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In August 2009, he was given additional responsibility for [[Digital Britain]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8187884.stm Timms to lead 'Digital Britain'], BBC News, 6 August 2009</ref> In September 2009, he announced plans for a tax of £6 per year to be levied on each phone account in the UK. At the time, this was broadly characterised as a [[stealth tax]] in the UK media. In April 2010, Timms' department made an embarrassing slip when a letter purporting to be from him mistakenly identified [[IP address]] as "[[intellectual property]] address".<ref>[http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/995688/Minister-Digital-Britain-blunders-embarrassing-IP-slip-up/ Minister for Digital Britain blunders in embarrassing 'IP' slip-up], ''MediaWeek'', 9 April 2010</ref> According to the accountants' magazine ''[[Accountancy Age]]'', he was highly regarded by finance professionals despite such gaffes.<ref>[http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/news/2263017/accountants-storm-treasury Accountants storm the Treasury], ''Accountancy Age'', 14 May 2010</ref>
In August 2009, he was given additional responsibility for [[Digital Britain]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8187884.stm Timms to lead 'Digital Britain'], BBC News, 6 August 2009</ref> In September 2009, he announced plans for a tax of £6 per year to be levied on each phone account in the UK. At the time, this was broadly characterised as a [[stealth tax]] in the UK media. In April 2010, Timms' department made an embarrassing slip when a letter purporting to be from him mistakenly identified [[IP address]] as "[[intellectual property]] address".<ref>[http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/995688/Minister-Digital-Britain-blunders-embarrassing-IP-slip-up/ Minister for Digital Britain blunders in embarrassing 'IP' slip-up], ''MediaWeek'', 9 April 2010</ref> According to the accountants' magazine ''[[Accountancy Age]]'', he was highly regarded by finance professionals despite such gaffes.<ref>[http://www.accountancyage.com/accountancyage/news/2263017/accountants-storm-treasury Accountants storm the Treasury], ''Accountancy Age'', 14 May 2010</ref>


==Surgery attack==
==Assassination attempt==
⚫
On 14 May 2010, Timms was approached by a 21-year-old woman, Roshonara Choudhry, during his [[Surgery (politics)|constituency surgery]] at the Beckton Globe Library in Kingsford Way, [[Beckton]], [[East London]].<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article7127575.ece Woman charged with attempted murder of Labour MP], The Times, 15 May 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/8683596.stm |title=Former minister Timms stabbed |date=14 May 2010 |publisher=BBC News|accessdate=14 May 2010}}</ref> She acted as though she was going to shake his hand, and then stabbed him twice in his abdomen with a 6-inch kitchen knife, before being disarmed.<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/woman-21-arrested-over-stabbing-of-labour-mp-1973948.html Woman, 21, arrested over stabbing of Labour MP], The Independent, 15 May 2010</ref><ref name="dailymail1">{{cite web|author=Tom Rawstorne |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1327096/Roshonara-Choudhry-brainwashed-Al-Qaeda-stabbing-MP-Stephen-Timms.html?ito=feeds-newsxml |title=Roshonara Choudhry brainwashed by Al Qaeda into stabbing MP Stephen Timms |publisher=Dailymail.co.uk |date= |accessdate=10 November 2010}}</ref> Timms suffered "potentially life-threatening" wounds–lacerations to the left lobe of his [[liver]], and a perforation to his stomach. A senior police officer said he "was extremely fortunate not to have been killed".<ref name=bbc3nov/> He underwent emergency surgery at the [[Royal London Hospital]], from which he was discharged on 19 May.<ref name="dailymail1"/><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8692562.stm MP Stephen Timms discharged from London hospital], BBC News, 19 May 2010</ref> Choudhry said her attack was to punish Timms for voting for the Iraq War, and revenge for the Iraqi people.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/world/05britain.html]</ref>
===Attempt===
⚫
On 14 May 2010, Timms was approached by 21-year-old Roshonara Choudhry, during his [[Surgery (politics)|constituency surgery]] at the Beckton Globe Library in Kingsford Way, [[Beckton]], [[East London]].<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article7127575.ece Woman charged with attempted murder of Labour MP], The Times, 15 May 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/8683596.stm |title=Former minister Timms stabbed |date=14 May 2010 |publisher=BBC News|accessdate=14 May 2010}}</ref> She acted as though she was going to shake his hand, and then stabbed him twice in his abdomen with a 6-inch kitchen knife, before she was disarmed.<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/woman-21-arrested-over-stabbing-of-labour-mp-1973948.html Woman, 21, arrested over stabbing of Labour MP], The Independent, 15 May 2010</ref><ref name="dailymail1">{{cite web|author=Tom Rawstorne |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1327096/Roshonara-Choudhry-brainwashed-Al-Qaeda-stabbing-MP-Stephen-Timms.html?ito=feeds-newsxml |title=Roshonara Choudhry brainwashed by Al Qaeda into stabbing MP Stephen Timms |publisher=Dailymail.co.uk |date= |accessdate=10 November 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1278948/Roshonara-Choudhary-accused-stabbing-MP-Stephen-Timms.html?ito=feeds-newsxml |title=Roshonara Choudhary accused of stabbing MP Stephen Timms |publisher=Daily Mail|date= |accessdate=11 November 2010}}</ref>


⚫
On 2 November, Choudhry was found guilty of Timms' attempted murder. She was subsequently given a life sentence, with a recommendation that she serve a minimum jail term of 15 years.<ref name=bbc3nov>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11682732|title=Woman jailed for life for attack on MP Stephen Timms|publisher=BBC News|date=3 November 2010|accessdate=4 November 2010}}</ref> After the court case, Timms said he was not bitter, but that forgiveness was not an issue until his attacker showed remorse.<ref>[http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23894517-stephen-timms-i-dont-feel-bitter-but-im-not-quite-ready-to-forgive-my-knife-attacker.do Stephen Timms: I don't feel bitter but I'm not ready to forgive my knife attacker], Evening Standard, 4 November 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010.</ref>
She had made "very full admissions" to the police, saying that she had been influenced by dozens of hours of sermons that she had watched of [[Anwar al-Awlaki]], a leader of [[al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula]]. She said her attack was to punish Timms for voting for the Iraq War, and revenge for the Iraqi people.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/world/05britain.html]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.oneindia.in/2010/11/06/alqaeda-leaders-tour-of-britain-radicalised-ageneration.html |title=Al-Qaeda leader's tour of Britain 'radicalised a generation of young Muslims' |publisher=Oneindia News |date= |accessdate=8 November 2010}}</ref> She said she attacked Timms "Because I’m a Muslim and all Muslims are brothers and sisters", that she was "trying to kill him", and said "I wasn’t going to stop stabbing him until someone made me."<ref name="dailymail1"/>

Timms suffered "potentially life-threatening" wounds–lacerations to the left lobe of his [[liver]], and a perforation to his stomach. A senior police officer said he "was extremely fortunate not to have been killed".<ref name=bbc3nov/> He underwent emergency surgery at the [[Royal London Hospital]], from which he was discharged on 19 May.<ref name="dailymail1"/><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8692562.stm MP Stephen Timms discharged from London hospital], BBC News, 19 May 2010</ref>

===Trial===
Choudhry chose not to attend her trial for [[attempted murder]] at the [[Old Bailey]], saying she did not recognize the court's jurisdiction.<ref name="dailymail1"/><ref name="Mail charged">[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1278459/Woman-charged-stabbing-Labour-MP-Stephen-Timms.html Woman charged with attempted murder over stabbing of Labour MP Stephen Timms], Daily Mail, 15 May 2010</ref><ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/7732793/Woman-appears-in-court-over-stabbing-of-Labour-MP.html Woman appears in court over stabbing of Labour MP], Daily Telegraph, 17 May 2010</ref> The prosecutor ruled out any suggestion that she suffered from mental illness.<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8102306/Woman-stabbed-MP-in-revenge-for-Iraq-war-vote.html Woman stabbed MP 'in revenge for Iraq war vote'], Daily Telegraph, 1 November 2010</ref> On 2 November, Choudhry was found guilty of Timms' attempted murder. She was subsequently given a life sentence, with a recommendation that she serve a minimum jail term of 15 years.<ref name=bbc3nov>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11682732|title=Woman jailed for life for attack on MP Stephen Timms|publisher=BBC News|date=3 November 2010|accessdate=4 November 2010}}</ref>

===Aftermath===
⚫
After the court case, Timms said he was not bitter, but that forgiveness was not an issue until his attacker showed remorse. He was seeking the banning of incendiary material on popular internet sites "to protect other vulnerable young people from going down the same road."<ref>[http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23894517-stephen-timms-i-dont-feel-bitter-but-im-not-quite-ready-to-forgive-my-knife-attacker.do Stephen Timms: I don't feel bitter but I'm not ready to forgive my knife attacker], Evening Standard, 4 November 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010.</ref>

The [[Revolution Muslim]] website described Choudhry as a heroine for stabbing Timms, posted a prayer to destroy the enemies of Islam that named Timms, and responded to her conviction for attacking Timms by ­publishing a list of MPs who voted in favour of the Iraq War as Timms had, giving advice as to how to find details of their constituency surgeries.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gardham |first=Duncan |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8124578/Arrest-over-website-that-encouraged-Muslim-to-attack-MPs.html |title=Arrest over website that encouraged Muslim to attack MPs |publisher=Telegraph |date= |accessdate=12 November 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Gardham |first=Duncan |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/8110447/Website-used-by-woman-who-stabbed-MP-encourages-further-attacks.html |title=Website used by woman who stabbed MP encourages further attacks |publisher=Telegraph |date=4 November 2010 |accessdate=12 November 2010}}</ref> It stated: "We ask Allah for her action to inspire Muslims to raise the knife of ''Jihad'' against those who voted for the countless rapes, ­murders, pillages, and torture of Muslim civilians as a direct ­consequence of their vote."<ref name="dailymail1"/>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==

Revision as of 11:33, 15 November 2010

The Right Honourable
Stephen Timms

MP
Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Incumbent
Assumed office
11 May 2010
LeaderHarriet Harman
Ed Miliband
Preceded byMark Hoban
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
In office
5 October 2008 – 11 May 2010
Prime MinisterGordon Brown
Preceded byJane Kennedy
Succeeded byMark Hoban
In office
12 September 2004 – 6 May 2005
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byRuth Kelly
Succeeded byJohn Healey
In office
29 July 1999 – 8 June 2001
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byBarbara Roche
Succeeded byPaul Boateng
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office
5 May 2006 – 28 June 2007
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byDes Browne
Succeeded byAndrew Burnham
Member of Parliament
for East Ham
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 May 1997
Preceded byConstituency established
Majority27,826 (55.2%)
Member of Parliament
for Newham North East
In office
9 June 1994 – 1 May 1997
Preceded byRon Leighton
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born (1955-07-29) 29 July 1955 (age 69)
Oldham, United Kingdom
Political partyLabour
SpouseHui-Leng Lim (1986–present)
Alma materEmmanuel College, Cambridge
WebsiteOfficial website

Stephen Creswell Timms (born 29 July 1955) is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for East Ham since 1994. He is a former Cabinet Minister having served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2006 to 2007. He is also the Vice-Chair of the Labour Party, and vice chairman for faith groups.[1][2]

Timms was the Financial Secretary to the Treasury between 1999 and 2001, 2004, and 2005 and again between 2008 and 2010. Timms as of May 2010 had the largest majority of any sitting MP (27,826), with 70.4% of the local vote.[3][2] Since 11 May 2010, he has been the Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury.

On 14 May 2010 he was stabbed twice but survived a murder attempt by a radical Islamist constituent, Roshonara Choudhry.

Early life

Timms was born in Oldham, to Ronald James Timms, an engineer, and Margaret Joyce Timms, a retired school teacher.[4][5] He was educated at Farnborough Grammar School in Farnborough, Hampshire, and read Mathematics at Emmanuel College, Cambridge where he gained an MA in Mathematics in 1977 and an MPhil in Operational Research in 1978.[6]

Before entering politics, Timms worked in the telecommunications industry for 15 years, first for Logica from 1978–86 and then for Ovum from 1986–94, where he was the manager responsible for producing reports on the future of telecommunications. Timms was elected as a councillor for the Little Ilford Ward on Newham London Borough Council in a by-election in 1984, and served as Leader of the Council from 1990 to 1994.[6]

Member of Parliament

In June 1994 he was elected to Parliament as MP for Newham North East. For the next election, his constituency was merged with part of Newham South, and in May 1997 he was elected MP for the resulting new constituency of East Ham.[6][7]

In government

He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Andrew Smith from May 1997 to March 1998, and to Mo Mowlam from March to July 1998.

In 1998 Timms was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Social Security, rising to Minister of State in that department the following year. He served as Minister of State for E-Commerce and Competitiveness and Minister of State for Energy, E-Commerce and Postal Services at the Department of Trade and Industry; Minister of State for School Standards at the Department for Education and Skills; Minister of State for Pensions at the Department for Work and Pensions; and served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury, from 1999 to 2001, September 2004 to May 2005 and October 2008 to May 2010.[6]

Chief Secretary to the Treasury; Minister of State for Competitiveness

In May 2006 he was promoted to the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, effectively the Chancellor's second-in-command with responsibility for department budget issues, a post in which he remained until 28 June 2007, when he was dropped from the cabinet by new Prime Minister Gordon Brown.[6] It was later announced that he had been appointed Minister of State for Competitiveness at the newly created Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform

Following the government reshuffle on 24 January 2008 as a result of the resignation of Peter Hain, Timms moved to the Department for Work and Pensions to become Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform.[8]

Financial Secretary to the Treasury

Tony McNulty replaced him there on 3 October 2008, and Timms returned to his former role as Financial Secretary to the Treasury.[6]

In August 2009, he was given additional responsibility for Digital Britain.[9] In September 2009, he announced plans for a tax of £6 per year to be levied on each phone account in the UK. At the time, this was broadly characterised as a stealth tax in the UK media. In April 2010, Timms' department made an embarrassing slip when a letter purporting to be from him mistakenly identified IP address as "intellectual property address".[10] According to the accountants' magazine Accountancy Age, he was highly regarded by finance professionals despite such gaffes.[11]

Surgery attack

On 14 May 2010, Timms was approached by a 21-year-old woman, Roshonara Choudhry, during his constituency surgery at the Beckton Globe Library in Kingsford Way, Beckton, East London.[12][13] She acted as though she was going to shake his hand, and then stabbed him twice in his abdomen with a 6-inch kitchen knife, before being disarmed.[14][15] Timms suffered "potentially life-threatening" wounds–lacerations to the left lobe of his liver, and a perforation to his stomach. A senior police officer said he "was extremely fortunate not to have been killed".[16] He underwent emergency surgery at the Royal London Hospital, from which he was discharged on 19 May.[15][17] Choudhry said her attack was to punish Timms for voting for the Iraq War, and revenge for the Iraqi people.[18]

On 2 November, Choudhry was found guilty of Timms' attempted murder. She was subsequently given a life sentence, with a recommendation that she serve a minimum jail term of 15 years.[16] After the court case, Timms said he was not bitter, but that forgiveness was not an issue until his attacker showed remorse.[19]

Personal life

He describes himself as a "Christian Socialist". He has lived in the East London Borough of Newham since 1979. He married Hui-Leng Lim in the borough in 1986.[20]

References

  1. ^ Labour Party: Faith groups. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Woman charged over stabbing of Labour MP Stephen Timms". Daily Mail. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  3. ^ Stephen Timms: MP with the safest seat in Commons, Daily Telegraph, 14 May 2010
  4. ^ East Ham UK Polling Report
  5. ^ Dod's parliamentary companion guide ... Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d e f 6:19PM BST 14 May 2010 (14 May 2010). "Stephen Timms: MP with the safest seat in Commons". Telegraph. Retrieved 11 November 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "About Stephen". Stephentimms.org.uk. 9 June 1994. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
  8. ^ "Department for Work and Pensions – Stephen Timms official profile". The National Archives. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  9. ^ Timms to lead 'Digital Britain', BBC News, 6 August 2009
  10. ^ Minister for Digital Britain blunders in embarrassing 'IP' slip-up, MediaWeek, 9 April 2010
  11. ^ Accountants storm the Treasury, Accountancy Age, 14 May 2010
  12. ^ Woman charged with attempted murder of Labour MP, The Times, 15 May 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  13. ^ "Former minister Timms stabbed". BBC News. 14 May 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  14. ^ Woman, 21, arrested over stabbing of Labour MP, The Independent, 15 May 2010
  15. ^ a b Tom Rawstorne. "Roshonara Choudhry brainwashed by Al Qaeda into stabbing MP Stephen Timms". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  16. ^ a b "Woman jailed for life for attack on MP Stephen Timms". BBC News. 3 November 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  17. ^ MP Stephen Timms discharged from London hospital, BBC News, 19 May 2010
  18. ^ [1]
  19. ^ Stephen Timms: I don't feel bitter but I'm not ready to forgive my knife attacker, Evening Standard, 4 November 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  20. ^ Marriages England and Wales 1984–2005[dead link‍] FindMyPast.com
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Newham North East
1994–1997 		Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament for East Ham
1997–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Financial Secretary to the Treasury
1999–2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Financial Secretary to the Treasury
2004–2005 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief Secretary to the Treasury
2006–2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Financial Secretary to the Treasury
2008–2010 		Succeeded by

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