterprise Forum. Colvile is a keen
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er and a member of the Addis Army, which supports the England national side:


References


External links


Official WebsiteProfile
at the Conservative Party *
www.dodonline.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colvile, Oliver 1959 births Living people Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 2010–2015 UK MPs 2015–2017 People educated at Stowe School