Clive Betts

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Clive Betts MP
Clive Betts
Member of Parliament
for Sheffield Attercliffe
Incumbent
Assumed office 
9 April 1992
Preceded by Patrick Duffy
Born January 13, 1950 (1950-01-13) (age 58)
Sheffield
Nationality British
Political party Labour
Alma mater Pembroke College, Cambridge

Clive James Charles Betts (born January 13, 1950) is a British politician, and the Labour Member of Parliament for Sheffield Attercliffe.

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[edit] Early life

Born in 1950 in Sheffield, Betts was educated at the Longley School in Sheffield and King Edward VII School, Sheffield (photo); and Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he received a BA in Economics and Politics.

He joined the Labour Party in 1969 and joined the Trades Union Congress in 1971 as an economist. In 1973 he was appointed as an economist with Derbyshire County Council, and moved to the South Yorkshire County Council in 1974.

At the 1979 general election he stood for election to the House of Commons in the safe Conservative seat of Louth against the Conservative MP Michael Brotherton and lost.

Betts had been elected as a councillor to Sheffield City Council in 1976. He was the Council's deputy leader under David Blunkett for a year in 1986, and succeeded Blunkett as the council leader in 1987. He left the council on his election to Westminster. In 1986 he was appointed as an economist with Rotherham Borough Council.

[edit] Parliamentary career

He was selected to contest the safe Labour seat of Sheffield Attercliffe following the retirement of the veteran Labour MP Patrick Duffy. At the 1992 general election, Betts was elected with a large majority, and made his maiden speech on 6 May 1992.

Betts was made an opposition whip under Tony Blair in 1996, and after the 1997 general election, he entered the government as an Assistant Whip. He was promoted in 1998 to full Whip, with the title of Lord Commissioner to the Treasury, but like the majority of whips at that time was dropped from the government after the 2001 general election.

Since 2002, Betts has been a Member of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Select Committee. Since the 2005 general election he has also been a member of the Finance and Services Committee.

[edit] Controversies

[edit] Suspension from House of Commons

In 2003 Betts was suspended from the House of Commons for 7 days for irregularities involving the employment and visa of Jose Gasparo, a Brazilian student with previous experience as a male escort.[1]

Betts was found guilty of breaching the MPs' code of conduct, with the Standards and Privileges Committee stating that Mr Betts had acted "extremely foolishly" and had risked damaging public confidence in the integrity of Parliament. Betts apologised unreservedly for his behaviour.[2]

[edit] McDonald's World Cup Hospitality

Betts was widely criticised (along with several other MPs) for accepting match tickets, hospitality, and accommodation from McDonald's at both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup. Of particular concern was that he had received some of the most expensive tickets worth up to £1,000 to matches which were completely sold out, and thus to which most England fans were unable to attend. Rather than being offered the tickets by McDonald's it became apparent that the MPs had in fact requested them from the company themselves.[3] Kevin Miles of the Football Supporter Federation criticised the MP's requests, stating that McDonald's were giving them the tickets to buy influence [4]

In May 2007 it then emerged that Mr Betts was leading a campaign to boost McDonald's image by tabling an Early Day Motion in support of the company's campaign to ban the term "McJob" with critics noting how many of the most prominent supporters had previously benefied from McDonald's corporate hospitably.[5] [6]

[edit] Personal life

In 2003 he was outed as being gay by the Sun newspaper. He plays cricket and supports Sheffield Wednesday F.C.

[edit] References

  1. ^ House of Commons Committee on Standards and Privileges, Complaints against Mr Clive Betts, 16 July 2003
  2. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/3100652.stm
  3. ^ Spinwatch - Anger as MPs grab free World Cup McTickets
  4. ^ BBC NEWS | UK | MPs defend free World Cup tickets
  5. ^ UK Parliament - Early Day Motions By Details
  6. ^ MPs handed World Cup tickets back McDonald's bid to boost image | the Daily Mail

[edit] External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Patrick Duffy		 Member of Parliament for Sheffield Attercliffe
1992 – present		 Incumbent
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