The CCF were delighted to host a sold out supporter supper at Party Conference. We were delighted to be joined by two inspiring speakers:
Andrew Selous MP – Former Minister for Prison, Probation and Rehabilitation
Elected to Parliament for South West Bedfordshire in 2001, he served on the Work and Pensions select committee for the whole of that Parliament.
Andrew was born in 1962 and married Harriet in 1993 and they have three girls. They live in the South West Bedfordshire constituency in Studham near to Whipsnade Zoo.
Andrew is on the council of reference of South Bedfordshire Community Family Trust and is the President of the Leighton Buzzard branch of the Parkinson’s Disease Society and Patron of Leighton-Linslade Homeless Service, Patron of Homestart Central Bedfordshire and Leighton Buzzard Brain Tumour Action. He was a Territorial Army officer for twelve years and served in Germany, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States of America.
Andrew qualified as a chartered insurer and worked as a reinsurance underwriter before being elected to Parliament. His firm helped many of the world’s poorest communities recover from natural disasters.
Andrew supports local homeless charities by taking part in annual sponsored sleep-outs, most recently in the grounds of St Albans Abbey last December. Andrew is Patron of SIFT a development charity working with people in extreme poverty in Nicaragua. Andrew is also Patron of Reclaim Life in Leighton Buzzard.
Andrew Selous’ Experience:
Elected to Parliament for South West Bedfordshire in 2001, he served on the Work and Pensions select committee for the whole of that Parliament.
In 2003 he was appointed parliamentary private secretary to the Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party and the Shadow Foreign Secretary, the Rt Hon Michael Ancram QC MP.
In 2004 he was appointed an opposition whip
In 2006 he was appointed a shadow work and pensions minister. He has taken the Child Poverty Bill, the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill and the Health and Safety Offences Bill through the House of Commons.
In 2010 he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
In 2014 Andrew was appointed Minister for prisons and rehabilitation as Parliamentary under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice.
He has also been made a Relate Ambassador.
Steve Rawlins CEO and founder of Way4ward Solutions
Steve is the CEO and founder of Way4ward Solutions CIC, a user led BME organisation providing interventions to reduce violence, offending behaviour, prevent and divert adults and young people from entering the criminal justice system. Steve is trained by the Samaritans to support vulnerable and suicidal prisoners. He is a business and life coach and works with some of the most challenging and violent young people and offenders.
Way4ward is a non profit organisation set up to prevent young people from entering the criminal justice system, divert offenders from a life of crime and reduce re-offending to create safer communities.