- Dan Jarvis
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Dan Jarvis MBE MP Shadow Minister for Culture Incumbent Assumed office
8 October 2011Leader Ed Miliband Preceded by Gloria De Piero Member of Parliament
for Barnsley CentralIncumbent Assumed office
3 March 2011Preceded by Eric Illsley Majority 11,771 (48.6%) Personal details Born 30 November 1972
Nottingham, EnglandNationality British Political party Labour Spouse(s) Caroline Jarvis (died 2010) Children 2 Residence Barnsley Alma mater Aberystwyth University,
Royal Military Academy SandhurstOccupation Member of Parliament Profession Army Officer Military service Allegiance 
United KingdomService/branch 
British ArmyRank Major Unit Parachute Regiment Battles/wars Operation Banner, Kosovo War, Operation Telic, War in Afghanistan (2001-present), Operation Herrick Daniel Owen Woolgar Jarvis[1] MBE (born 30 November 1972[2]) is a British Labour Party politician and former British Army officer. After a career in the Parachute Regiment including most of the regiment's major deployments, he went into politics and has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Barnsley Central since a by-election held on 3 March 2011.
Contents
Personal life
Jarvis was born in Nottingham, the son of a lecturer and a probation officer. He attended Lady Bay Primary School, and graduated in international politics from Aberystwyth University.
Jarvis met his wife Caroline in 2000 when she was working as a personal chef for the family of General Sir Mike Jackson. Their first child was born in 2003, three days before Jarvis was deployed to Iraq; a second child was born in 2005. Caroline Jarvis was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2006, and died in July 2010.[3]
He and his brother Rob Jarvis are fans of Nottingham Forest F.C., with both as children failing to gain tickets in the ballot for the F.A. Cup semi-final between Forest and Liverpool, and hence not having to witness the Hillsborough disaster.
Army service
Jarvis attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an officer cadet. In August 1997 he was granted a short service commission as a subaltern in the Parachute Regiment,[1] joining the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment. In 2000 was promoted to Lieutenant and acting Captain.[4] He became a full Captain in October 2001,[5] and received an intermediate regular commission with a promotion to Major in July 2003.[6] He moved to a full regular commission, again with the rank of Major, in February 2004.[7] In the later part of his army career he was stationed at HQ Land Forces in Wilton, and lived in Salisbury.[8] In the 2011 Birthday Honours List, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (Military division).[9]
During his time in the Parachute Regiment, Jarvis was a platoon commander with 3 Para in Kosovo in 1999, and was with General Sir Mike Jackson at Pristina Airport when Jackson refused the suggestion of his American NATO superior to confront Russian forces. Jarvis later described Jackson's comment to Wesley Clark that he was "not going to start World War Three for you" as a "very surreal moment in my life". Jarvis then served as Jackson's personal staff officer. In 2000 he was deployed to Sierra Leone in the aftermath of Operation Barras, to help the Army learn the lessons of the kidnap of a group of troops by an armed rebel group.[10]
Jarvis served on the front line in Iraq, again helping 3 Para, and Afghanistan.[11] Jarvis was deployed to Afghanistan twice, first as a member of the team making the first reconnaissance trips to Helmand Province in 2005–06 in preparation for a decision on whether to commit British troops there. The second deployment was a six month tour as a company commander with the Special Forces Support Group, leading a company of 100 troops.[10] He was also deployed to Northern Ireland.[12]
Politics
Although his military service had precluded political activity, Jarvis had joined the Labour Party at the age of 18[13] while at University.[3] Shortly before the 2010 general election, Jarvis was shortlisted for the Labour Party selection in the south Wales seat of Islwyn.[14] He picked up support from one local would-be candidate who had not made the shortlist,[15] but was not selected.
Jarvis was selected as the Labour candidate for Barnsley Central on 27 January 2011 following the resignation of Eric Illsley, who stood down after being convicted of fraud for his part in the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal. An eliminating ballot was held and at the penultimate stage Jarvis was tied with local councillor Linda Burgess, each several votes behind Richard Burgon. Jarvis and Burgess drew lots to resolve the tie, and Jarvis won; in the final stage he picked up most of Burgess' votes to win selection.[2] He became the first Labour candidate for the Barnsley Central seat since 1938 who was not born in Yorkshire.[16]
MP for Barnsley Central
On his selection he resigned his commission to stand in the by-election,[10] and gave his campaign the codename 'Operation Honey Badger', referring to a famously fierce animal and signifying his determination to fight for the people of Barnsley.[13] Jarvis found that his Nottingham origins put off some Barnsley voters who remembered the fact that Nottinghamshire miners did not join the 1984-85 strike, although he had been 12 at the time.[3] He was elected with over 60% of the vote in the by-election held on 3 March 2011.[17]
During his maiden speech on the 2011 budget, Jarvis called for a change in economic policy including "a plan to get jobs and to help families feeling the squeeze". He also referred to Parachute Regiment colleagues who had been killed in action and argued that the UK and US should put forward reconciliation in Afganistan.[18] He joined the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee on 21 March.[19] Jarvis spoke in a debate about NHS reforms in May 2011, paying emotional tribute to the doctors and nurses who cared for his wife, and fearing an ideological free-market agenda which would undermine “all that is great about the NHS”.[20]
References
- ^ a b London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 54899. p. 10725. 22 September 1997.
- ^ a b Profile, The House Magazine, 2 May 2011, p. 26)
- ^ a b c "The grieving soldier on a quick march to the Commons". The Sunday Times. 6 March 2011. p. 5.
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 56152. p. 3406. 20 March 2001.
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 56446. p. 173. 8 January 2002.
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 57018. p. 9725. 5 August 2003.
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 57359. p. 9029. 20 July 2004.
- ^ Blake, Morwenna (4 March 2011). "Former soldier from Salisbury elected as Barnsley MP". Salisbury Journal. http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/8891263.Former_soldier_from_Salisbury_elected_as_Barnsley_MP/. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59808. p. 6. 11 June 2011.
- ^ a b c "Labour victor Dan Jarvis is former Parachute Regiment officer". London: The Daily Telegraph. 4 March 2011. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/byelection/8360982/Barnsley-Central-by-election-Labour-victor-Dan-Jarvis-is-former-Parachute-Regiment-officer.html. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
- ^ "Hero soldier tells of the family tragedy which spurred on election attempt". Sheffield Star. 24 February 2011. http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/barnsley/hero_soldier_tells_of_the_family_tragedy_which_spurred_on_election_attempt_1_3106902. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
- ^ "War hero Dan Jarvis is Labour candidate for by-election". metro.co.uk. 29 January 2011. http://www.metro.co.uk/news/854075-war-hero-dan-jarvis-is-labour-candidate-for-by-election.
- ^ a b Wainwright, Martin (4 March 2011). "Dan Jarvis a dream candidate, say Barnsley's Labour activists". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/mar/04/dan-jarvis-dream-candidate-for-barnsley.
- ^ "Islwyn councillors quit Labour over shortlist". South Wales Argus. 1 March 2010. http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/gwentnews/5034607.Islwyn_councillors_quit_Labour_over_shortlist/. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
- ^ "'I'm backing Labour' - shortlist hopeful". South Wales Argus. 6 March 2010. http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/5044311.ISLWYN_ROW___I_m_backing_Labour____shortlist_hopeful/. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
- ^ "Dan Jarvis - a surprise choice for Labour in Barnsley". BBC News. 28 January 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/lentingle/2011/01/a_surprise_choice_for_labour_i.html. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
- ^ "Labour win Barnsley Central by-election". BBC News. 4 March 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12643639.
- ^ "Maiden speech of Dan Jarvis MP - in full". Barnsley Chronicle. 24 March 2011. http://www.barnsley-chronicle.co.uk/news/article/3808. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ "Votes and Proceedings". House of Commons. 21 March 2011. p. 852. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmvote/110321v01.pdf.
- ^ Casci, Mark (10 May 2011). "Lansley defiant over NHS reforms". Yorkshire Post. http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/lansley_defiant_over_nhs_reforms_1_3363972. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
External links
- Electoral history and profile at The Guardian
- Voting record at PublicWhip.org
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
- Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
- Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
- 2011 by-election at OurCampaigns.com
Parliament of the United Kingdom Preceded by
Eric IllsleyMember of Parliament for Barnsley Central
2011 ––presentIncumbent Categories:- 1972 births
- Living people
- People from Nottingham
- Alumni of Aberystwyth University
- Sandhurst graduates
- British Parachute Regiment officers
- British Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
- British Army personnel of the Iraq War
- Labour Party (UK) MPs
- Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies
- UK MPs 2010–
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