Thursday 5 September 2019
2340 Philip Lee
Constituency : Bracknell 2010-19 ( Conservative ), 2019-?
Philip became the latest defector to the Liberal Democrats two days ago when he crossed the floor of the Commons during the Prime Minister's address.
Philip was born in Buckinghamshire. He was educated at Sir William Borlase's Grammar School and Oxford. He studied medicine at Imperial College, London and became a doctor in 1999. He worked in hospitals across the South of England and became a GP in 2004. He joined the Conservatives in 1992 and became a councillor in Beaconsfield in 2001. He stood in Blaenau Gwent in 2005 after which, David Cameron put him on the A list of suitable candidates. He was selected for Bracknell through an open primary, defeating Iain Dale and Rory Stewart. In 2013, he called for the exclusion of migrants with HIV and in 2017 referred to the health service as a Ponzi scheme. In 2016, he became a junior minister in the Ministry of Justice but resigned in 2018 over the handling of Brexit. He became chair of Right to Vote earlier this year.
Philip's defection caused one or two gay members to leave the party over his abstention on same sex marriage in 2014.
Thursday 15 August 2019
2339 Sarah Wollaston
Constituency : Totnes 2010-19 ( Conservative ), 2019 ( Change UK ), 2019-?
Sarah joined the Liberal Democrats in a much-anticipated switch following the disintegration of Change UK.
Sarah was born in Woking to an army officer. She was educated at a girls grammar school in Watford and Guys Hospital Medical School. She had a varied medical career in hospital paediatrics, police surgery, teaching and general practice. She joined the Tories in 2006 and put her name forward for Totnes as part of David Cameron's open primaries experiment. She defeated two more experienced politicians in the primary and won the seat comfortably in 2010. She declined to be appointed a PPS to a health minister. She became chair of the Health Select Committee in 2014. She took an independent stance on a number of issues. She initially supported Vote Leave in 2016 but switched sides after the promise of £350 billion for the NHS denouncing it as a lie. She joined Change UK in February 2019 but left after the European elections.
She is now 57.
Friday 2 August 2019
2338 Jane Dodds
Constituency : Brecon and Radnorshire 2019-?
Well I'm back again with a new Liberal Democrat MP to cover. Earlier today Jane was confirmed as the winner of the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election after the Tory incumbent was recalled due to expenses fraud. She was helped by Plaid Cymru and the Greens standing down in the Remain cause.
Jane is from Wrexham and speaks Welsh. She was educated at Cardiff University and became a social worker specialising in child protection. She was a councillor or Richmond-upon-Thames between 2006 and 2010. She stood in Montgomery in 2015, 2016 ( Welsh Assembly ) and 2017, coming second each time. She became leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats in 2017.
Sunday 21 July 2019
2337 Chuka Umunna
Constituency : Streatham 2010-19 ( Labour ) 2019 ( Change UK ), 2019-?
Chuka became the Liberal Democrats' newest MP in June this year having abandoned the Change UK project following the European elections.
Chuka is the son of a Nigerian businessman and an Anglo-Irish solicitor. He was educated at St Dunstan's College and the University of Manchester. He was a chorister at Southwark Carhedral. He became a solicitor specialising in employment law. He also dabbled in political journalism and joined the Compass group. He backed John Cruddas for the Labour leadership in 2007. He was elected for Streatham in 2010. Chuka supported the Blue Labour movement towards more conservative stands on international and social issues. He was a member of Labour Friends of Israel. He nominated Ed Miliband for the leadership and became his PPS. After a good performance on the Treasury Select Committee he was promoted to Shadow Business Secretary opposing Vince Cable who was a good friend in private. He announced his intention to run for the leadership after the 2015 election but withdrew three days later and backed Liz Kendall. He resigned from the shadow cabinet on Jeremy Corbyn's election. In 2017 he opposed the idea of a second referendum. By 2018 he had changed his mind and attended the launch of the People's Vote campaign. He then became chairman of a new centrist think tank Progressive Centre UK. In February 2019, he was the most prominent of seven Labour MPs who left the party to form Change UK .
Change UK believed that the Liberal Democrats were weak and ripe for a takeover. After the local election results, this analysis was proven hopelessly flawed and the European elections left their aspirations in shreds. Chuka and five other MPs left the party and eight days later he joined the Liberal Democrats admitting his previous strategy of setting up a new party was a fundamental misjudgement. He said he had massively underestimated the challenge of getting a new party off the ground.
Chuka was appointed the party's Treasury spokesman within days of his move.
He is now 40.
And that's it for now. Hopefully I'll have some more posts to write in the near future.
2336 Wera Hobhouse
Constituency : Bath 2017-?
Wera recaptured Bath from the Tories by a convincing majority. She was a last minute candidate after the previous choice stepped down.
Wera was born in Germany. She was educated at the University of Munster and the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. She got married in 1989 and moved to Liverpool where she opened an art gallery. She also worked as a teacher and journalist. In 1999 they moved to Rochdale where they were both elected Conservative councillors in 2004. A year later they switched to the Liberal Democrats over a housing development proposal. She was re-elected twice and became leader of the much-reduced party group in 2011. She was naturalised as a British citizen in 2007. In 2010, she stood for Heywood and Middleton where she came a respectable third. In 2014 , she stood down in Rochdale and moved to Bath. In 2015 she stood in North East Somerset coming fourth. She is a Christian.
Wera became spokesperson for housing, communities and local government. In 2018 , she presented a private member's bill to amend the Sexual Offences Act to cover upskirting.
It was obstructed by a backbench Tory but the government took the issue on board in its Voyeurism ( Offences ) Act 2019. In 2018 she was criticised for buying a heavy duty printer but said it was necessary for her constituency letters.
Wera is a member of the governing council of the Electoral Reform Society. She is a strong opponent of Brexit and fracking.
Wera and her husband own Compotex, a company providing adhesives to the textile industry.
She is now 59.
Saturday 20 July 2019
2335 Layla Moran
Constituency : Oxford West and Abingdon 2017-?
Layla scored the most surprising Liberal Democrat victory of the election in recapturing Oxford West, a seat that had been lost in 2010 rather than 2015.
Layla is the daughter of a British diplomat father and a Palestinian mother. She was educated at Roedean and Imperial College, London. She became a maths and physics teacher at international schools. In 2013, she became academic manager for Oxford Study Courses. She was briefly arrested for slapping her partner at the Liberal Democrat conference in 2013 but no charges were brought. She stood for Battersea in 2010 and for the London Assembly in 2012.She stood for Oxford West in 2015 maintaining second place.
Layla became education spokesperson. She had a lot of support to stand for leader when Vince Cable stood down but eventually decided against it.
Layla is multi-lingual.
She is now 36.
Friday 19 July 2019
2334 Christine Jardine
Constituency : Edinburgh West 2017-?
Christine recovered Edinburgh West from the SDP, helped by the fact that the 2015 SNP victor had become mired in financial scandal soon after their election. There may also have been a sympathy vote as her husband died during the campaign. Her victory meant that Edinburgh West joined Cornwall North in electing four post-war Liberals , achieved in a much shorter time.
Christine was educated at Braidfield High School and Glasgow University. She became a journalist working for BBC Scotland and the Press Association in Scotland. She also taught journalism in higher education. She was a media adviser to the coalition government.
Christine started out as spokesperson for Scotland but earlier this year she moved to spokesman for work and pensions and also covers digital culture, media and sport. She was tipped as a future leader but isn't standing in the current contest.
She is now 58.
Thursday 18 July 2019
2333 Jamie Stone
Constituency : Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 2017- ?
The 2017 election came round while the party was still licking its wounds although there were hopes Brexit might accelerate the party's recovery. As leader Tim Farron become embroiled in controversy over his views on gay sex and generally failed to impress the public, the party concentrated on trying to increase its seat total rather than fight on a broad front. In a modest way, the strategy worked with the party making 4 net gains and bringing some fresh faces into Parliament.
Jamie recaptured Cathness from the SNP. Jamie was educated at Gordonstoun and the University of St Andrews. He worked in fishing and the oil industry.He became a Highland councillor in 1995. He was elected MSP for the seat in 1999 and spoke on Housing and Health. He stood down in 2011 and became a councillor once more the following year. He decided to stand for the Scottish Parliament again in 2016 but came second.
Jamie became spokesman on Scotland but a few months later was moved to Armed Forces spokesman as a former member of the Territorial Army..
Jamie is a keen gardener, He is also a former pantomine dame.
He is now 65.
Wednesday 17 July 2019
2332 Sarah Olney
Constituency : Richmond Park 2016-17
The 2015 election was an unmitigated disaster for the Liberal Democrats who did worse than anyone expected returning just 8 MPs, none of them newcomers. From a very restricted field the party chose Tim Farron as its next leader and the future looked very bleak. However the party's membership started increasing the following day and after the EU Referendum, a serious revival began.
Sarah recaptured Richmond Park from the Tories after Zac Goldsmith honoured his rash pledge to force a by-election if the government gave the green light to a third runway at Heathrow Airport. By that time though, Brexit had replaced the airport as the major issue in a heavily Remain seat and Goldsmith's gesture looked self-indulgent.
Sarah was born in Surrey and educated at All Hallows School, Farnham and Kings College London. She worked as an accountant for a variety of organisations. She was one of the new members who joined in the wake of the 2015 disaster.
Sarah has been reported as having prevented the inclusion of legalising cannabis in the 2017 manifesto.
In 2017, Goldsmith won back the seat by 45 votes. She became chief of staff to Vince Cable ( perhaps as compensation for the diversion of resources to secure his election in the neighbouring seat ) . She resigned after 6 weeks to concentrate on campaigning in her local constituency but retains a party role as special projects manager.
She is now 42
Tuesday 16 July 2019
2331 Mike Thornton
Constituency : Eastleigh 2013-15
Mike took over from Chris Huhne at Eastleigh after the latter was forced to step down by his criminal conviction. The party was expected to lose the seat given the circumstances but Mike benefited from a split in the right wing vote between the Tories and UKIP. His victory was the party's only electoral triumph during the lifespan of the coalition government.
Mike was born in Surrey. He was educated at Charterhouse School and Manchester Polytechnic. In the 1970s he lived in the USA and worked in catering. He became marketing manager sector for a newspaper firm until he was made redundant. He then became a mortgage broker and lender. He worked for Barclays for a short time but quit because of their unethical sales policies at the time. He was a councillor in Eastleigh.
Mike sat on the European Scrutiny Committee and the Work and Pensions Committee. He is a strong supporter of the HS2 rail project.
Mike was defeated in 2015. He stood again in 2017 and obtained an almost identical vote to keep the party in second place.
He is now 67.
Monday 15 July 2019
2330 Tessa Munt
Constituency : Wells 2010-15
Tessa took the long time target seat of Wells after the Tory incumbent was damaged by the expenses scandal. She was the only female among the new intake.
Tessa was born in Surrey. She was educated at Sutton High School. She had a varied career taking in banking, legal work, teaching , social work and administration. She was initially a Labour member but switched to the Liberal Democrats in 1999. She stood for South Suffolk in 2001, coming third with 25% of the vote. Later that year she stood in the Ipswich by-election improving the party's share of the vote but remaining in third place. She stood in Wells in 2005 but failed to make further inroads into the Tory majority.
Tessa was a whip from 2010 to 2012 then became PPS to Vince Cable. She resigned in 2015 in opposition to fracking. She is a member of C.N.D. and opposed the renewal of Trident. She was embroiled in a dispute with her local council over a council tax rebate after former DJ Andy Kershaw registered at her house to vote but won her case. In 2014 she revealed that she had been a victim of child abuse.
Tessa was defeated in 2015. She stood again in 2017 , reducing the Tory majority by a grand total of 3 votes. She was however elected a councillor that year taking out the Tory leader. She has been re-selected as PPC for Wells once more.
She is now 59.
Sunday 14 July 2019
2329 Stephen Gilbert
Constituency : St Austell and Newquay 2010-15
Stephen won the new seat of St Austell and Newquay.
Stephen was born in Truro and educated at local schools. He went on to the University of Wales and the London School of Economics. He was briefly a councillor in Haringay then for Restormel in Cornwall. He briefly worked as a researcher for Lembit Opik then as a lobbyist for a financial services company.
Stephen became a junior whip. He was PPS to Ed Davey from 2012 to 2014.
In 2013, Stephen helped rescue a woman from the Thames.
In 2014, he was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy.
In 2015, Stephen was defeated by the Tories and fell into third place in 2017.
Stephen now teaches History and Politics at the King's School, Worcester.
Stephen is gay.
He is now 42.
Saturday 13 July 2019
2328 Duncan Hames
Constituency : Chippenham 2010-15
Duncan won the new seat of Chippenham defeating one of David Cameron's approved candidates, the so-called "Black Farmer", Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones. It was a notional hold for the party.
Duncan was educated at Watford Grammar School and Oxford where he was on the executive of the student union and represented the Oxford Union in debating competitions. He became an accountant with Delottes. At 22, he stood in the by-election at Tottenham in 2000 coming second. He stood for Watford in 2001 coming third. He moved to Wiltshire and became a councillor in 2003. He also joined the board of the South West of England Regional Development Agency. He stood for Westbury in 2005 maintaining the party's strong second place. He is a Christian.
In 2011, Duncan became PPS to Chris Huhne then switched to Nick Clegg in 2015.
Also in 2011, Duncan married fellow MP Jo Swinson.
Duncan was heavily defeated in 2015 and decided not to stand again. He became Head of Policy for the UK chapter of anti-corruption organisation Transparency International
He is now 42.
Friday 12 July 2019
2327 Stephen Lloyd
Constituency : Eastbourne 2010-15, 2017- ?
Stephen took Eastbourne , a longtime target since the 1990 by-election, from the Tories at the second attempt. The Tory incumbent Nigel Waterson had been damaged by an assault charge and the expenses scandal. Subsequent to the election Waterson sued over the Liberal Democrats' election leaflets but was ultimately unsuccessful
Stephen was born in Kenya. He was educated at St Georges College, Weybridge. He lost most of his hearing due to measles at the age of 6. In 1977 he started work as a commodity broker. He was later business development director at the Grass Roots Group. Frm 2005. he was a consultant to the Federation of Small Businesses.In 2001, he stood for Beaconsfield, coming third. He beat off competition from future colleagues Duncan Hames and Tessa Munt to get the nomination for Eastbourne in 2005 when he came a close second.
Stephen became a spokesperson ion Northern Ireland and was active in many all party parliamentary groups as well as sitting on the Work and Pensions Committee. He campaigned on mobility scooters and for better RE teaching in schools. Stephen was PPS to Ed Davey in 2014 but resigned from the government over a local road matter.
Stephen was only narrowly defeated in 2015. He said he wouldn't stand again and took a job with an events and exhibitions company. He changed his mind in 2016 after being petitioned by supporters and won the seat back in 2017. He became the party's work and pensions spokesman.
Stephen is a strong supporter of Eastbourne District Hospital which has featured in many of his campaigns.
Stephen campaigned to Remain in 2016 but promised to respect the Referendum result in a Leave constituency. As a result of pressure from the party, he resigned the party whip in 2018 though he remains a member.
He is now 62.
Thursday 11 July 2019
2326 Simon Wright
Constituency : Norwich South 2010-15
Simon took Norwich South from former Labour Education Secretary Charles Clarke by 310 votes, the result most obviously decided by the Liberal Democrat pledge on tuition fees.
Simon was educated at Imperial College, London and King's College, London. He became a maths teacher in Wells-on-the-Sea. He became a North Norfolk councillor in 2003 and became full time campaigns officer for Norman Lamb.
Simon sat on the Envoronmental Audit Select Committee. He voted against tuition fees. He was an aide to Nick Clegg and attended Cabinet metings in that capacity. He was PPS to Sarah Teather and then David Laws until 2013 when he became the party education spokesman.
Simon finished fourth in 2015.
Simon became head of the children's bereavement charity Nelson's Journey.
Simon is a keen runner.
He is now 39.
Tuesday 9 July 2019
2325 Julian Huppert
Constituency : Cambridge 2010-15
Julian took over from David Howarth at Cambridge.
Julian is the son of a geophysicist and a psychologist. He was born in Cambridge and educated at the Perse School and inevitably, Cambridge. He became a Junior Research Fellow there working on DNA structures. He became a county councillor as well as holding a position on the National Council of Liberty. He stood for Huntingdon in 2005 coming second in a safe Tory seat. He was brought up a Jew but is now a humanist.
Julian sat on a number of all party groups including being co-chair of the all parliamentary cycling group.. He was described by The Independent as "the only scientist" in the Commons but shrugged off the compliment. He has campaigned for a 20 mph speed limit , the preservation of local pubs and education funding in Cambridgeshire. In 2013 he complained of bullying after being heckled when he got up to speak,
Julian voted against tuition fees and was the closest of any losing Liberal Democrat to holding his seat in 2015.
Julian returned to academia and is now director of the Intellectual Forum at Jesus College.
Julian stood again in 2017 but Labour increased its majority to over 12,000.
He is now 40.
2324 David Ward
Constituency : Bradford East 2010-15
David took Bradford East from Labour by 365 votes.
David is a plumbers son from Lincoln. He was educated at Boston Grammar School and the Uiversity of Bradford. He is a qualified public sector accountant. He became a lecturer in finance and strategic management at Leeds Polytechnic where he also had a management role in generating external income. He became a Bradford councillor in 1984. His particular interest was education. In 2004 he was seconded to Bradford City FC to work on building links with the local Asian community. He stood for Bradford North in a by-election in 1990 coming a distant second. He stood there again in 1992 coming third. He stood there again in 2001 and 2005, moving up to second place in the latter election.
David served on the Business, Innovation and Skills and Education select committees.
In 2013, David was reprimanded by the party for a statement on his website expressing sadness that "the Jews" who suffered at Auschwitz should commit atrocities against the Palestinians on a daily basis. He later apologised for the offence his words had caused. A few months later he tweeeted "Am I right or am I wrong? At long last the Zionists are losing the battle - how long can the apartheid state of Israel continue to exist ?" and was suspended from the party for three months. The chief whip Alistair Carmichael wrote " These interventions cause considerable offence rather than addressing questions of political substance about the plight of the Palestinian people and the right of Israel's citizens to live a life free of violence". In 2013 he made the observation that "it's a shame there isn't a powerful, well-funded Board of Deputies for Roma" and in 2014 tweeted that he would probably fire a rocket at Israel if he lived in Gaza. The chair of the Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel described him as "an ignorant political opportunist...neither a Liberal nor a Democrat". He tweeted "Je suis # Palestinian" after the murder of four Jews in Paris in 2015.
In 2015 Labour easily re-took David's seat. He was re-elected to the council the following year. In 2017 Theresa May referred to his "questionable record on antisemitism". He was deselected as a candidate but stood as an Independent and came third, well ahead of the Liberal Democrat candidate. Tim Farron sad he was "unfit to represent the party".
Earlier this year, David claimed to have been readmitted to the party but that has been disputed.
He is now 66.
Sunday 7 July 2019
2323 Gordon Birtwistle
Constituency : Burnley 2010-15
Gordon took Burnley from Labour after the incumbent Kitty Usher was damaged by the expenses scandal. It was his fourth attempt at the seat. His victory was also helped by the transfer of the local A & E unit to Blackburn.
Gordon was born in Oswaldtwistle and began work as a craft engineering apprentice at a textile machinery firm in Accrington. He achieved engineering qualifications at Accrington College and moved through a number of local firms eventually becoming a director then set up his own company, P & J Engineering Supplies. He was originally a Labour councillor but switched to the SDP in the eighties. He became leader of Burnley Council in 2006. He retired in 2008. He stood fior Burnley in 1992 and 1997 coming third then moved up to second in 2005.
Gordon became PPS to Danny Alexander, serving until 2012. In 2014 he stood for Liberal Democrat deputy leader. He voted against gay marriage. Gordon's campaigning helped to reinstate the Todmorden Curve which allows direct rail services between Burnley and Manchester. He secured a new emergency unit in Burnley.He also brought increased investment to the town.In 2013 he became Government Apprenticeships Ambassador to Business.
In 2015 Gordon was defeated by Labour although the swing against him was relatively small. In 2017 he slipped to third place behind the Conservatives. He announced his retirement from parliamentary politics following the result.
Gordon remains leader of the Liberal Democrat group in Burnley and said he'd been "knifed in the back" when four councillors left to form an independent group over Brexit in 2017.
He is now 75.
2322 Ian Swales
Constituency : Redcar 2010-15
Ian scored the most surprising victory in the 2010 election, unseating the Solicitor-General Vera Baird in the Labour stronghold of Redcar. His victory was put down to recent job losses in the area. He did not expect to win, only to reduce Baird's majority.
Ian was born in Leeds. He was educated at Ashville College, Harrogate and U.M.I.S.T. He joined Yorkshire Electricity where he qualified as an accountant. He moved to Teesside in 1978 to join ICL. He joined the SDP in 1981. He retired in 2003 and took up politics as a new challenge. He stood for Redcar in 2005 overtaking the Tories for second place.
Ian sat on a number of all-party groups including Chemicals and Steel. He also sat on the Public Accounts Committee until 2014 when he became a Treasury spokesman.
In 2014 , Ian announced that he would be stepping down as an MP. He felt his experience wasn't fully utilised and he never wanted to serve more than five years. He also said a wide variety of experience should be more important than quotas. His talk of a "reverse glass ceiling" drew much criticism from feminists. He had a brief spell as Vince Cable's PPS in 2015.
Ian took up the role of Chair of the Northeast of England Process Industry Cluster.
Ian is active in Redcar Swimming Club.
He is now 66.
Saturday 6 July 2019
2321 Mike Crockart
Constituency : Edinburgh West 2010-15
The 2010 election was a mixed bag to say the least. After a difficult time following Charles Kennedy's removal and the revival of the Tories, the Liberal Democrats went into the campaign on the defensive but their hopes rocketed after Nick Clegg's first appearance in the televised leader's debate brought high poll ratings. Over the course of the campaign, that was whittled down though the vote share was slightly up on 2005. However, the party suffered a net loss of 5 seats largely due to expenses and popular incumbents stepping down. The result left the party in the difficult position of having a hung parliament but only one realistic option, some form of co-operation with the Conservatives.
Mike took over from John Barrett at Edinburgh West after a hard-fought selection battle.
Mike was educated at Perth High School and Edinburgh University. He was a police officer for eight years before switching to systems development. He stood for Edinburgh North and Leith in 2005 coming a close second. In 2007 he contested the same constituency in the Scottish parliament elections but again came second.
Mike became PPS to Michael Moore but resigned in order to vote against tuition fees. He was the victim of a prank whereby an impostor appeared on Radio Four's The World At One although what he said - in an English accent - pretty much chimed with Mike's position.
In 2015, Mike actually increased his vote but was defeated by the huge swing from Labour to the SNP.
Mike subsequently set himself up as a lobbyist but since 2016 has been working for the Scottish government on a major IT project around digital identity assurance.
He is now 53.
Friday 5 July 2019
2320 Willie Rennie
Constituency : Dunfermline and West Fife 2006-10
Willie took Dunfermline and West Fife from Labour to give Menzies Campbell a boost to his leadership. His victory meant that the party was its high watermark since 1924 for the rest of the parliament.
Willie was born in Fife where his parents ran the village shop. He was educated at Baxter High School and Paisley Collefe of Technology. He worked for the party in Cornwall and was Diana Maddock's agent when she won Christchurch in 1993. After the 1997 election he moved back to Scotland to become Chief Executive of the Scottish party and then Chief of Staff for the Scottish Parliamentary party. In 2001 he started work as an adviser to a communications firm.
Willie became a defence spokesman.
Willie lost the seat back to Labour in 2010. He became a special adviser to Michael Moore until his election as an MSP on the regional list in 2011. He became the leader of the Scottish party unopposed. In 2016, he won the constituency seat of North East Fife.
Willie is very keen on running and has raised a lot of money for charity in that way.
He is now 51.
Thursday 4 July 2019
2319 Mark Hunter
Constituency : Cheadle 2005-2015
Mark took over from the deceased Patsy Calton in the Liberal Democrats' first by-election defence since Truro in 1987. He won with a slight increase in the vote share.
Mark was educated at Audenshaw Grammar School for Boys. He worked as a marketing executive for the Guardian Media Group. I first came across him as the leader of the small Liberal group at Tameside Council in 1987. He stood in Ashton-under-Lyne that year, coming third. He moved across the border to more fertile territory in Stockport and was elected a councillor there in 1996. He stood for Stockport in 2001. In 2002 he became Leader of the Council. He served on the North West Regional Authority and in the Local Government Association.
Mark became a spokesman on the ODPM, then Home Affairs then Foreign Affairs . He was PPS to Nick Clegg when he became leader and also Transport spokesman. He was the Liberal Democrat Deputy chief whip from 2010 to 2014.
Mark was defeated in 2015 by the Tories. He stood again in 2017 and reduced the Tory majority by 2,000 despite UKIP dropping out. He has been re-elected to the council and currently leads the Liberal Democrat group.
He is now 61.
Wednesday 3 July 2019
2318 Jeremy Browne
Constituency : Taunton ( Deane after 2010) 2005-15
Jeremy avenged Jackie Ballard's defeat by recapturing Taunton Dene from the Tories. by 573 votes.
Jeremy is the son of a diplomat. He was educated at Bedales School and Nottingham University where he was President of the Student Union in 1992. He became a researcher for Alan Beith in 1993. He also held business consultancies. He became the party's Director of Press and Broadcasting under Paddy Ashdown. He stood in Enfield Southgate in 1997 coming third. He is a free market liberal on the right of the party and somewhat Eurosceptic.
Jeremy became a home affairs spokesman. He was campaign press secretary for Menzies Campbell in his leadership campaign. He became shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2008.
In 2009 Jeremy was asked to repay mortgage interest claimed on expenses following the Legg Report. He successfully appealed the decision on the grounds that his arrangement saved the taxpayer money.
Jeremy increased his majority to nearly 4,000 in 2010.
Jeremy was appointed a Foreign Office minister in 2010. Because of his plummy accent, civil servants had to be reminded that he was not a Tory. In 2012 he was moved to the Home Office but was sacked a year later for getting too cosy in coalition. He argued that he was trying to make the government work rather than look reluctant in his post. He believed that the party had weakened its case by distancing itself from the government after 2012 and offering just "insipid moderation".In 2014 he announced he would be standing down at the next election. That same year he published Race plan; an authentic liberal plan to get Britain fit for "The Global Race" arguing for economic liberalism to meet the challenge of globalisation. He claimed to be a "critical friend" of the party. The Conservative party made repeated attempts to recruit him.
Jeremy went into higher education as a lecturer in International Relations. In 2015 he became Special Representative for the City of London Corporation in the European Union. He stepped down in 2018 and became International Business Advisor for Aberdeen Standard Investments.
He is now 49.
Tuesday 2 July 2019
2317 Julia Goldsworthy
Constituency : Falmouth and Camborne 2005-10
Julia took Falmouth and Camborne from Labour, starting from third place and making it a clean sweep of the Cornish constituencies for the Liberal Democrats .
Julia was born in Camborne. She was educated at Truro School and Cambridge and spent a postgraduate year at Daiichi University, Japan. She started work as an economics researcher for Matthew Taylor then became a regeneration officer for Carrick District Council. She stood unsuccessfully to be a councillor in Lambeth.
Julia became a health spokesman. In 2006 she was promoted to shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. She took part in Channel Four's reality show The Games coming second and raising £20,000 for Cornish Air Ambulance. At one point, a helicopter was laid on to fly her to the Commons for a budget debate. In 2007 she was moved to shadow Communities and Local Government.
Julia was regarded as a rising star but was undone by the expenses scandal after buying items including a designer rocking chair from upmarket furniture stores to furnish her London flat although she only claimed part of the cost.
In 2010, Julia stood for the new constituency of Camborne and Redruth but was defeated by 66 votes. She was subsequently appointed a special adviser to Danny Alexander.
In 2015, Julia contested the seat again but came fourth. She is currently Director of Strategy for the West Midlands Combined Authority.
Julia is an accomplished gig rower.
She is now 40.
Monday 1 July 2019
2316 Dan Rogerson
Constituency : Cornwall North 2005-15
Dan took over from Paul Tyler at Cornwall North.
Dan was born in Truro. He was educated at Bodmin College and University of Wales Aberystwyth. He started work at Bedford Borough Council but had to resign when he became a councillor. He switched to university administration. He stood for North East Bedfordshire in 2001 coming third.
Dan swore part of his oath of allegiance in Cornish. He became shadow minister for Communities and Local Government.He campaigned for a public holiday on St Piran's Day and a Cornish Assembly.
In 2013, Dan joined the government as Parliamentary Under Secretary for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Dan was defeated in 2015 and fell further behind in 2017. He announced in 2018 that he would not fight the seat again. He is now chairman of Wessex Water Partnership.
He is now 43.
Sunday 30 June 2019
2315 Martin Horwood
Constituency : Cheltenham 2005-15
Martin took over from Nigel Jones at Cheltenham.
Martin was born in Cheltenham. He was educated at Cheltenham College and Oxford. He was chairman of the national Union of Liberal Students. He stood in Oxford East in 1992 coming third. In 2001 he stood for City of London and Westminster, again coming third. He started work for a London advertising agency then switched to working in the voluntary sector. He was later Director of Fundraising at the Alzheimer's Society. He worked for Oxfam in Oxford and was a district councillor there. He is a humanist.
Martin became a Home Affairs spokesman. He backed Chris Huhne for leader then joined his shadow environment team. In 2007 he founded and chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group on Tribal Peoples.
Martin increased his majority in 2010. He accompanied Chris Huhne to the UN Climate Change Conference in Mexico.
Martin was defeated in 2015. He stood again in 2017, substantially reducing the Tory majority.
Martin became director of engagement and impact at Development Initiatives. In 2018 he was elected to the council.
In 2019 Martin was second on the list for the European Parliament in the South West and was duly elected.
He is now 56.
Saturday 29 June 2019
2314 Stephen Williams
Constituency : Bristol West 2005-2015
Stephen took Bristol West from the Tories at the second attempt.
Stephen was born in Glamorgan. He attended Mountain Ash Comprehensive School and Bristol University. He became a tax advisor working in accountancy firms. He joined the SDP and became a councillor for both Avon and Bristol City. He was leader of the Avon Liberal Democrat group from 1995 to 1997. He stood for Bristol South in 1997 coming third. In 2001 he moved the Liberal Democrats back into second place at Bristol West. He became the first openly gay Liberal Democrat MP.
Stephen became spokesman on public health and was a strong supporter of a smoking ban. He supported Chris Huhne's leadership bid in 2006. Menzies Campbell moved him to higher and further education and then schools. He supported Nick Clegg for leader and became spokesman for innovation, universities and skills.
In 2010 Stephen greatly increased his majority.
In 2013, Stephen joined the government as parliamentary under-secretary for Communities and Local Government. He promoted a national set of housing standards and recognised the Cornish as a national minority. He supported turning pubs into community assets.
In 2015, Stephen fell into third place as Labour took the seat. In 2017 he slipped to fourth. That same year he came a creditable third in the West of England mayoral elections. In 2019 he was third on the list for the South West in the European elections.
He is now 52.
Friday 28 June 2019
2313 Chris Huhne
Constituency : Eastleigh 2005-12
Chris took over from David Chidgey at Eastleigh, getting home by 568 votes after a fierce campaign from the Tories.
Chris was born in West London.He is the son of a businessman and was educated at Westminster School and Oxford. He edited the Isis magazine and was on the executive of the Labour Club. He started out as a journalist in Liverpool.He went to work in the City and made a fortune with a company that measured the risk rating of various countries for investment. He then became economics editor and columnist for The Guardian. He switched to the SDP in 1981 and stood in Reading East in 1983 coming second. In 1987 he stood in Oxford West and Abingdon displacing the former Labour MP Evan Luard. The Tory victor John Patten described him as "a passing Guardian journalist " but he improved on Luard's showing. In 1999 he became an MEP for South East England. He was very active in financial reform and was re-elected in 2004. It was during his tenure in Europe that he was caught speeding for a fourth time and made the ill-fated decision to ask his wife to take the points.
Chris was made shadow chief secretary to the Treasury and spotted a tax loophole in the 2005 Finance Bill which was subsequently amended. He took the party by surprise in standing for the leadership in 2006 and came a creditable second after an energetic campaign. He became shadow environment spokesman and was a major force behind the party's green tax policies. In 2007 he stood again for the leadership and narrowly lost to Nick Clegg.; a subsequent discovery of uncounted postal votes suggested he might have won but he accepted the result. Clegg made him Home Affairs spokesman. He was criticised for including a trouser press in his expenses claims which were quite low overall. He played Gordon Brown in Nick Clegg's preparations for the TV leaders debates.
Chris increased his majority in 2010 and was part of the negotiating team which led to the coalition government. He became Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. The tabloids then exposed his affair with a bisexual researcher Cara Trimingham and he announced he was leaving his wife Vicky Pryce, an economist with political ambitions of her own. Chris pursued a policy of favouring renewables over nuclear energy which was backed by David Cameron. He clashed with George Osborne over the Conservatives' aggressive campaign for a no vote in the AV referendum.
Pryce retaliated by a suggestion in a magazine interview that someone had taken the speeding points, apparently not realising that this left her open to prosecution. Chris denied the accusation and carried on but the Labour MP Simon Danczuk made a complaint to the police. He made repeated attempts to have the case thrown out. He resigned from the Cabinet in 2012 when it became clear the case would proceed. A year later he resigned his seat having decided to plead guilty. Both he and Pryce were sentenced to 8 months in prison. A barrister friend of Pryce was also jailed for plotting with her to blame an innocent researcher. During her trial she claimed that Chris had previous sexual relationships with men.
Chris was released after 9 weeks with an electronic tag. He became European manager of Zilkha Biomass Energy.
He is now 64.
Thursday 27 June 2019
2312 Lynne Featherstone
Constituency : Hornsey and Wood Green 2005-2015
Lynne unseated Labour's Barbara Roche at the third attempt, a result that was put down to the Iraq War.
Lynne was born in London and educated at South Hampstead High School and Oxford Polytechnic. Her parents owned a chain of electrical shops. She became a Haringey councillor in 1998. She became the Opposition leader as a result. She was also a member of the London Assembly from 2000 to 2005 and was chair of the Transport Committee. She contested Hornsey and Wood Green in 1997 and came a distant third. In 2001 she moved up to second place.She is Jewish.
Lynne became a junior home affairs spokesman. She supported Chris Huhne in both his leadership campaigns. She became Youth and Equality spokesperson under Nick Clegg.
Lynne declined to stand for the London Mayor in 2008.
Lynne became a junior home office minister in the coalition government but achieved prominence by spearheading the same sex marriage legislation. She was criticised for a comment made at the 2011 party conference that men "make terrible decisions" when they are in charge. She also had a spell as an international development minister.
In 2015 Lynne was soundly beaten by Labour. She published a book about the same sex legislation called Equal Ever After. She went to the House of Lords as Baroness Featherstone and was spokesperson for energy and climate change until earlier this year.
Despite being 53 when first elected, Lynne topped a poll as Britain's most fanciable MP.
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