The Honourable
Geoffrey Boot
MHK
Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture
In office
4 October 2016 – 12 August 2021
MonarchElizabeth II
GovernorRichard Gozney
Preceded byRichard Ronan
Succeeded byClare Barber
Member of the House of Keys
for Glenfaba and Peel
In office
22 September 2016 – 12 August 2021
Member of the House of Keys for Glenfaba
In office
11 September 2015 – 21 September 2016
Succeeded byConstituency Abolished
Personal details
Born1953
Nottingham, United Kingdom
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations		Conservative
SpouseSuzie Boot
Children4

Geoffrey Boot (born 1953) is an English-born politician who until 2021 served as a Member of the House of Keys for Glenfaba and Peel. Before moving to the Isle of Man, Boot also served as a Conservative Councillor and Mayor for Sandgate in Kent.

Early life

Geoffrey George Boot[1] was born in Nottingham in 1953 and was educated in Sussex Coast College Hastings.[2] Boot's time at college was cut short by a serious motorsport accident which left him hospitalised and forced him to leave further education.

After the accident, Boot began his working career at Midland Bank before moving into surveying and estate agency work. Boot also operated a large soft fruit farm as well as holiday, golf and leisure facilities.

UK political career

Prior to his election into the House of Keys, Boot was a Conservative Party councillor in the parish of Sandgate, Kent, where he served four years as chairman and for three months was their only mayor.[3] He and his wife Suzie unsuccessfully stood in the 2007 Shepway District Council election for the Folkestone Cheriton ward.[4]

Manx political career

He contested the House of Keys seat of Glenfaba in both the 2006 and 2011 Manx general elections, but the seat was retained by his opponent David Anderson in both elections.[5][1] From 2012 to 2015 Boot served as a Commissioner for the parish of German.[3]

He stood in a 2015 by-election triggered by Anderson's promotion to the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man.[6] and won the election with 424 votes.[7] His victory by three votes was described by the Mansfield and Ashfield Chad as "the closest Manx election result since 1929".[3] In Tynwald, Boot sat on the Social Affairs Policy Review Committee, Select Committee of Tynwald on the Registration of Property and served as political member of the Department of Economic Development and the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture.

In the 2016 Manx General Election, the constituency of Glenfaba was merged with the neighbouring constituency of Peel. Boot was returned with an increased vote count along with former Peel MHK Ray Harmer, who topped the poll.[2] In October 2016 he was chosen by Howard Quayle to serve as Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture.[2]

From 2017 to 2018, Boot sat on the Select Committee on the Functioning of Tynwald.

As Minister, Boot held responsibility for legislation and regulation relating to the island's farming and fishing industries as well as environmental and biodiversity policy and the protection and management of the island's national glens, territorial seas and reserves.[8] In 2020 Boot was responsible for taking the Climate Change Act through Tynwald, which set out the Isle of Man Government's approach to mitigating the effects of climate change and its commitment to reducing net carbon emissions to zero by 2050.[9]

In May 2021, Boot stated that he intended to stand as a candidate in the 2021 Manx General Election.[10]

But in June 2021, Boot shouted at women (whilst campaigning for election) from Ireland telling her to go back to Ireland which spark outrage in the community.[11]

Boot stood for re-election for Glenfaba and Peel at the 2021 general election, but was not elected: he came in sixth place with less than 4% of the votes cast.

United Kingdom electoral results

Local elections in the United Kingdom

Date of election Constituency Party Votes % of votes Result Ref
2003 Shepway District Council election Folkestone Cheriton Conservative 216 15.5 Not elected [12]
2007 Shepway District Council election Folkestone Cheriton Conservative 433 28.8 Not elected [4]

Electoral results

2006

2006 Manx General Election: Glenfaba[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent David Anderson 760 58.96%
Independent Geoffrey Boot 529 41.04%
Total valid votes 1289
Rejected ballots 13 1%
Registered electors 1,733
Turnout 1302 75.13%

2011

2011 Manx General Election: Glenfaba[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent David Anderson 649 46.52%
Independent Geoffrey Boot 557 39.93%
Independent Matthew Wadsworth 189 13.55%
Total valid votes 1395
Rejected ballots 11 0.78%
Registered electors 2,016
Turnout 1406 69.74%

2015

2015 By-Election: Glenfaba[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent Geoffrey Boot 424 50.18%
Independent David Talbot 421 49.82%
Total valid votes 845
Rejected ballots 7 0.71%
Turnout 845 33.27%

2016

2016 Manx General Election: Glenfaba and Peel[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Independent Raymond Harmer 2195 41.91%
Independent Geoffrey Boot 1805 34.46%
Independent Leslie Hanson 1238 23.63%
Total valid votes 5238
Rejected ballots 24 0.73%
Registered electors 5,886
Turnout 3309 56.22%

2021

Glenfaba & Peel [16][17]
Party Candidate Votes
Count Of total (%)
Independent Kate Lord-Brennan 2,150 30.9
Independent Tim Crookall 1,134 19.3
Independent Ray Harmer 1,073 15.4
Independent Trevor Cowin 1,070 15.4
Green Leo Cussons 855 12.3
Independent Geoffrey Boot 273 3.9
Independent Mikey Lee 201 2.9
Total votes 6,756 191.4
Total ballots 3,639
Rejected ballots 6
Turnout 3,645 57.1
Registered electors 6,380

Personal life

Boot has four children with his wife Suzie.[2] Mr and Mrs Boot own a number of properties including Sandgate Castle, a Device Fort in Sandgate, Kent.[18] which is now used by his property investment company, AMT South Eastern Ltd.[3]

He is a commercial pilot and a chief flying instructor.[2] He won the King's Cup Race three times and was a co-founder of FLYER magazine.[2] In 2016, Boot announced that he would be downsizing his commitments.[3]

On the 18 March 1999 he was enrolled as a minor Scottish baron, with the title of Baron Boot of Waughton.[19][a] Boot is related to the family associated with the Boots pharmaceutical chain.[3]

Notes

  1. ^ In Scotland feudal minor baronies may be transferred by purchase: The Scotsman 22 November 2006 "Buy yourself a title and swap the Mr for Baron"

References

  1. ^ a b c "House of Keys 2011 General Election Results" (PDF). Isle of Man Government. 29 September 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Geoffrey George Boot MHK (Glenfaba)". Tynwald. 2016. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Colourful Past of new MKH Baron Boot". Chad. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Local Election Results 2007 Shepway". Local Elections Archive Project. 3 May 2007. Archived from the original on 8 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  5. ^ "The 2006 Isle of Man General Election Results". iomelections.com. 23 November 2006. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Isle of Man by-elections: Six to stand in Peel and Glenfaba". BBC News Online. 12 August 2015. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Glenfaba Results (2015)". Manx Radio. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Isle of Man Government - Environment, Food and Agriculture". Isle of Man Government. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Isle of Man Government - Climate Change Isle of Man". Isle of Man Government. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  10. ^ "Declaration of Candidacy 2021 - Geoffrey Boot MHK". Geoffrey Boot. 16 June 2020. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  11. ^ Manx Radio (19 August 2021). "Boot dispute caught on camera".
  12. ^ "Local Election Results 2003 Shepway". Local Elections Archive Project. 2003. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022.
  13. ^ "House of Keys 2006 General Election results" (PDF). Isle of Man Government. 23 November 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  14. ^ "House of Keys By-Election 2015" (PDF). Isle of Man Government. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2022.
  15. ^ "2016 General Election - Constituency Results" (PDF). Isle of Man Government. 26 September 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 April 2022.
  16. ^ "Glenfaba and Peel (2021)". Manx Radio. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  17. ^ "Glenfaba and Peel notice of result (2021)" (PDF). Isle of Man Government. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  18. ^ "Burglar Fails to Break into Geoffrey Boot's Sandgate Castle Home". Dover Express. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  19. ^ "Court of the Lord Lyon". Edinburgh Gazette (24861): 1734. 15 August 2000.

External links

Members of the House of Keys 2016–2021
Categories