Philip Davies is a British Conservative politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Shipley in West Yorkshire since 2005. He has an estimated net worth of around $2 million.
He is known for being the most rebellious Conservative MP, voting against the party whip over 250 times. He is also a vocal campaigner for the men’s rights movement and against political correctness and feminism. He has been married twice and has two children. This article will explore his career, net worth, personal life, and bills.
Profile Summary
Name | Philip Andrew Davies |
Date of birth | 5 January 1972 |
Place of birth | Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England |
Nationality | British |
Political party | Conservative |
Education | Huddersfield Polytechnic (BA in History) |
Occupation | Politician, Marketing Manager, Director |
Current position | MP for Shipley, Panel of Chairs member |
Spouse | Esther McVey (m. 2020) |
Children | Charlie and Harry (from previous marriage) |
Net worth | $2 million |
Interests | Doncaster Rovers FC, Leeds Rhinos RLFC, chess, poker |
Philip Davies Net Worth
Philip Davies has an estimated net worth of around $2 million. This is based on his salary as an MP, which is £81,932 per year, and his stock holdings in Vicor, a power management company, where he serves as the Corporate Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing and a Director. He also received payments from GVC Holdings, a betting company, for providing advice in 2020.
In addition to his MP salary, Davies also earns £12,000 annually as a parliamentary adviser to the National Pawnbroking Association. He has also accepted hospitality worth £7,495 from the gambling industry since August 2020, including tickets to watch England play in the Euro 2020 semi-final and final.
Philip Davies Career
Philip Davies began as a senior marketing manager for ASDA, a supermarket chain in Leeds. He also served as a parish councilor and a school governor, believing in the importance of community involvement. He first entered politics in 2001, when he contested the Colne Valley seat as the Conservative candidate but lost to the Labour incumbent.
He then won the Shipley seat in 2005, defeating the sitting Labour MP by a narrow margin. He has since been re-elected four times, increasing his majority each time.
As an MP, Davies has been involved in various committees and groups, such as the Panel of Chairs, the Backbench Business Committee, the Justice Committee, the Women and Equalities Committee, and the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee. He has also been a member of the Freedom Association and Taxpayers’ Alliance.
Davies is known for being the most rebellious Conservative MP, voting against the party whip over 250 times in his parliamentary career. He has often filibustered or opposed bills that he disagreed with, such as those on domestic violence, animal welfare, and equal pay.
He has also advocated for Brexit, free speech, and men’s rights. He secured the first International Men’s Day debate in Parliament in 2015, which now takes place annually.
Davies has also held other positions outside of Parliament, such as legal chairman of the Reserve Forces Appeal Tribunal and director of Vicor, a power management company. He also received payments from GVC Holdings, a betting company, for providing advice in 2020. He lives in Tatton with his wife, Esther McVey, a Conservative MP and a former cabinet minister.
Bills He Proposed and Opposed
Philip Davies has been an active parliament legislator, proposing and opposing various bills.
Some of the bills that he brought are:
- The Foreign National Offenders (Exclusion from the UK) Bill which is aimed to jail anyone entering Britain without a visa for six months, regardless of the circumstances.
- The BBC Licence Fee (Civil Penalty Abolition) Bill sought to scrap the BBC license fee and decriminalize non-payment.
- The International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) (Amendment) Bill proposed to reduce the foreign aid budget from 0.7% to 0.2% of gross national income.
Some of the bills that he opposed are:
- The Crime (Aggravated Murder of and Violence Against Women) Bill aimed to ban the term “honour killing” and protect British women who are victims of domestic abuse abroad.
- The Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Bill, which sought to ratify the Istanbul Convention on preventing domestic violence.
- The Hospital Parking Charges (Exemption for Carers) Bill proposed to provide free hospital car parking for carers.
- The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill, which required landlords to make homes fit for human habitation.
- The Compulsory Emergency First Aid Education (State-funded Secondary Schools) Bill mandated that schools give children first aid training.
- The Wild Animals in Circuses Bill banned the use of wild animals in circuses.
- The National Health Service (Amended Duties and Powers) Bill, which aimed to reverse private sector takeovers in the NHS.
Davies used a tactic called filibustering, which involves speaking for a long time to prevent a vote on a bill, or raising objections to stop a bill from being debated. He argued that these bills were either sexist against men, burdensome for landlords, or detrimental to the public interest. He faced criticism and opposition from other MPs, activists, and the public for his actions.
Personal Life
Philip Davies married Deborah Gail Hemsley, whom he met while studying at Huddersfield Polytechnic, in July 1994 in Doncaster. The couple has two sons, Charlie and Harry. They separated in 2011, blaming the pressures of his role as an MP, and divorced in November 2012.
Davies then started dating Esther McVey, a former Cabinet Minister, TV presenter, and Conservative MP for Tatton. They got engaged in November 2019 and married in a scaled-back ceremony at Westminster’s St. Mary Undercroft Chapel on September 26, 2020. They live together in Tatton, where they have a house with a swimming pool and a tennis court.
Davies is a Doncaster Rovers Football Club and Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Club fan. He also enjoys playing chess and poker. He is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Chess and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Betting and Gaming. He has participated in several charity poker tournaments and has won over £5,000 for various causes.
How Did He Meet Esther McVey?
Philip Davies met Esther McVey in 2011, when they were both Conservative MPs, and he impressed her with his campaign for Brexit.
They announced their engagement in April 2019 and married in September 2020 in a scaled-back ceremony at Westminster’s St Mary Undercroft Chapel. They are arch-Brexiteers and have been described as a ‘power couple.’