Adam Holloway
MP
Member of Parliament
for Gravesham
Assumed office
5 May 2005
Preceded byChris Pond
Majority15,581 (32.8%)
Personal details
Born (1965-07-29) 29 July 1965
Faversham, Kent, England
Political partyConservative
EducationMagdalene College, Cambridge (BA)
Imperial College London (MBA)
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Websiteadamholloway.co.uk
Military service
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch/serviceBritish Army
Years of service1987–1991
RankCaptain
UnitGrenadier Guards
Battles/warsGulf War
Awards (Gulf Medal)

Adam James Harold Holloway (born 29 July 1965) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gravesham since 2005.[1] He served as Government Whip from September to October 2022, and as Assistant Government Whip from July to September 2022.[2] He currently serves on the Home Affairs Select Committee and European Scrutiny Committee.[1] He was a vocal supporter of pro-Brexit lobby group Leave Means Leave.[3]

Before he was a Member of Parliament, he served in the British Army's Grenadier Guards for five years, serving in the Gulf War and in Germany. After serving in the army he was a reporter for ITN and ITV where he produced the award-winning programme "No Fixed Abode" (1991), in which he spent three months homeless on the streets of London.

Early life and education

Holloway was born in Faversham, Kent, the son of the Revd Roger Holloway OBE (died 2010). He was privately educated at Cranleigh School in Surrey. He then spent his gap year with the Afghan Resistance during the Soviet-Afghan War.[4] He attended Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he studied social and political sciences, with his degree promoted by tradition to an MA. He returned to Afghanistan, visited Nicaragua during the Nicaraguan Revolution and taught in Soweto and South Africa during his university summer holidays.[5]

He later completed an MBA at Imperial College London.[4]

Military career

After graduating from university, Holloway attended the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, from which he was commissioned into the British Army's Grenadier Guards in 1987. He served as an Armoured Infantry officer in the British Army on the Rhine.[5]

Holloway served in the Gulf War as a Captain in 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards. The Grenadier Guards fought in the Battle of Norfolk as part of the 1st Armoured Division.

Career in Journalism

After leaving the Army in 1991, Holloway worked as an investigative journalist and reporter with ITN and ITV. With ITV, he produced an award-winning documentary series for the ITV programme World in Action, called "No Fixed Abode" (1991). In this series he locked access to his bank account and "slept rough" on the streets of London, for three months, in order to shed light on the difficulties experienced by the city's homeless, particularly those who are mentally ill.[6] Whilst a Member of Parliament in 2018, he rough slept for seven days to experience how homelessness has changed in the past three decades.[7]

In the ITV serie's Disguises, Adam was trained by two clinical pyschiatrists and posed as a schizrophrenic in various English cities.[8] He also went undercover as a Bosnian Muslim fleeing ethnic cleansing in the Balkans and experienced people smuggling firsthand.[9]

With ITN, Holloway was their Bosnian correspondent during the Siege of Sarajevo.[10]

Holloway was also with ITV's News at 10, where, as the lead investigator, he exposed a Filipino child prostitution ring by posing as a paedophile.[11]

His other journalistic work includes living in the Sangatte refugee camp in Calais while pretending to be an economic migrant and being a war reporter in Iraq alongside Marie Colvin of The Sunday Times.[12][13]

Parliamentary career

First Term (2005-2010)

Holloway was elected in the 2005 general election to represent the Kent constituency of Gravesham, defeating a former Labour minister, Chris Pond, by just 654 votes, but with one of the largest swings from Labour to Conservative in the country at 4.9% at that general election. This was the first time since the Second World War that Gravesham (or its predecessor Gravesend constituency) had not been held by the party of Government.[14]

He delivered his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 28 June 2005, praising his constituency's multicultural community and raising issues of local crime.[15]

In a 2009 report written by Holloway, he described how some of the claims about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction, used to support the UK government's case for war in 2003, originated from an Iraqi taxi driver.[16] Particularly the claim about their ability to be "ready to launch in 45 minutes," which was one of the "central planks" of the government's case.[17][18] According to Holloway, the unreliability of some sources was not expressed by MI6 while preparing the case for war because of pressure from Downing Street.[17]

While in Parliament, Holloway has taken a close interest in the War in Afghanistan and has visited, at his own expense, about a dozen times. In 2009 he wrote a paper for the Centre for Policy Studies titled "In Blood Stepp'd in too Far" which outlined the policies that he thought should be implemented during the War in Afghanistan: establishing an "honest government," ensuring that "tribal structures are supported, and "maintaining low levels of allied troops."[19]

In the wake of the Westminster parliamentary expenses scandal in 2009, Holloway was ordered by Sir Thomas Legg, the head of a committee examining abuse of expenses by Members of Parliament, to repay £1,000 to the Exchequer which he had mistakenly claimed in 2007.[20][21]

Second Term (2010-2015)

Holloway was returned as MP for Gravesham at the general election of 6 May 2010 with 22,956 votes (48.5% of the vote) and with an increased majority of 9,312.

In October 2010 he was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to David Lidington, Minister of State for Europe and NATO in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.[22] In 2011, Holloway undertook a fact-finding mission to Libya during the Overthrow of Muanmar Gaddafi.[23] In October 2011, he resigned from the government when he was asked to vote against a non-binding Backbench Motion offering the British people a referendum on Europe.[24] When speaking about his decision he said: "I'm not now prepared to go back on my words to my constituents and I'm really staggered that loyal people like me have actually been put in this position," considering that he had "never voted against the party line."[25] For this decision he received 'Backbencher of the Year' in The Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Awards in 2011 as an MP who "in a choice between career and principle, chose principle."[26]

Holloway has also spent time in Iraq at the frontline with the Islamic State, and on his own has visited Mosul.[27] In October 2014 he was one of just six Conservative MPs to vote against air strikes targeting Islamic State in Iraq.[28] He argued the campaign hadn't "been thought through".[29] He actively abstained in the vote for air strikes in Syria in November 2015.[30]

Third Term (2015-2017)

Holloway was re-elected in 2015 general election with a majority of 8,370.

In a September 2015 Parliamentary speech Holloway described giving asylum to refugees from the Middle East as "bonkers", stating than many asylum seekers go on holiday in the countries they had fled from and used his barber as an example.[31] His barber, a Kurdish refugee, subsequently said that he was holidaying in Great Yarmouth that week, not Iraq.[32]

Holloway publicly supported the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union in the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum.[33] He stated his reasons for being pro-Brexit as control of immigration, preservation of national sovereignty and maintaining strong defence ties with the United States.[34] Holloway's constituency of Gravesham had the highest turnout of leave voters in the United Kingdom, with 65.4% of constituents voting to leave.[35]

He was criticised by political rivals in June 2017 after he was seen campaigning with Janice Atkinson, then an independent MEP for South East England and former UKIP member, who had been suspended from her former party after a fraud enquiry was started relating to her expenses, and who had subsequently become vice-president of Marine Le Pen's far-right European Parliament grouping.[36]

Fourth Term (2017-19)

He was re-elected in the 2017 general election with a majority of 9,347.

As Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on drones, Holloway provided an article to PoliticsHome and was interviewed about drones on BBC Radio 5 Live on 17 July 2018.[37]

In April 2018, Holloway said in Parliament that sleeping rough is "a lot more comfortable" than military exercises and that the majority of rough sleepers were "foreign nationals", in a debate on tackling street homelessness. After being criticised by rival politicians, Holloway defended his position during the debate by pointing to his personal experience of being in the army and having spent several months sleeping on the streets as part of the ITV documentary "No Fixed Abode" (1991).[38]

Holloway submitted a letter of no confidence to Prime Minister Theresa May over the Chequers plan for Brexit in November 2018.[39] He justified his letter of no confidence as "you can not have someone leading a mission who does not believe in the mission".[39] He was one of the 28 so-called 'Brexit Spartans' who voted against her deal when it was presented for a third time in March 2019.[40]

Fifth Term (2019-Present)

In the 2019 general election he was re-elected with a majority 15,581, almost doubling his majority.

In 2020, he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary of State Robert Jenrick.[41]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Holloway set up 'Gravesham Community Support' to encourage people to become 'Super Neighbours', in order to pool resources, and to support and help their neighbours.[42]

In July 2021, Holloway was one of five Conservative MPs found by the Commons Select Committee on Standards to have breached the code of conduct by writing to the Lord Chief Justice to try to influence a judge not to release character statements they had written for former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke, who had previously been found guilty of three counts of sexual assault and sentenced to two years in prison.[43] On 22 July 2021, Holloway made a personal statement in the House of Commons apologising.[44]

In February 2022, Holloway visited Ukraine immediately following the Russian invasion of the country. The trip was criticised by Downing Street who had advised against travel to the country; Holloway said the trip would improve his ability to represent constituents and understand the conflict better.[45]

In March 2022, Holloway campaigned against the Lower Thames Crossing. He pointed out increased congestion in his constituency and argued against the economic case of the project, calling it a "White elephant".[46]

In April 2022, it was revealed that Holloway provided a character statement which was used as part of the defence case in the trial of former Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan, who was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.[47]

Holloway publicy backed Boris Johnson during Partygate and the subsequent government crisis. He criticised the BBC for blowing the issue "out of proportion" and making Boris Johnson look like "some sort of Hannibal Lecter".[48]

Holloway served as an Assistant Government Whip from July to September 2022 and Government Whip from September to October 2022 under Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.[2]

In June 2023, he was one of six Conservative MPs to vote against censuring Boris Johnson following the Commons Privileges Committee investigation.[49]

Parliamentary Groups and Committees

During his 18 years in parliament, Holloway has served on various All-party parliamentary groups and Select committees. He currently sits on the Home Affairs Select Committee and the European Scrutiny Committee.[50] He has previously served on the Defence Select Committee, Public Administration Committee, Foreign Affairs Select Committee and Science and Technology Select Committee.

Holloway is a member of All-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for Bahrain, Belize, Defence and Security Issues, Fit and Healthy Childhood, Foreign Affairs, Kazakhstan, Kurdistan in Turkey and Syria, Kyrgyzstan, London's Planning and Built Environment, Mongolia, Ukraine and Yoga in Society.[50]

References

  1. 1 2 Adam Holloway, Career. UK Parliament. https://members.parliament.uk/member/1522/career
  2. 1 2 "Adam Holloway MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  3. ↑ "Co-Chairmen – Political Advisory Board – Supporters". Leave Means Leave. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Biography". Adam Holloway. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  5. 1 2 Profile of Holloway as an attendee at the 'National Security & Resilience Conference', February 2018, London. http://www.nsr-conference.co.uk/conference/speakers/adam-holloway/ Archived 16 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Issue, The Big (2 March 2020). "Meet Adam Holloway: Westminster's new man on rough sleeping". The Big Issue. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  7. ↑ Holloway, Adam (15 March 2018). "Rough Sleeper MP: what I learnt when I spent a week on the streets". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  8. ↑ Disguises: A Place of Safety (1993, 2 episodes 25/2, 4/3), ITV, Granada TV.
  9. ↑ "TELEVISION / The long way home". The Independent. 1 April 1993. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  10. ↑ Riley-Smith, Ben (1 March 2022). "'Pontificating politicians must witness war on the ground': Tory MP defends Ukraine trip". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  11. ↑ "Briton accused of setting up child sex tours of Philippines". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  12. ↑ Holloway, Adam (9 September 2015). "We can't just base our refugee policy on what makes us feel better". The Spectator. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  13. ↑ "Confidential documents handed to Chilcot showed that Bush and Blair planned war even before WMDs were invented –MP tells House of Commons". Workers Revolutionary Party. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  14. ↑ Baston, Lewis (6 May 2005). "Broken bellwether". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  15. ↑ HC Deb 28 June 2005, Vol 24, Col 1208-10. Available at https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo050628/debtext/50628-24.htm
  16. ↑ Holloway, Adam (29 December 2009). "The failure of British political and military leadership in Iraq - Defence Viewpoints from UK Defence Forum". www.defenceviewpoints.co.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  17. 1 2 Sparrow, Andrew (8 December 2009). "45-minute WMD claim 'may have come from an Iraqi taxi driver'". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  18. ↑ "Ex-spy chief says Iraqi WMD claims not manipulated". BBC News. 8 December 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  19. ↑ Holloway, Adam (31 October 2009). In Blood Stepp'd in So Far: Towards a Realistic Policy for Afghanistan. Centre for Policy Studies. ISBN 9781906996123. ASIN 1906996121.
  20. ↑ "'MP's expenses, who's in the clear and who owes what". The Guardian. 16 October 2009.
  21. ↑ "MP Adam Holloway refuses to speak about £1000 expenses repayment". News Shopper. 14 October 2009.
  22. ↑ "Government publishes list of Parliamentary Private Secretaries (PPS)". GOV.UK.
  23. ↑ Eager, Charlotte (10 April 2012). "Despatches from the front line". Evening Standard. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  24. ↑ Forsyth, James. "Europe Minister's PPS quits over referendum vote". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 26 October 2011.
  25. ↑ "Kent MP Adam Holloway quits as aide over Europe". BBC News. 25 October 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  26. ↑ Hoskin, Peter (16 November 2011). "The Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year Awards winners". The Spectator. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  27. ↑ Simpson, Fiona (6 October 2014). "Gravesham MP Adam Holloway visits Islamic State border before voting against air strikes". News Shopper. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  28. ↑ "Iraq vote: the 43 rebel MPs". New Statesman. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  29. ↑ "MPs poised to vote for third campaign of military action in Iraq". The Guardian. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  30. ↑ "How MPs voted on bombing Isis in Syria – complete list". The Independent. 4 December 2015. Archived from the original on 3 December 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  31. ↑ McCann, Kate (8 September 2015). "Tory MP claims he couldn't get a haircut because refugee barber went on holiday". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  32. ↑ Gayle, Damien (10 September 2015). "MP Adam Holloway's barber unavailable as he was in Norfolk – not Iraq". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  33. ↑ Lillitos, Nick (22 February 2016). "Gravesham MP Adam Holloway and Dartford's Gareth Johnson backing Brexit in EU referendum". Kent Online.
  34. ↑ Holloway, Adam (24 February 2016). "Adam Holloway says the only way to keep Britain safe is to secure its borders". mirror. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  35. ↑ "What does Brexit mean for business?". Kent Online. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  36. ↑ "Outrage as far-right leader linked to Marine Le Pen spotted campaigning for Conservatives". The Independent. 3 June 2017. Archived from the original on 4 June 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  37. ↑ "Adam Holloway: Britain's armed drone policy is failing to keep up with rapidly evolving changes". Politics Home. 23 July 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  38. ↑ "Sleeping rough more comfortable than army exercises – Tory MP". The Guardian. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  39. 1 2 "Kent MP submits letter of no confidence". Kent Online. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  40. ↑ "United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union – Commons' votes in Parliament – UK Parliament". votes.parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  41. ↑ "Meet Adam Holloway: Westminster's new man on rough sleeping". The Big Issue. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  42. ↑ "Gravesham Community Support". Gravesham Community Support. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  43. ↑ Binding, Lucia (21 July 2021). "Five Tory MPs breached code of conduct by trying to influence judge in Charlie Elphicke sex assault trial, committee rules". Sky News. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  44. ↑ "UKPOL - Text of Personal Statement made by Adam Holloway". Archived from the original on 22 July 2021.
  45. ↑ Riley-Smith, Ben (1 March 2022). "'Pontificating politicians must witness war on the ground': Tory MP defends Ukraine trip". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  46. ↑ "MP calls for in depth review of crossing plans". Kent Online. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  47. ↑ Duffy, Nick (11 April 2022). "Imran Ahmad Khan: Tory MP found guilty of sexually assaulting 15-year-old boy". inews. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  48. ↑ "Tory MP claims BBC tried to make Boris Johnson 'look like Hannibal Lecter'". The Independent. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  49. ↑ Home, Conservative (20 June 2023). "The six Conservative MPs who voted against the motion to censure Johnson". Conservative Home. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  50. 1 2 Adam Holloway, Career. UK Parliament https://members.parliament.uk/member/1522/career
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