Julian Huppert

Julian Huppert FRSC
Member of Parliament for Cambridge
In office 6 May 2010 – 30 March 2015
Preceded by	David Howarth
Succeeded by	Daniel Zeichner
Majority	6,792 (13.5%)
Personal details
Born	Julian Leon Huppert (1978-07-21) 21 July 1978[1] Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England
Political party	Liberal Democrats
Spouse(s)	Dr Caroline Wright[1]
Parents	Herbert Huppert, Felicia Huppert
Alma mater	University of Cambridge (MSci, PhD)
Website	www.libdems.org.uk/julian_huppert
Scientific career
Thesis	Studies on genomic G-quadruplexes (2005)
Doctoral advisor	Shankar Balasubramanian[2]
Notable awards	Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry[3]

	Huppert's voice from the BBC programme Week in Westminster, 21 December 2013[4]
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Julian Leon Huppert^[5] (born 21 July 1978)^[1] is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom and former Member of Parliament for Cambridge parliamentary constituency. He succeeded the previously elected David Howarth, who stood down after one term.^[6] After one term in office he failed in his bid to be reelected, and was replaced by Daniel Zeichner of the Labour Party.

Early life and education

The son of two academics (Australian-born geophysicist Herbert Huppert and psychologist Felicia Huppert), Huppert has lived in Cambridge since he was a small child. Having attended The Perse School in the city, Huppert went on to study at the Trinity College, Cambridge, completing an Master of Science degree in 2000 followed by a PhD in Biological Chemistry in 2005^[7] supervised by Shankar Balasubramanian^[3][2] on G-quadruplexes.

Career

After his PhD, Huppert was elected a Junior Research Fellow of Trinity in 2004, and became a fellow of Clare College, Cambridge in 2009 (the College at which the previous Liberal Democrat MP for the city, David Howarth, was a member). He worked as a research scientist studying the structures of DNA as well as tutoring students.^[8]

Councillor

Julian Huppert at King's College London January 2016

During his eight years serving as a County Councillor on Cambridgeshire County Council for Cambridge's East Chesterton area,^[9] Huppert helped open Brown's Field Community Centre, chaired the Cambridge Traffic Management Committee and served on the Regional Assembly. His interests in internationalism, the UN and human rights have led him to his position on the National Council of Liberty, formerly the National Council for Civil Liberties, from which he has since stood down.^[10]

Political career

Huppert unsuccessfully contested Huntingdon at the 2005 general election.

Huppert has stated that he wanted to get involved in politics because he believes in "a free, fair and open society, where nobody should be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity."^[11] In an interview with the BBC's 'Today programme' shortly after his election as an MP', Huppert stated, regarding negotiations with the Conservative party on possible deals to form a coalition, that whilst he found it "very hard to see how a deal could leave out electoral reform [...] if we got all the rest of our manifesto I'd probably live with that".^[12]

Huppert proposed a bill to prevent the demolition or change of use of pubs or independent shops without planning permission under the Ten Minute Rule in 2012^[13] but the proposals failed to make any further progress.

Huppert was involved in a number of All-party parliamentary groups, being joint chair of the Cycling Group,^[14] and a vice chair of the Humanist Group,^[15] the Refugees group,^[16] and the Local Government group.^[17] He also sat on the Home Affairs Select Committee.^[18]

Huppert, expressed disappointment at scientific understanding amongst MPs, has been described by Cambridge Liberal Democrats^[19] and The independent newspaper^[20] as "the only scientist" in the House of Commons. In November 2012, Huppert acknowledged other scientists in the House of Commons saying "Although it has been said that I am the only scientist in the House, that is sadly not true. I am one of two Members with a science PhD and I went on to do research, but there are other scientists in the House and it always a great pleasure to have them here."^[21]

In June 2013 he told the BBC that he has complained of bullying in the Commons after being greeted by collective groans and shouts of "Oh No" when he rises to his feet in the house.^[22][23]

When the Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader stepped down to take a ministerial post, Huppert was talked about as a possible contender for the post.^[24]

Cycling

Huppert is a cycling safety campaigner and organised^[25] and spoke^[26] at a parliamentary debate on the subject, as well as passing a motion at the 2013 Liberal Democrat Conference on the subject.^[27] His support of the principle of "Proportionate liability" has led to debate in his Cambridge Constituency^[28][29] and nationally^[30] with the Daily Mail incorrectly stating that the principle would result in motorists being to blame even if the cyclist(s) are breaking the law.^[31] Huppert was named one of the most influential people in UK cycling by magazine Bikebiz.^[32] and was awarded road safety organisation Brake's Road Safety award in March 2013 for his campaign on 20 mph speed limits^[33]

Local campaigns

Huppert criticised the decision^[34] of the competition commission to force Cineworld^[35] to sell the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse.^[36] He has taken up the issue in Parliament, claiming the competition commissions should be looking into other monopolies in Cambridge: "To be frank, I start to wonder what the value of the Competition Commission is. In Cambridge we have two big problems with monopoly – Stagecoach’s control of the buses, and Tesco’s control of the supermarkets."^[37] and has gained the support of the leader of the house, Andrew Lansley,^[38] who then represented the neighbouring constituency of South Cambridgeshire.

In November he launched a campaign^[39] to persuade the County Council to invest more in Cambridge's pavements, highlighting the effect even minor damage has on disabled people. The campaign has a website^[40] with a reporting tool.^[41]

Huppert also campaigned for additional funding for Cambridge schools which received less per student than anywhere else in the country.^[42][43]

Awards and honours

Huppert was nominated the most impressive new Liberal Democrat MP elected in the 2010 election by a party website.^[44] Huppert's performance has also been highlighted in a number of publications^[45][46][47] and he was named as the top backbencher in the Telegraph's recent list of "Most influential Lib Dems".^[48]

Huppert's appearances in the Houses of Commons were often met with jeers from other MPs due to his long-winded questions and interventions in debates.^[49]

Huppert was awarded the "Internet Hero of the year award" by the Internet Service Providers Association for his involvement in the campaign against the Communications Data Bill, also known as the "Snooper's Charter".^[50]

Huppert was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.^[3]

References

Further reading

• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record