James Harper Popular Books

James Harper Biography & Facts

Mark James Harper (born 26 February 1970) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Transport since 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire since 2005. Harper was born in Swindon and studied philosophy, politics and economics at Brasenose College, Oxford. He was a chartered accountant before his election to Parliament. Under the coalition government of David Cameron he served as Parliamentary Secretary for Political and Constitutional Reform before being promoted to Minister of State for Immigration in the 2012 reshuffle. During his tenure at the Home Office, he devised a controversial campaign in which advertising vans told illegal migrants to "go home". He resigned as Immigration Minister in February 2014, but quickly returned to government as Minister of State for Disabled People in the July 2014 reshuffle. Harper was promoted to Cameron's cabinet as Chief Whip of the House of Commons following the 2015 general election; he served in the role for a year before being sacked by incoming Prime Minister Theresa May in 2016. Harper was a candidate for leader of the Conservative Party in the 2019 leadership contest, finishing ninth out of 10 candidates with 10 votes. During the Johnson premiership, he was the chair of the COVID Recovery Group of Conservative MPs advocating for looser COVID-19 restrictions. After Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister, Harper was appointed to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Transport. Early life and education Harper was born and raised in Swindon, Wiltshire, where he had a working class upbringing, with his father a manual worker and his mother employed by a book club. He was educated at Headlands Comprehensive School and Swindon College. He read philosophy, politics and economics at Brasenose College, Oxford where he studied under Professor Vernon Bogdanor. Early career Upon graduation in 1991, Harper joined KPMG as an auditor. After qualifying as a chartered accountant, he joined Intel Corporation. In 2002, he left Intel to set up his own accountancy practice.Prior to entering Parliament, Harper was the treasurer of the Swindon Conservative Association and served as vice-chairman for a year in 1998. Parliamentary career At the 2001 general election, Harper contested the Gloucestershire seat of Forest of Dean but came second to the incumbent Labour Party MP Diana Organ; Harper won 38.8% of the vote.Organ retired at the 2005 general election and Harper was elected for the Conservatives with a majority of 2,049 votes, which was the same number of votes by which he was defeated at the previous election, and 40.9% of the vote. At the same general election, Harper's wife, Margaret, stood for election as the Conservative candidate in Worcester, where she finished in second place to the Labour candidate, Michael Foster.On 24 May 2005, Harper made his maiden speech, in which he advocated giving the parents of children with special educational needs the option of sending their children to a non-mainstream school – an issue of local interest in Harper's Gloucestershire seat and one close to the heart of the then Shadow Education Secretary, David Cameron, whose son Ivan was born with severe learning difficulties. When Cameron was elected leader of the party in December 2005, he made Harper a spokesman on armed forces welfare issues and veterans. Harper has sat on the Commons Administration Committee and briefly on the Work and Pensions Committee. On matters of foreign policy, he has consistently voted in support of British military intervention overseas. Harper was described in 2015 as a Eurosceptic. Even so, he campaigned to remain in the European Union during the 2016 referendum on ending the UK's membership.The scandal over MPs' expenses showed Harper to be a frugal parliamentarian: his only significant expenses claim was for a brief period of temporary accommodation occupied on a short-term basis soon after being elected in 2005.In the reshuffle of July 2007, Harper was made Shadow Minister for Disabled People – a position he held until the general election in 2010. Junior Minister at the Cabinet Office At the 2010 general election, Harper was re-elected with an increased vote share of 46.9% and an increased majority of 11,064. Soon afterwards, Harper became Parliamentary Secretary for Political and Constitutional Reform. He worked with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg on the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 that changed the voting system for electing MPs (Harper was not enthusiastic about the proposal, which had been a key bargaining chip in the coalition negotiations in May 2010). In October 2010, the government introduced the Public Bodies Act to the House of Lords, which would allow it to sell or lease public forests in England. Harper supported the bill, describing it as an "exciting opportunity for community ownership." However, the measure was widely criticised by many residents within his Forest of Dean constituency and by politicians with connections to the large oak forest after which Harper's parliamentary seat is named – including Baroness Jan Royall, leader of the opposition in the House of Lords. Following a public meeting – after which Harper had to be rescued by the police from what he described as "a baying mob" – and a sustained national campaign which included the newly formed local Forest of Dean pressure group Hands off our Forest, the government announced it had abandoned its plans and would remove the forestry clauses from the Public Bodies Bill.Harper worked on the House of Lords Reform Bill, which set out to introduce a smaller second chamber consisting mostly of elected peers. This was a Liberal Democrat policy that had also been mentioned as an aspiration in the Conservative Party's manifesto of 2010. In July 2012, 91 Conservative MPs defied the whips and voted with Labour against the proposals, something which led the coalition government to abandon the planned reform soon afterwards. Immigration Minister In the reshuffle of September 2012, Harper was promoted to Minister of State for Immigration at a time when levels of inward migration were falling but emigration rates were falling faster still, leading to a rise in net migration into the UK.Over the summer of 2013, Harper trialled a campaign aimed at illegal immigrants that consisted, in part, of lorries with hoardings attached to their load areas driving around London displaying the sign "Here Illegally? Go Home or Risk Arrest" with more information in smaller print on how to contact the Home Office for advice. The scheme was seen as offensive by some and it divided opinion within the coalition's ministerial team. In October 2013, Harper told MPs: "The advertising vans in particular were too much of a blunt instrument and will not be used again". As immigration minister, Harper stated "British citizenship is a privilege, not a right".H.... Discover the James Harper popular books. 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Best Seller James Harper Books of 2024

  • No Road Home synopsis, comments

    No Road Home

    John Fram

    “A grand gothic story as enthralling as it is terrifying.” S. A. Cosby, New York Times bestselling author A young father must clear his name and protect his queer son when his weal...

  • Host synopsis, comments

    Host

    Peter James

    How far would you go to live forever?Brilliant scientist Joe Messenger believes that people can be made to live for ever. Knowing the human body can be frozen indefinitely, Joe dev...

  • Life Support synopsis, comments

    Life Support

    Tess Gerritsen

    From New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen, a terrifying novel of deadly proportions as an ER doctor tries to determine the cause and cure of a fatal and mysterious viru...

  • A Cold Death in Amsterdam synopsis, comments

    A Cold Death in Amsterdam

    Anja de Jager

    The first Lotte Meerman mystery Amsterdambased Lotte Meerman is a cold case detective recovering from the emotional devastation of her previous investigation. She is angry and ment...

  • Born to Run synopsis, comments

    Born to Run

    James Grippando

    “[A] thrillaminute novel.”USA TodayJack Swyteck is back in action in Born to Runthe eighth outing for the dangerprone Miami lawyer in author James Grippando’s New York Times bestse...

  • Lives of Roman Christian Women synopsis, comments

    Lives of Roman Christian Women

    Carolinne White

    'Perpetua shouted out with joy as the sword pierced her, for she wanted to taste some of the pain and she even guided the hesitant hand of the trainee gladiator towards her own thr...

  • Ian Fleming synopsis, comments

    Ian Fleming

    Nicholas Shakespeare

    A fresh portrait of the man behind James Bond, and his enduring impact, by an awardwinning biographer with unprecedented access to the Fleming family papers.Ian Fleming's greatest ...

  • Panic Room synopsis, comments

    Panic Room

    Robert Goddard

    ‘Is this his best yet?...Full of sinister menace and propulsive pace with twisty plotting’ Lee ChildWHAT REALLY LIES WITHIN?High on a Cornish cliff sits a vast uninhabited mansion....

  • Found Her synopsis, comments

    Found Her

    NJ Mackay

    The most gripping, emotional and redemptive psychological thriller of 2021 for fans of Erin Kinsley, Lisa Jewell, Louise Jensen, Phoebe Morgan, CL Taylor, Cara Hunter and KL Slate...

  • Gone Again synopsis, comments

    Gone Again

    James Grippando

    Winner of the 2017 Harper Lee Prize for Legal FictionFrom the New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Cash Landing, Cane & Abe, and Black Horizon, James Grippan...

  • Cash Landing synopsis, comments

    Cash Landing

    James Grippando

    The New York Times bestselling author of Cane and Abe and Black Horizon blends Goodfellas and Elmore Leonard in this wild, suspenseful caper inspired by actual events, in which a b...

  • Most Dangerous Place synopsis, comments

    Most Dangerous Place

    James Grippando

    Defending a woman accused of murdering the man who sexually assaulted her, Miami lawyer Jack Swyteck must uncover where the truth lies between innocence, vengeance, and justice in ...

  • Scrublands synopsis, comments

    Scrublands

    Chris Hammer

    In this searing, “indisputable pageturner” (Associated Press), a town’s dark secrets come to light in the aftermath of a young priest’s unthinkable last actin the vein of The Dry a...

  • Need You Now synopsis, comments

    Need You Now

    James Grippando

    New York Times bestseller James Grippando returns with a gripping new standalone novel: a story ripped from the headlines, in which a young financial adviser and his girlfriend unc...

  • Cane and Abe synopsis, comments

    Cane and Abe

    James Grippando

    A spellbinding novel of suspense from New York Times bestselling author James Grippando, in which Miami’s top prosecutor becomes a prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance, which ...

  • Death on the Canal synopsis, comments

    Death on the Canal

    Anja de Jager

    '. . . a novel brilliantly evoking the isolation of a woman with an unbearable weight on her conscience' Sunday TimesWhere do your loyalties lie? With the truth or with your collea...

  • A Cold Case in Amsterdam Central synopsis, comments

    A Cold Case in Amsterdam Central

    Anja de Jager

    Having been shot in the shoulder in the line of duty, Dutch police detective Lotte Meerman returns to work after four months of painful recovery yet not all her colleagues are hap...

  • Into the Jungle synopsis, comments

    Into the Jungle

    Erica Ferencik

    In this “hypnotic, violent, unsparing” (A.J. Banner, USA TODAY bestselling author) thriller from the author of the “haunting, twisting thrill ride” (Megan Miranda, New York Times b...

  • Merrily Ever After synopsis, comments

    Merrily Ever After

    Cathy Bramley

    Two strangers. One big secret. And a Christmas to remember . . .'A thought provoking story of love and complicated family relationships, guaranteed to warm every reader's heart' SH...

  • The Modern Library synopsis, comments

    The Modern Library

    Carmen Callil & Colm Tóibín

    For Colm Toíbín and Carmen Callil there is no difference between literary and commercial writing there is only the good novel: engrossing, inspirational, compelling. In their sele...

  • Heads of the Colored People synopsis, comments

    Heads of the Colored People

    Nafissa Thompson-Spires

    Winner of the PEN Open Book Award Winner of the Whiting Award Longlisted for the National Book Award and Aspen Words Literary Prize Nominated for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize...

  • When Darkness Falls synopsis, comments

    When Darkness Falls

    James Grippando

    In the latest novel from the bestselling author whom critics have called "the thriller writer to watch," lawyer Jack Swyteck tackles a case in which the life of his best friend han...

  • Sex with Presidents synopsis, comments

    Sex with Presidents

    Eleanor Herman

    In this fascinating work of popular history, the New York Times bestselling author of Sex with Kings and The Royal Art of Poison uncovers the bedroom secrets of American presidents...

  • Muster Dogs From Pups to Pros synopsis, comments

    Muster Dogs From Pups to Pros

    Lisa Millar

    How ten dogs stole the hearts of millions and changed lives forever, for fans of the TV show now streaming on ABC iview and Netflix.When Muster Dogs first hit screens in 2022, view...

  • American Lit 101 synopsis, comments

    American Lit 101

    Brianne Keith

    From poetry to fiction to essays, American Lit 101 leaves no page unturned! Edgar Allan Poe. Willa Cather. Henry David Thoreau. Mark Twain. The list of important American writers g...

  • A Death in Rembrandt Square synopsis, comments

    A Death in Rembrandt Square

    Anja de Jager

    Guilty until proven innocent . . .It's hard for anyone to have their work scrutinised in public. For Amsterdambased detective Lotte Meerman, listening to the Right to Justice podc...

  • Forever and a Day synopsis, comments

    Forever and a Day

    Anthony Horowitz

    A spy is dead. A legend is born. This is how it all began. The explosive prequel to Casino Royale, from bestselling author Anthony Horowitz, Forever and a Day is the story of ...

  • Alchemist synopsis, comments

    Alchemist

    Peter James

    What doesn't kill you makes you stronger...Monty Bannerman's father is a leading genetic scientist, and Nobel Prize winner, whose company has just been taken over by what will soon...

  • Found Money synopsis, comments

    Found Money

    James Grippando

    Single mother Amy Parkens feels trapped by a boring job, low pay, and no time for her young daughter. But that's before $200,000 in cold, hard cash arrives in an unmarked box. Desp...

  • The 12 Days of Christmas synopsis, comments

    The 12 Days of Christmas

    Poppy Alexander

    'A real festive treat' JULES WAKE'Heartmelting and mouthwatering, this Christmas treat is as sweet and delicious as a marron glacé' VERONICA HENRY'A festive romance that reminds us...

  • Black Rain Falling synopsis, comments

    Black Rain Falling

    Jacob Ross

    'Jacob Ross is a truly amazing writer. Black Rain Falling is an outstanding novel' BERNARDINE EVARISTO, WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE'Jacob Ross is a unique and thrilling new voice in...

  • How to Live. What to Do synopsis, comments

    How to Live. What to Do

    Josh Cohen

    A brilliant psychoanalyst and professor of literature invites us to contemplate profound questions about the human experience by focusing on some of the bestknown characters in lit...

  • Blood Money synopsis, comments

    Blood Money

    James Grippando

    New York Times bestselling author James Grippando delivers a powerful, nonstop thrill ride ripped from the headlines. Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck is back in h...

  • The New Beginnings Bridal Boutique synopsis, comments

    The New Beginnings Bridal Boutique

    Kellie Hailes

    'You know for an owner of a bridal shop you're awfully cynical about marriage.'As the owner of a secondhand bridal boutique in the little village of Alfriston, Paige Alby has seen ...

  • Bad To The Bones synopsis, comments

    Bad To The Bones

    James Harper

    A haunted man. A desperate woman. A chilling secret that won't stay buried. Wisecracking, streetsmart privateeye Evan Buckley's wife went to work one day and didn't come home....

  • Death at the Orange Locks synopsis, comments

    Death at the Orange Locks

    Anja de Jager

    'A novel brilliantly evoking the isolation of a woman with an unbearable weight on her conscience' Sunday Times Keeping it in the family...After her painful divorce four years ago,...

  • Last Call synopsis, comments

    Last Call

    James Grippando

    A kid from Miami's meanest streets, Theo Knight lost his mother to a violent crime. He was on Death Row for a murder he didn't commit when lawyer Jack Swyteck proved him innocent. ...

  • Christmas Wishes at the Lakeside Cottage synopsis, comments

    Christmas Wishes at the Lakeside Cottage

    Erin Green

    'A warm, funny, uplifting writer to celebrate!' KATIE FFORDEIf you love Lucy Diamond, Phillipa Ashley, Sue Moorcroft and Holly Martin, you'll LOVE Erin Green's novels of love, life...

  • The Informant synopsis, comments

    The Informant

    James Grippando

    By the author of the bestselling The Pardon, this fastpaced novel teams a resourceful FBI agent and an embattled journalist in a hunt for two men a serial killer and his...

  • Possession synopsis, comments

    Possession

    Peter James

    A terrifying novel of a young man who is willing to defy everything. Even death...Fabian Hightower has been killed in a car crash. At least, that is what a policeman is asking Alex...

  • Idyll Hands synopsis, comments

    Idyll Hands

    Stephanie Gayle

    In the small, sleepy town of Idyll, Connecticut, Police Chief Thomas Lynch assists police officer Michael Finnegan to uncover clues to his sister's disappearance two decades ago. C...

  • Wonderworks synopsis, comments

    Wonderworks

    Angus Fletcher

    This “fascinating” (Malcolm Gladwell, New York Times bestselling author of Outliers) examination of literary inventions through the ages, from ancient Mesopotamia to Elena Ferrante...

  • 7 best short stories by Charles W. Chesnutt synopsis, comments

    7 best short stories by Charles W. Chesnutt

    Charles W. Chesnutt & August Nemo

    Charles W. Chesnutt was an important voice in his day and remains a precious reading for those who want to better understand the period of construction of African American identity...

  • Positively Fifth Street synopsis, comments

    Positively Fifth Street

    James McManus

    Rough sex, black magic, murder, and the scienceand erosof gambling meet in the ultimate book about Las VegasJames McManus was sent to Las Vegas by Harper's to cover the World Seri...

  • Muster Dogs synopsis, comments

    Muster Dogs

    Aticia Grey

    An outback story of kelpies, red dirt and the future of a family farm.Now streaming on ABC iView and Netflix. Life on the land is often boom or bust, forever at the mercy of Mother...

  • Prophecy synopsis, comments

    Prophecy

    Peter James

    A game that turns to a nightmare ...Non Omnis MoriarI shall not altogether dieA young boy watches his mother die. A sadistic man dies in agony. Drunk students play with a Ouija boa...

  • She Loves Me Not synopsis, comments

    She Loves Me Not

    Ron Hansen

    “Beautifully crafted stories from one of our most honored authors” (The New York Times), Ron Hansen’s She Loves Me Not is an acclaimed collection of stunning fiction, three decades...

  • My Name Is Nobody synopsis, comments

    My Name Is Nobody

    Matthew Richardson

    'PROOF THAT THE SPY GENRE IS FLOURISHING IN THE 21ST CENTURY' Guardian'I know for certain that there is a mole somewhere within the intelligence services . . . His codename is Nobo...