Andrew Percy

Early life

Percy was born in Hull and brought up in the East Riding of Yorkshire, the son of a foundry worker (later a market gardener) and a school secretary; he has an older sister. He attended the all-boys (11–16) comprehensive William Gee School (now part of Endeavour High School) and is a politics graduate of York University and studied at Leeds University on a law conversion course. He subsequently worked as a secondary school history teacher and has taught in several schools, including in the United States and Canada.

Before being elected to Parliament at the 2010 general election, he served as a parish councillor for Airmyn, near Goole, and for ten years as a councillor on Hull City Council. During his time on the City Council Percy served as Chairman of the Licensing Committee, overseeing the transfer of liquor licensing from the Magistrates' Court to the Council. He also served as a Director of Kingstown Works Ltd. He contested the Yorkshire seat of Normanton in 2005, but was ultimately unsuccessful in defeating the sitting Labour MP, Ed Balls.

Parliamentary career

Percy was elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Brigg and Goole in the 2010 general election by a majority of 5,147. In the 2015 general election he increased his majority to 11,176, receiving 53 per cent of the vote.

Percy is rated as one of the Conservatives' most rebellious MPs and has voted with Labour on key issues such as loan sharking, Education Maintenance Allowance and student tuition fees.

Percy has been part of a number of delegations of the Conservative Friends of Israel group, including during the Operation Defensive Shield conflict when he visited for an Israeli military briefing on the Iron Dome defence system. He defended Israel's actions in the conflict saying "Israel acts as we would", in relation to the provocation faced from Hamas.

In the 2010 Parliament, Percy served on the Health Select Committee, Regulatory Reform Committee and Northern Ireland Committee.

Second term (2015–2017)

Percy was re-elected at the 2015 general election. In the same year, he was also re-elected to the Health and Regulatory Reform committees in the 2015 Parliament. He also served as chairman of the All Party Yorkshire and North Lincs Group and as an officer of a number of other All Party Parliamentary groups, including Financial Education for Young People, The Commonwealth and on Global Education.

Percy was elected to the UK Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Executive in 2015 and was also appointed to the Speaker's Panel of Chairs.

Percy quit Twitter in May 2016, citing "bullies", "trolls", "nastiness" and "aggression" as reasons for doing so.

After Theresa May became Prime Minister in 2016, Percy was appointed to be the Parliamentary Undersecretary of State and Minister for Local Growth and the Northern Powerhouse.

Percy stood down as a minister following the 2017 election, having decided to return to the back benches.

Personal life

Percy converted to Judaism in March 2017, having been baptised into the Church of England. He has identified with the Jewish community since primary school.