Matthew Banks

Matthew Gordon-Banks (born 21 June 1961) is a British former Conservative Party politician who was elected in 1992 as the Member of Parliament for Southport, but lost his seat in 1997. Gordon-Banks left the Conservative Party in 2004 to join the Liberal Democrats. In 2016, he was suspended from his membership of the Liberal Democrats.

Early life and career Gordon-Banks graduated with a BA (Hons) in History and Economics from Sheffield Hallam University. He served in the 1st Battalion, 51st Highland Volunteers, from 1979 to 1981 before attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and being commissioned into the Gordon Highlanders in 1981.

After leaving the Army in 1983 with a war disablement pension sitting as an Independent Conservative and chairing the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for two years. After re-election unopposed in May 2004, he resigned from the council in November of that year. Gordon-Banks received an MBA from the Donald Harrison School of Business at Southeast Missouri State University in 2001.

Gordon-Banks was suspended from the Liberal Democrats in 2016 after an antisemitic Twitter tweet: "Farron's leadership campaign was organised and funded by London Jews" and "I am glad I never had to represent a constituency with a significant Jewish community because [they] are all bloody hard work". Marie van der Zyl, Vice President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said, "The comments by Matthew Gordon Banks on Twitter are of very deep concern. He talks about Jews and money and hints at the age-old canard of the 'Jewish conspiracy'. He must urgently clarify and apologise for his comments, otherwise, we would expect the Liberal Democrat Party to invoke disciplinary procedures."

Personal life Gordon-Banks married Jane Miller in 1992 and has a son and a daughter. He has a home in Charlbury, West Oxfordshire. In February 2017 Gordon-Banks was banned from the roads for driving whilst over the alcohol limit. In both cases his defence pled PTSD in mitigation.