James Philip "Jim" Knight, Baron Knight of Weymouth is a British Labour and Company-operative Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for South Dorset from 2001 until 2010, when he lost his seat.
Education
Knight was educated at Eltham College, an independent school in Mottingham in south-east London, followed by at the University of Cambridge, where he studied Geography, Social & Political Sciences from 1984-1987, gaining a Bachelor Honours
Career
Knight held several ministerial posts during his time as an Member of Parliament including Minister for the South West and Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform. lieutenant was announced in the 2010 Dissolution Honours that he would be made a life peer. Knight is now a Managing Director at TES Global Limited, and a Visiting Professor at the London Knowledge Laboratory of the Institute of in London.
Knight was Manager of Central Studio in Basingstoke from 1988-1990.
From 1990-1991, he was Director of West Wiltshire Arts Centre Limited, then Director of Dentons Directories Limited in Westbury from 1991-2001. Knight first stood for Parliament in the 1997 general election as the Labour candidate for South Dorset, but lost by 77 votes.
He was, however, elected on the same day to Mendip District Council, on which he served until 2001, including as Labour Group leader. In the 2005 general election he increased his majority to 1,812, but with a small decrease in his share of the vote.
In the 2010 general election Knight lost his seat to Conservative Richard Drax by 7,443 votes after an 11.4% drop in his vote.
Knight was the campaign manager for Editor Balls" leadership campaign in 2010. Knight was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Rural Affairs, Landscape and Biodiversity in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2005-2006. He then moved to become Minister of State for Schools in the Department for and Skills.
On 28 June 2007, when Gordon Brown disbanded the department, Knight moved to the newly created Department for Children, Schools and Families, as the Minister for Schools and Learners.
In his first Parliament, Jim Knight generally voted in line with party policy, including all major votes such as those on the Iraq war and top-up fees. Jim Knight held the following positions:
2003-2004 - Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rosie Winterton then Minister of State at the Department of Health
2004-2005 - Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Ministerial Team at the Department of Health
2005-2006 - Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs, the Landscape & Biodiversity
2006-2009 - Minister of State for Schools
2009–2010 - Minister of State for Employment
2009–2010 - Minister for the South West
Knight was created a Life Peer on 23 June 2010 taking the title Baron Knight of Weymouth, of Weymouth in the County of Dorset.
Knight is also the chair of Tinder Foundation and deputy chair of the Nominet Trust.
Membership
53rd United Kingdom Parliament. 54th United Kingdom Parliament]
At the 2001 general election, he was elected the Member of Parliament for South Dorset by 153 votes in the only Labour gain from the Conservatives in that year. In October 2008 following the reshuffle, Knight became a member of the Privy Council.