Julian Knight (born 5 January 1972) is a British politician and former journalist who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Solihull since 2015. He was a member of the Conservative Party, but sits in the House of Commons as an independent since December 2022, having had the Conservative Party whip suspended after the Metropolitan Police received a referral involving allegations of sexual assault. Knight said he was "entirely innocent of any wrongdoing whatsoever". Essex police have since begun an investigation into these allegations.
Early life
Knight was born in 1972 in Chester. He grew up in a lone-parent family. He attended Chester Catholic High School, and went on to study History at the University of Hull, the first in his family to do so, and graduated with a 2:2.
Employment before Parliament
After university, Knight returned to Chester where he worked for a number of electrical retailers before moving to London to sell advertising for The Sun Newspaper. He later worked for the BBC as personal finance and consumer affairs reporter for five years until 2007, working across television, radio and online. In 2007 he became the Money and Property Editor of The Independent on Sunday.
In April 2015, Knight was criticised by Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, for a book he authored eleven years earlier on tax avoidance. In his 2004 book, Wills, Probate and Inheritance Tax for Dummies, Knight "sets out ways that hardworking parents can pass on the graft of a lifetime" to their children. In the book, he was critical of the system of inheritance tax that existed at the point of publishing. He distinguished between personal tax avoidance, which he advised families on, and the "aggressive tax avoidance" of some multinational companies.
Political career
In 2014, Knight was selected to be the Conservative candidate for Solihull, a former Conservative safe seat which had been won by the Liberal Democrats in the 2005 General Election. At the 2015 general election Knight won the seat back for the Conservatives with a majority of 12,902, after an 11.9 per cent swing towards the Conservatives.
Prior to the 2016 UK referendum on European Union membership, Knight stated he would vote to remain in the EU.
Knight defended his seat at the 2017 general election and was returned with an increased majority.
In January 2018, Knight was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Ministry of Justice providing support to Ministers. In September 2018 he moved to the Department for Work and Pensions before moving to HM Treasury in January 2019.
Knight also served as the Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Mongolia, where he formed part of a network of parliamentarians with the role of strengthening relations with foreign countries, and helping British businesses in accessing foreign markets. In April 2018, Knight made his first visit to the country as Trade Envoy. Knight made his final visit in September 2018, and left the post at a later date.
Knight defended his seat during the 2019 General Election. He increased his majority, this time to 21,273. Labour came second and the Liberal Democrats were placed third.
In December 2021, Knight said there was a "real sense of palpable loss" over the death of six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes in Solihull. Knight said the sentences given to the killers of the boy were too lenient and he would be referring the sentences to the Attorney General's Office for review under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.
In April 2022, following the Prime Minister Boris Johnson's apology after being given a fixed penalty notice for breaking Covid-19 regulations, Knight said that due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine it was "not the right time to change the leadership of the country."
In July 2022, Knight backed Liz Truss to become Conservative leader, saying "Liz can re-unite our country and as your local Member of Parliament, I hope I have outlined why I believe Liz Truss will make the best Prime Minister to serve the interests of residents in Solihull."