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John Howell (politician)

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For other politicians of this name, see John Howell (disambiguation).

John Howell
OBE FSA FRGS
Official portrait, 2017
Member of Parliament
for Henley
In office
26 June 2008 – 30 May 2024
Preceded byBoris Johnson
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born (1955-07-27) 27 July 1955 (age 69)
Wandsworth, London, England
Political partyConservative
Spouse
Alison Parker
​
(m. 1987)​
Children3
Alma materUniversity of Edinburgh (BA)
St John's College, Oxford (DPhil)
Websitewww.johnhowell.org.uk
Academic background
ThesisSettlement & economy in Neolithic northern France (1981)

John Michael Howell OBE FSA FRGS (born 27 July 1955)[1] is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Henley from 2008 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he won a by-election to replace Boris Johnson, who resigned following his election as Mayor of London.

Early life

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Howell was born in Wandsworth.[2] He studied at the University of Edinburgh and holds a doctorate in archaeology from St John's College, Oxford.[3]

Career before Parliament

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He worked as a tax inspector (1982–1985) for the Inland Revenue (now known as HM Revenue and Customs) before moving into the world of accountancy and consultancy as a tax adviser at Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young. He is a former partner in Ernst & Young in.[4]

Howell was a business presenter for BBC World around 1994–1995, though according to Michael Crick "the most remarkable thing about his presenting, apparently, was that he used to wear a bow-tie."[5]

In May 1996, Howell helped set up Fifth World Productions Company. He was one of the directors there until his resignation in October 2003.[6] Howell also held directorships with associated media production companies – Land & Vision Ltd (1998–2002) and The Solution Channel Ltd (2000–2002).[7][better source needed]

In the 2000 New Year Honours, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for "services to Export in Central and Eastern Europe."[8]

Howell was a councillor on Oxfordshire County Council,[9] serving from 2004 to 2009.[citation needed]

Parliamentary career

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Howell first became MP for Henley at the 2008 Henley by-election, when the newly elected Mayor of London Boris Johnson resigned as MP.

Following his retaining his seat at the 2010 General Election, Howell was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the House of Commons and the Lord Privy Seal, then Sir George Young, Bt. MP.[10] He served on the Work and Pensions Select Committee and Justice Committee.[11]

In 2012 Howell reported receiving death threats after responding to a question on whether he would be acting to try to halt Israeli military actions with a reference to Hamas rocket attacks in an online exchange.[12][13] Howell is a member of the Parliamentary Group of the Conservative Friends of Israel.[14] Howell declared having received free flights to and accommodation in Israel in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.[15][better source needed]

Howell was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum.[16] He voted in favour of the withdrawal agreement of the UK from the EU, and advocated against a second referendum to ensure the referendum result was honoured.[17]

At the Conservative Party Conference in 2017, he was quoted by the Henley Standard as saying: "My message to Boris is to keep his bloody mouth shut!" regarding Johnson's demand that the post-Brexit transition should last "not a second longer" than two years.[18] A year later, at the party conference in 2018, when Theresa May was reportedly being undermined by Johnson, The Guardian reported Howell as saying: "As far as I'm concerned Boris can just fuck off."[19]

In 2019, following the election of Johnson to the leadership of the Conservative Party, Howell was quoted by the Henley Standard as saying: "Boris has been elected by a large majority of the party members and I'm a democrat and we must follow that."[20]

In the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, Howell backed Rishi Sunak to replace Boris Johnson. Howell said he supported Liz Truss after her victory.[21]

In 2023, Howell criticized the proposed construction of a large solar farm in Botley West.[22]

Future

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Howell confirmed on 11 April 2023 that he would not stand for re-election at the 2024 general election, citing old age and his intention to pursue ‘other avenues’.[23][24]

Other interests

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Howell is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (who own and run Kelmscott Manor in West Oxfordshire) and of the Royal Geographical Society.[3]

Books

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  • Settlement and Economy in Neolithic Northern France, British Archaeological Reports, 1983. ISBN 978-0-86054-199-8.
  • Understanding Eastern Europe: The Context of Change, 1994. ISBN 978-0-74941-510-5.

References

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  1. ^ "Howell, John Michael, (born 27 July 1955), MP (C) Henley, since June 2008". Who's Who. 2008. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.247248.
  2. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  3. ^ a b "About John". John Howell MP. Archived from the original on 14 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  4. ^ "John Howell". Oxfordshire. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Tory candidate was bow-tie wearing presenter". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  6. ^ "FIFTH WORLD PRODUCTIONS LIMITED - Company Credit Reports, Company Accounts, Director Search Reports". www.companysearchesmadesimple.com. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Company Credit Check, Company Search, Company Accounts, Director Search". www.companysearchesmadesimple.com. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  8. ^ "No. 55710". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1999. p. 14.
  9. ^ Hencke, David (11 June 2008). "Henley byelection: Tory candidate lobbying for planning firm while backing green belt". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  10. ^ UK Parliament Biographies - John Howell, OBE MP Archived 27 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "John Howell". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  12. ^ "MP's fear over death threats". Henley Standard. Henley Standard. 26 March 2012. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  13. ^ "30 March 2012". Bucks Herald. 30 March 2012. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  14. ^ "About CFI". CFI. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  15. ^ "TheyWorkForYou". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  16. ^ Goodenough, Tom (16 February 2016). "Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ^ "Brexit Response". John Howell, MP for the Henley Constituency. Official website. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  18. ^ "Boris, Howell or Bagpuss?". www.henleystandard.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  19. ^ Hyde, Marina (3 October 2018). "It's Theresa May v Boris Johnson at the Tories' Groundhog conference". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  20. ^ "Former Henley MP is named Prime Minister". www.henleystandard.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  21. ^ "MP: party must unite and deliver under new leader". www.henleystandard.co.uk. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  22. ^ "Net zero meets the NIMBYs: Inside the battle for the UK's biggest solar farm". POLITICO. 11 March 2024.
  23. ^ "Boris Johnson's old seat of Henley is vacated by sitting Tory MP".
  24. ^ "Henley MP to step down at next general election". BBC News. 11 April 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
[edit]
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Henley
2008–2024 		Constituency abolished
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