Alex Sobel
Alex Sobel Shadow Minister for Tourism and Heritage | |
---|---|
In office 9 April 2020 – 4 December 2021 | |
Leader | Keir Starmer |
Preceded by | Kevin Brennan |
Succeeded by | Jeff Smith |
Member of Parliament for Leeds North West | |
Assumed office 8 June 2017 | |
Preceded by | Greg Mulholland |
Majority | 10,749 (21.8%) |
Member of Leeds City Council for Moortown | |
In office 3 May 2012 – 3 May 2018 | |
Preceded by | Mark Harris |
Succeeded by | Mohammed Shahzad |
Personal details | |
Born | Alexander David Sobel 26 April 1975 Labour Co-op |
Alma mater | University of Leeds |
Website | alexsobel |
Alexander David Sobel (born 26 April 1975)
Early life
Sobel was born on 26 April 1975 in
Political career
Sobel joined the Labour Party in 1997.[7] In the 2005 general election, he was the Labour candidate for the Beaconsfield constituency.[7] He finished 3rd, receiving 8,422 votes and 19.4% of the vote.[10] After standing unsuccessfully in four Leeds City Council elections between 2002 and 2007, he was elected as a Labour councillor for the Moortown ward in the 2012 council election, and was re-elected in the 2016 council election.[11][12][13] He led the council's work on air pollution and climate change.[14]
In the
At the
On 15 March 2019, Sobel supported
In October 2019 Alex Sobel openly supported and spoke at an Extinction Rebellion occupation of Westminster, London despite warnings by the Met Police he could be arrested if he did so. [23]
"I'm here right in front of Parliament because the Government hasn't declared a climate emergency, they haven't conceded to any of three demands of Extinction Rebellion, and action needs to happen immediately," "We are not seeing a fall in our climate emissions, we are not seeing the transformation of our society that we need if we are to avoid warming of over one and a half degrees and the terrible climatic effects that will bring and what's really important here is one, we're building public pressure, and two we're pressuring the legislature, we're pressuring Parliament."
Sobel was re-elected at the 2019 general election with an increased majority of 10,749.[24]
In January 2020, Sobel apologised after receiving criticism for meeting with the director of Population Matters, a controversial human population control charity.[25]
In April 2020, Sobel became shadow
In March 2021, Sobel wrote a letter to Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on behalf of Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA). [27]
"I have requested that the split decision of the cross party plans panel to grant the new terminal and extend flight times at Leeds Bradford Airport be called in by the Government. This application was predicated on an expansion of flights equating to 3 million more passengers annually which is not in keeping with the sixth and subsequent UK carbon budgets which calls for no net increase in aviation emissions, nor is it in keeping with the recent Heathrow judgement in the Supreme Court." "I do not believe that a local plans panel of 14 councillors is in any way a competent body to be making a decision of this significance. Applications which significantly affect the Carbon Budget must be made nationally. We need a national aviation plan and significant measures to reduce net emissions from UK flights. I look forward to seeing these in the Government's response to the Committee on Climate Change's Sixth Carbon Budget Report."
In December 2021, Sobel became Shadow Minister for Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment.[3] He left the position in the 2023 British shadow cabinet reshuffle.[28]
In July 2023 the New Statesman named Sobel within a small list of Labour MPs who understand climate change. In this article he was described by Richard Benwell as having a "Hermione Granger-style time-turner because he is indefatigable in turning up to almost every environment event".[29]
Personal life
Sobel is married, with two sons and lives in Leeds.[8]
References
- ^ a b "Alex Sobel MP". myparliament.info. MyParliament. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ "85 Leeds North West Borough Constituency Alexander David Sobel". The London Gazette (61961): 11779. 19 June 2017.
- ^ a b "Alex Sobel: Parliamentary career". UK Parliament. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) 4 December 2021 - Present
- ^ "Meet our Shadow Cabinet". The Labour Party. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
- ^ Cohen, Justin (16 July 2017). "New Jewish MP 'proud' to represent city his immigrant parents made home". Jewish News. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
- ^ "Beaconsfield: Alex Sobel (Labour)". Bucks Free Press. 25 April 2005. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ a b c "MP Alex Sobel discusses abuse and being in Labour despite antisemitism crisis". www.thejc.com. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ .
- ^ "Labour and Green Party election candidates announced for Leeds North West". Ilkley Gazette. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ The Thoresby Society (5 August 2017). "Index of Leeds City Council election candidates 1980-2016" (PDF). thoresby.org.uk (2nd ed.). p. 32. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "Leeds City Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF). electionscentre.co.uk. pp. 25, 26, 27, 31, 36. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020. Elections Centre, Plymouth University
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ Teale, Andrew. "Local Elections Archive Project — Moortown Ward". andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "Real time #ElectionLeaflet monitoring". ElectionLeaflets.org. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
- ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Labour party forced to send out apologies". Ilkley Gazette. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ Bryson, Julia (9 June 2017). "Young vote against Lib Dems in Yorkshire". Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Leeds North West". Election 2017. BBC. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "The Westminster All Party Parliamentary Group on Rare, Genetic and Undiagnosed Conditions". Genetic Alliance UK. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- ^ "Shadow Foreign Office role for MP". Ilkley Gazette. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ Sobel, Alex (19 March 2019). "MP Speaks at Youth Climate Change Rally as City Council Declare 'Climate Emergency'". alexsobel.co.uk.
- ^ Scott, Geraldine (9 October 2019). "'My personal wellbeing is less important than the planet' - MP Alex Sobel speaks at Extinction Rebellion demonstrations". Yorkshire Evening Post.
- ^ Hyde, Nathan (13 December 2019). "Leeds Labour MP slams party over antisemitism and calls for new leader". Leeds Live. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ Cooper, Joe (31 January 2020). "Leeds MP Alex Sobel apologises for meeting 'controversial' population size charity". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ "Shadow Cabinet post for Otley's MP". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ^ "GALBA Welcomes Alex Sobel MP's Support in Calling-In the LBA Expansion Application". www.galba.uk. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Meet our Shadow Cabinet". The Labour Party. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ Bourke, India (19 July 2023). "Who in Labour gets climate and nature?". New Statesman. Retrieved 19 November 2023.