Background
He is the son of George Hurst.
He is the son of George Hurst.
He attended Westcliff High School for Boys in Westcliff-on-Sea.
From the University of Liverpool, he gained a Bachelor in History. Before his election as Member of Parliament he had been deputy leader of Southend-on-Sea Council, joining the council in 1968. He continued to practise part-time as a solicitor while an Member of Parliament.
At the 1997 general election he caused a stir by overturning Tony Newton"s majority of c.
17,000, by a majority of just over 1,400.
Braintree had been Conservative since the 1955 election. Almost as surprising (though not with hindsight, since the Tories made next to no progress nationally in 2001) was his holding the seat at the 2001 general election, though this time with a majority of 358, making it Labour"s second-most marginal victory at that election and the sixth-most overall.
He lost the seat in the 2005 general election to Brooks Newmark of the Conservative Party. Hurst never held government office, remaining a backbencher.
He served on the Select Committee for agriculture for a time (including during the 2001 United Kingdom foot and mouth crisis) and then on the Speaker"s Panel.
This rebellion was not overly important, as the much larger rebellion on the bill"s second reading had already failed (by a mere five votes). He did vote for a total ban on hunting with dogs when the government was proposing mere restriction, but this was not, strictly speaking, a rebellion as it was a free vote.
52nd United Kingdom Parliament. 53rd United Kingdom Parliament]
He was Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for Braintree in Essex from 1997 to 2005.