It's the second part of my Politics Awards 2012. See who takes home my final four awards:
Backbencher of the Year: Nadhim Zahawi MP (Con)
Nadhim has been the MP for Stratford-upon-Avon since 2010. Before that he was co-founder of the polling company YouGov. Nadhim will be playing a big role in the Conservative Party in the next decade. He made an excellent and interesting speech about the rather dry subject of planning last month, you can read it here.
One to Watch: Rt Revd Justin Welby
Bishop of Durham Justin Welby will soon be the new Archbishop of Canterbury. The church have chosen well. He is a rounded man, with great faith, and a true concern for the poor. All I have seen of him, and the times I have listened to him speak, I have been extremely impressed. I wish him well, although he has a tough in tray in the next year, he will certainly be making a big impact over the next year.
Candidate of the Year: Phil Butler
My award of Candidate of the Year goes to Phil Butler. Phil was the Conservative candidate for Northumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner. A former copper and never having been member of a political party he really threw himself into the role. Phil earned the respect of a lot of people in the party and more importantly made a lot of friends along the way. He also secured an excellent result for us here in Northumberland, coming just 200 votes behind Labour despite there being two Labour MPs and just one Conservative MP in the County. Most importantly of all Phil showed nice guys can do well in politics.
Politician of the Year: Iain Duncan Smith MP (Con)
There are few more passionate MP's than Iain Duncan Smith. Now Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain is passionate about making welfare work in this country. A committed Christian, he has done much work already in removing the perverse incentives that encouraged people away from the job market. As Peter Oborne put it "Mr Duncan Smith believes it is his life’s work to end this monumental tragedy, and for the unemployed to find work and obtain the human dignity that a job brings with it." Next year is a big year for Iain with the introduction of the Universal Credit.
