Paul Holmes (politician)

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Paul Holmes MP

Member of Parliament for Chesterfield,
Incumbent
Assumed office 07 June 2001
Preceded by	Tony Benn

Born	16 January 1957 (1957-01-16) (age 51)
Nationality	British
Political party	Liberal Democrat

Paul Robert Holmes (born 16 January 1957, Sheffield) is a politician in the United Kingdom. He is the Liberal Democrat parliamentary party chairman and a Member of Parliament for Chesterfield, previously held by Tony Benn, and was first elected in 2001 being reelected in 2005. Before becoming an MP, Holmes was a history teacher for 22 years.

His election as chairman of the parliamentary party in 2005 was a surprise to many, since it came at the expense of incumbent chairman Matthew Taylor (a close friend of Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy). Commentators have since attributed the result to dissatisfaction with some elements of Kennedy's leadership and a belief amongst MPs that the role of party chairman should be more that of a backbenchers' shop steward and less under the influence of the leadership.

Holmes supported Simon Hughes in the leadership election following Paddy Ashdown's retirement in 1999. At the 2005 party conference, he voted against plans by the leadership to support capping the European Union budget at 1% of GDP and to privatise the post office (and was on the winning side in both votes). However, he publicly declared himself to be in full support of Kennedy's leadership following rumours that Hughes was planning a leadership challenge.^[1]

In the leadership election caused by the resignation of Charles Kennedy, Paul Holmes took on the role of chair to Simon Hughes' leadership campaign

Holmes was a member of the House of Commons Education & Skills Select Committee from 2001-2007 but stood down from the Committee in July 2007 to concentrate on his appointment as Shadow Minister for Housing. Previously Holmes had been a Spokesman on Disability (2001-2005), Work and Pensions (2002-2005) and Arts and Heritage (2006-2007). In December 2007 he returned to the back benches, being one of only two MPs to lose their shadow cabinet responsibilities in the reshuffle after Nick Clegg's election as Liberal Democrat leader.^[2]

Paul Holmes, considered to be to the Left of his party, is a founding member of the centre-left Beveridge Group within the Liberal Democrats. He is also an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society.

Paul Holmes hit the headlines in March 2008 when he was the only Liberal Democrat MP to sign an Early Day Motion praising Fidel Castro at the time of his resignation. He was quoted on the BBC as saying "It is true Cuba has political prisoners and no free elections, but it has very good dentistry."^[3]