Bill Grant (politician)

William Grant (born 14 August 1951) is a Scottish Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock UK Parliamentary constituency from June 2017 to November 2019.[1]

Bill Grant
Member of Parliament for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock
In office 8 June 2017 – 6 November 2019
Preceded by	Corri Wilson
Succeeded by	Allan Dorans
Councillor for Ayr West, South Ayrshire
In office 3 May 2007 – 4 May 2017
Personal details
Born	William Grant 14 August 1951 Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Agnes Grant
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Edinburgh

Early life

A miner's son, Grant was raised in Rankinston in Doon Valley, East Ayrshire, and educated at Littlemill Primary in northern Rankinston and Cumnock Academy.

After his education, Grant moved to Ayr and worked in the fire brigade for 31 years, retiring as a deputy commander in the Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service. He served as a justice of the peace for ten years on Ayr District Court.

Political career

Bill Grant was first elected as a Conservative councillor on South Ayrshire Council at the 2007 Council elections, being elected to serve as one of four councillors in the Ayr West ward with more First Preference votes than any other candidate in the ward at 2,176 votes (30.3%), taking more votes than fellow Conservatives Robin Reid and Alistair Kerr.[2] He was re-elected in the 2012 Council elections with 1,992 First Preference votes (33.8%), again with more First Preference votes than any other candidate, including fellow Conservative Robin Reid.[3]

Grant stood as the Scottish Conservative Party candidate in Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock at the 2010 UK general election, coming in second place behind Labour's Sandra Osborne with a total of 11,721 votes (25.5%), an increase of 2.4% from the previous election of 2005.[4] He successfully gained the seat for the Conservatives at the 2017 general election from the SNP's Corri Wilson, taking 18,550 votes (40.1%) ahead of the SNP's Corri Wilson on 15,776 votes (34.1%), with a 2,774 vote (6.0%) majority, on a 17.5% swing from the SNP to the Conservatives.[5]

Grant made his maiden speech to the UK House of Commons on 3 July 2017.[6] In his first year in office as an MP, Bill Grant spoke in 89 debates and voted in 266 out of 284 votes (93.7%) in the Parliament, well above average amongst MPs.[7] During this period, Bill Grant only rebelled against his party once in the appointment of Sir Ian Kennedy as Electoral Commissioner.[8]

Grant was a proponent for the United Kingdom remaining a member of the European Union during the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum. He subsequently declared his support of Prime Minister Theresa May's negotiated Brexit settlement provided that assurances were made on the issue of the Northern Irish backstop and UK fishing rights.[9]

Grant announced in September 2019 that he would not contest the 2019 general election.[10]

Personal life

Grant is a member of the Kyle and Carrick Civic Society, the Alloway Rotary, the Ayr Classic Motorcycle Club and the Ayr Building Preservation Trust. He is a keen DIY, gardening and motorcycling enthusiast.[11][12]

During his time as a councillor for Ayr West, Bill Grant was well known to be found picking up litter in Ayr over the weekends.[13] In March 2018, Bill Grant performed a citizens arrest in Bridges Bar, Ayr, while out for a drink against a man responsible for physically assaulting the landlord of the pub.[13]

References

1. "Grant, Bill". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. 2018 (February 2018 online ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. Retrieved 13 February 2018. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
2. "South Ayrshire Council – Elections 2007 – Results". south-ayrshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
3. "Election 2012 for South Ayrshire Council Ward 5 Ayr West". south-ayrshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
4. "Ayr, Carrick & Cumnock". BBC. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
5. "Ayr, Carrick & Cumnock parliamentary constituency – Election 2017". BBC News. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
6. "Bill Grant MP makes maiden speech". South Ayrshire. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
7. "Bill Grant, Conservative MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
8. "Voting Record — Bill Grant MP, Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock (25643)". Public Whip. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
9. Bill Grant MP. "My Thoughts on the PM's Brexit Deal". Retrieved 30 December 2018.
10. Beaton, Ailean (10 September 2019). "Conservative MP Bill Grant to stand down". Holyrood Magazine. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
11. "Who are Scotland's new MPs?". BBC. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
12. "Councillor Bill Grant". southayrshireconservatives.org.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
13. "MP Bill Grant restrained violent pub attacker who was swinging punches at landlord". Ayrshire Post. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.

External links

• Profile on South Ayrshire Conservatives website

• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Appearances on C-SPAN