Career

Conservative MP for Basildon and Billericay. Foreign Affairs Committee.

Issues

Identity cards

The conservative web site says the following on John Baron's views on ID Cards.

Defending our civil liberties - defence of our civil liberties against an over-powerful state. John has voted strongly against ID cards.[1]

John Baron MP urges local residents to petition against ID Cards 9 February 2007

"Under the Labour’s plans for ID cards, local residents would be fingerprinted and interviewed, and would have to travel to Chelmsford to collect them. They would then be forced to pay at least £93 for a combined ID card and passport package – with further charges for a replacement card if it was lost or stolen or if you get married and change your name."

"ID cards are a bad idea. They will do nothing to improve the safety of our citizens – the Spanish had ID cards but that did not stop the Madrid bombings. Even the Americans are not introducing them. ID Cards are not the answer to the threat of terrorism, or for that matter to benefit fraud, illegal immigration, human trafficking or identity theft. They are a waste of money, and a Conservative Government will abolish them."

"Labour’s plans are to make ID cards compulsory for everyone, and force people to pay to be fingerprinted by the State. Instead, this money should be spent on more worthwhile projects to cut crime - such as more Police on the beat, a dedicated UK Border Police and more prison spaces."

"These ID cards wont work, will waste money and represent yet again further salami slicing of our civil liberties and I therefore urge everyone to get on to the Downing Street website and petition against their introduction."

Prior Career

He joined the army and was a captain with Fusiliers in Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Germany. He left the Army in 1988 and became a merchant banker, working as a fund manager then director of Henderson Private Investors Ltd (now Henderson Global Investors) and Rothschild Asset Management. He was Shadow Health Minister in 2002.

Education

History, Politics and Law at Jesus College, Cambridge.

Other

John has campaigned to improve cancer services [he is Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer], for greater Government recognition of our Nuclear Test Veterans, and for the lifting of the ban on NHS top-up payments [for which he was nominated a ‘Charity Champion’ in 2008].

He has been a long-standing critic of our involvement in Afghanistan and, in the first ever vote on the issue in September 2010, was the only Conservative MP to vote against the Government’s continued policy. He was also the only Conservative MP to vote against the introduction of the no-fly zone over Libya (Click here for more information).

He has also been critical of ever-closer political union within the EU, having voted against the previous Government on such issues as the Nice and Lisbon treaties. Most recently, he has voted against his own Government on various EU issues, including increased funding for the EU (Click Here for more information) and on the need for a Referendum (Click Here for more information).

Following the clearance of the illegal Dale Farm traveller site, John continues to campaign on a range of issues connected with his constituency. He also campaigns in Parliament for civil liberties and freedom of speech, for smaller government, lower taxes to encourage economic growth and a tougher law and order policy.

News

2007-02-09 - John Baron Website - John Baron MP urges local residents to petition against ID Cards: Author: John Baron; Summary: John Baron MP today urged local residents across Basildon District to add their name to a new cross-party petition against Identity Cards on the Downing Street website. This comes as Conservatives have launched a new campaign against Labour’s plans for ID Cards; David Cameron has pledged to scrap the scheme.

Links

Wikipedia

Website

They Work For You

2005-06-29 - John Baron Website - John Baron MP Speaks Out Against ID Cards: Author: John Baron; Summary: John Baron MP spoke out against ID cards during the debate in Parliament. In his intervention, he questioned whether ID cards would be an effective deterrent to terrorists.