Jonathan Evans (politician)

Jonathan Evans

Jonathan Evans (born 02 June 1950, Tredegar) is a British MP for the constituency of Cardiff North, which he won with a majority of 194 seats from Labour’s Julie Morgan at the May 2010 general election. He is former MEP for the Conservative and Unionist Party from 1999 until he stood down in 2009. (20.07.1999-19.07.2004).

Affiliations

• All Party Parliamentary Group on Insurance and Financial Services - Chairman since 2010
• All Party Parliamentary Group on Building Societies and Financial Mutuals - Co-Chairman since 2010, led a short inquiry into corporate diversity in financial services.
• Associate Parliamentary Group on Wholesale Financial Markets and Services

European Parliament (until 2009)

• Chairman, Delegation for relations with the United States
• Member, Conference of Delegation Chairmen
• Member, Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
• Substitute, Committee on Foreign Affairs
• Substitute, Committee on Legal Affairs
• Substitute, Delegation for relations with Japan
• Substitute, Delegation for relations with the countries of south-east Europe
• Member, European Parliamentary Financial Services Forum

Views

In spring 2011 Evans spoke at a 'Brussels Spring Briefing' conference organised by Dods, which saw PA professionals and policymakers debate EU priorities. Evans warned that the UK financial services industry needed to “develop a more proactive approach” to the round of legislative developments emanating from the EU, rather than “merely reacting” to policies.

According to Public Affairs News:

Evans suggested that the approach of the UK’s financial services sector to the raft of initiatives in the wake of the financial crisis had perhaps caught the City on the back-foot. The insurance industry, he suggested, had managed to engage well with the EU institutions, but many of the other financial industry sectors were “nowhere near as active as the insurance lobby” in their approach to Brussels.

Record and Controversies

Declaration of Financial Interests an MP from May 2010)

• Non-executive Chairman of the UK subsidiary companies of Phoenix Life Holdings Limited and Pearl Group Holdings (No.2) Limited: London Life Limited, Pearl Assurance Plc, National Provident Life Limited, NPI Limited, Phoenix and London Assurance Limited (until 22 March 2011) , Phoenix Life Limited and Phoenix Pensions Limited, all of Juxon House, 100 St Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8BU. These companies are long-established life assurance and pensions companies, closed to new business and now owned by Phoenix Group (formerly Pearl Group) of which I was Group Chairman from 2005 to 2009. These companies are regulated by the UK Financial Services Authority. I am an FSA approved person in respect of this appointment. I attend and chair monthly consolidated Board meetings in London as well as regularly advising the executive officers.

Declaration of Financial Interests (as an MEP)

Professional Activities:

• Solicitor of the Supreme Court, London
• Chairman, Pearl Group Limited, Peterborough
• Director, NFU Mutual Insurance Society, Stratford-upon-Avon

Unremunerated Interests:

• Chairman, Association of Conservative Clubs Limited
• Vice President, Catholic Union of Great Britain
• Vice President, Royal Welsh Agricultural Society
• Fellow, Royal Society of Arts
• Fellow, Institute of Welsh Affairs
• My wife and I were guests of the Football Association Premier League at the 2008 FA Cup Final at Wembley on the 17th May 2008

Background of Conflicts

Career History

• Chairman, European Parliament's Delegation for relations with US Congress since 2004.
• Co-Chairman, Transatlantic Legislators Dialogue since 2004.
• Conservative Member of the European Parliament for Wales since 1999.
• Leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament 2001 to 2004.
• Member and Conservative Spokesman on Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of European Parliament.

Register of Interests

• Sponsored Grayling Political Strategy for a workshop called 'Lobbying in the EU: How to represent and defend your interests in Brussels'.

Potential Conflicts of Interest

Evans was rapporteur on Modernisation of Competition Policy and leading EPP-ED Group contributor on competition policy issues, and was formerly a Member of the UK House of Commons and served as Corporate Affairs Minister at the Department of Trade and Industry with responsibility for competition policy, monopolies and mergers and the Insurance Industry under the last Conservative Government. He also served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Lord Chancellor and as Under-Secretary of State for Wales.

Evans is a solicitor, and practised with Leo Abse & Cohen, Cardiff from qualification until his election to Parliament in 1992, by which he had become Managing Partner of the practice. In 1997 he was appointed Director of Insurance in the City of London office of Eversheds, the major global law firm, and remains a consultant to the firm. He has also acted as a consultant on London market issues to several major North American insurance corporations.

Record of Parliamentary Votes

• Voted against the directive on "establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy" (A5-0027/2000). The directive covers all water management aspects in order to achieve a 'good status' of all waters by 2015.
• Voted in favour of the directive on "national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants" (A5-0063/2000). The amendment allows setting less ambitious national emission ceilings for sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ammonia (NH3) and volatile organic compounds (VOC), which would result in more damage to human health and the environment.
• Voted against the directive on "waste electrical and electronic equipment" (A5-0100/2002). The amendment sets higher reuse and recycling rates for IT and telecommunication equipment. Rejected due to lack of absolute majority.
• Voted in favour of the report on "Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network" (A5-0135/2002). The Trans-European Network of Transport (TEN-T) is a network of so-called 'transport corridors' through Europe. This amendment calls for a full Strategic Environmental Assessment of these transport corridors and calls on the Commission to improve methods for analysing the environmental and economic impact of the TEN-T.
• Voted against the directive on "environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage" (A5-0145/2003). According to the amendment, polluters have to pay for environmental clean-up, and it supports an EU-wide regime which makes polluters liable for the damage they cause to wildlife, water and land.
• Voted against the directive on restructuring the "Community framework for the taxation of energy products and electricity" (A5-0302/2003). The amendment aims at giving tax benefits to environmentally friendly sources of energy, which would make them cheaper and more competitive to conventional (more polluting) sources of energy. It also gives tax benefits to environmentally friendly uses of energy for transport, for instance trains. Rejected due to lack of absolute majority.
• Voted against the amendment on Bulgaria’s progress towards accession (A5-0105/2004). The report objects to extending the life of the nuclear power stations in Bulgaria.

Personal Information

Curriculum Vitae

• Solicitor of the Supreme Court (1968-1972).
• Solicitor, Partner and later Managing Partner, Leo Abse and Cohen, Cardiff (1968-1994).
• Deputy Chairman of Tai Cymru (Housing for Wales) (1988-1992).
• Director of Insurance, Eversheds Solicitors, London (1997-1999).
• Member of the Conservative Party National Executive Committee (1990-1992, 1997-1998).
• Vice-President, Association of District Councils (1994-1995).
• Member of Parliament for Brecon and Radnor (1992-1997).
• Parliamentary private secretary, Northern Ireland Office (1992-1994).
• Corporate Affairs Minister, Department of Trade and Industry (1994-1995).
• Parliamentary secretary to the Lord Chancellor (1995-1996).
• Under-Secretary of State for Wales (1996-1997).
• Member of the European Parliament (since 1999).

Contact

Address:

Parlement européen

Bât. Altiero Spinelli

14E205

60, rue Wiertz / Wiertzstraat 60

B-1047 Bruxelles/Brussel

Phone:

+32 (0)2 28 45528

Email:

jonathan.evans@europarl.europa.eu

Website:

http://www.jonathanevans.org.uk

This article is part of the MEPedia project of Spinwatch.

Resources

• European Parliament, Declaration of Members' Financial Interests: Jonathan Evans, 13 January 2009, accessed 10 February 2009.
• European Parliament, MEP Directory: Jonathan Evans, accessed 10 February 2009.
• European Parliament, MEP Directory: Jonathan Evans, accessed 06 November 2010.
• Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 10 February 2009.
• GoingtoMeet website, Convention Details, accessed 10 February 2009.
• Jonathan Evans, Biography, accessed 20 August 2007.