Member of Parliament
What position did Jason McCartney (politician) take from May 2015 to May 2017?
Jason McCartney ( politician ) Jason Alexander McCartney ( born 29 January 1968 ) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Colne Valley in West Yorkshire since 2019 , and from 2010 to 2017 . He is a former TV sports reporter . Early life and career . McCartney was born in January 1968 in Harrogate , West Riding of Yorkshire to Wing Commander Robert McCartney and Jean McCartney . He was educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School and RAF College , Cranwell . McCartney went on to serve as an officer in the Royal Air Force for nine years , fulfilling tours in Las Vegas , Turkey and Iraq . After reaching the rank of Flight Lieutenant , he resigned his commission in 1997 . In 2011 , he became Honorary President of the Huddersfield Branch of the RAF Association . After studying for a postgraduate diploma in broadcast journalism at Leeds Trinity University College , McCartney worked as a reporter for BBC Radio Leeds , notably interviewing Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam in 1997 . From 1998 until 2007 , he worked as a presenter for ITV Yorkshire , most notable on the regional Calendar news programme . McCartney unsuccessfully stood as a Liberal Democrat candidate for the Pudsey ward of Leeds City Council in 2006 . He then changed party affiliation , and was selected as the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Colne Valley in March 2007 . From 2008 to 2010 , he was a senior lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University . Member of Parliament . 2010–2017 . McCartney stood in the 2010 general election , taking the Colne Valley seat with a majority of 4,837 and replacing Labours incumbent Kali Mountford . He gave his maiden speech on 17 June 2010 in a debate on the economy , expressing his support for local rural Post Offices . In November 2010 , William Hague appointed McCartney to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly UK Delegation . McCartney served on the Transport Committee between 2013 and 2015 . He was also a member of the 1922 Committees Executive Committee from 2013 to 2017 . He was one of the few Conservative Members of Parliament who voted against an increase to the cap on university tuition fees . and supported the need for a referendum on the EU . McCartney holds strong views on welfare , and consistently voted to reduce housing benefit , and generally voted against raising welfare benefits in line with prices . In the run up to the 2015 general election , McCartney took the unusual step of replying to a constituent who disagreed with the Coalitions austerity plan with a letter recommending they backed the Green Party candidate instead . McCartney told the constituent he respected their differences of opinion but the Green Party candidate was the only candidate who matches what you believe . Labour accused him of trying to split the left wing vote , whilst McCartney said he often put constituents in touch with political rivals if he believed it could help . McCartney supported Brexit in the 2016 European Union membership referendum . He voted to reject an amendment to the Brexit bill which demanded an analysis of the impact of exiting the EU on the NHS . McCartney was defeated by the Labour Party candidate , Thelma Walker , in the 2017 general election . After the loss he revealed that the Prime Minister , Theresa May , contacted him to apologise and accept responsibility for his defeat . 2019–present . McCartney returned to parliament in the 2019 general election , winning back Colne Valley with a majority of 5,103 . In May 2020 , McCartney called for the resignation of government Chief Advisor Dominic Cummings . In October 2020 , McCartney was one of five Conservative MPs who broke the whip to vote for a Labour opposition day motion to extend the provision of free school meals during school holidays until Easter 2021 . Outside Parliament . From 2017 to 2019 , McCartney was Head of Public Affairs at Huddersfield University . In 2018 , he became a director of fairandfunky , a community interest company in Yorkshire . He was a member of the One Community Foundation Trust from 2017 to 2019 , and on the Board of the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce from 2018 to 2019 . Personal life . McCartney lives in Honley , West Yorkshire , and has two children . He is a member of the Royal Air Force Club , and lists his recreations as Huddersfield Town AFC , Huddersfield Giants RLFC , Yorkshire CCC , tennis . External links . - Jason McCartney MP official constituency website - Jason McCartney MP Conservative Party profile - Colne Valley Conservatives