Grant Shapps

Member of Parliament for Welwyn Hatfield

Shadow Housing Minister

Tel: 020 7219 8497 / Fax: 020 7219 0659 / House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.
Email: shappsg@parliament.uk / Web: www.shapps.com

View Grant's expense claims (opens in a new window)

Grant was born and educated in Hertfordshire, attending Watford Grammar School.

After studying Business in Manchester he returned home to found his own printing company, aged 21, and it is a business that thrives to this day.

Grant is well-known as a hard-working, campaigning, constituency MP who has often led the fight on behalf of his Welwyn Hatfield constituents. In particular Grant fought a long battle against the closure of major hospital services in his area creating HospitalSOS; a cross-party campaign to highlight the closure of A&E and Maternity services at the QE2 Hospital in Welwyn Garden City. Grant lives in his constituency and prides himself on being at the heart of the Welwyn Hatfield community.

Grant is a strong believer in social justice and this has been a driving factor is his work to uncover the true extent of homelessness in Britain. Having researched and written various reports on the subject, Grant went on to highlight his concerns by sleeping rough on Christmas Eve 2007. During 2008 he helped the modern day Conservative Party follow in the footsteps of Ian MacLeod - who founded homeless charity Crisis in 1967 - by joining David Cameron to launch the Conservative Homelessness Foundation at Crisis HQ in London. The new Foundation will work with the Conservative Party to develop policies aimed at eradicating rough sleeping and addressing the wider issue of homelessness.

With housing high on the national agenda, Grant believes that stability in family life and social structure begins at home and he has become a vocal critic of housing policy over the past ten years which has led to fewer homes of every type being built.

Grant has written a number of reports, some of which are available on the right-hand side of this page under 'Downloadable documents'. Other reports can be found on Grant's website.

POSITIONS HELD:

  • MP for Welwyn Hatfield, May 2005 –
  • Vice-Chairman of Conservative Party Campaigning, Dec 2005 -
  • Shadow Minister for Housing, June 2007 -

PROUDEST POLITICAL ACHIEVEMENT:

Founding the Conservative Homelessness Foundation

INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF POLITICS:

Aviation (holds a pilot's licence)

FAMILY LIFE:

  • Married to Belinda
  • Three children: Hadley and twins, Noa and Tabytha

Black hole in Government plans to build new social housing

Friday, March 12 Grant Shapps says there is a £25m "black hole" in flagship plans to build new affordable and social housing.

Community pubs facing tax bombshell

Sunday, March 7 Shapps says that Gordon Brown’s tax inspectors hiking up business rates for local pubs across country

Go to news

Grant Shapps: Housing - A rural revolution

Thursday, December 10 The Shadow Housing Minister unveiled plans to revolutionise housing in rural areas.

Grant Shapps: We will green up to 25 million homes

Thursday, November 26 The Shadow Housing Minister said that every household will be able to claim up to £6,500 in energy improvements.

Go to speeches
Articles

Our radical overhaul of energy policy

Greg Clark - Friday, March 19 

The proposals will deliver secure, sustainable and affordable energy.

Helping young people into the workplace

Lord Freud - Thursday, March 18 

We will deliver training to those who need it most.

Go to The Blue Blog

Shapps promotes radical new housing policies

Grant Shapps looks at how a local residents committee in his constituency inspired the new Conservative housing policy. The proposals will ensure that local homes are built for local people, with the community having the final say on the homes they want.