DAVID LIDINGTON MP - TEXT ONLY VERSION OF WEB SITE

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David Lidington

David Roy Lidington was born in 1956.

He was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree, and at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. He took an honours degree in History and then a doctorate for research on Elizabethan history.

He is married to Helen, who worked as a primary school teacher before the birth of their sons, Christopher (born 1993), Thomas (born 1995) and twins Edward and James (born 1997). They live in the constituency in Princes Risborough.

David Lidington worked for BP and RTZ before being appointed in 1987 as Special Advisor to the then Home Secretary (Rt Hon Douglas Hurd CBE MP). He moved to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1989 when Douglas Hurd became Foreign Secretary.

He has had the privilege of twice captaining a champion University Challenge team, first in 1978 and then in 2002 when the Sidney Sussex team became "champion of champions" in University Challenge Reunited.

In the 1987 General Election, David fought Vauxhall. He was adopted as prospective Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Aylesbury in December 1990 and was elected as Member for Parliament for that Constituency in 1992.

Since his election, David has served as member of the Education Select Committee and as joint-secretary of the Conservative Backbench Home Affairs Committee. He successfully promoted a Private Members Bill which became the Chiropractors Act 1994.

David Lidington was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the then Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Michael Howard QC MP, from August 1994 to 1997.

He was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition, Rt Hon William Hague MP, in June 1997.

During the reshuffle in June 1999 David Lidington was appointed Shadow Opposition Spokesman at the Home Office under Ann Widdecombe.

In September 2001 he was appointed Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury under Michael Howard.

In May 2002 he was appointed Shadow Minister for Agriculture.

In November 2003 he became Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

In July 2007 David was appointed Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs.

David was re-elected to Aylesbury in 2005 with a majority of 11,067, an increase on his majority of 10,009 in 2001.

Aylesbury constituency is made up of the urban areas of Aylesbury Town, Stoke Mandeville, Weston Turville, Wendover, Great Missenden, Princes Risborough and Stokenchurch as well as numerous other villages and hamlets. If you are not sure if David is your MP you can check your postcode on the Internet, at http://www.locata.co.uk/commons

David spends three days in every week in the constituency. On Fridays and Saturdays and Monday mornings he normally spends time in the constituency catching up on the week's important events, visiting schools, businesses, organisations and councillors and talking to his constituents in his regular advice surgeries. If you would have a problem which you think David could help you with please either contact the constituency office or write to him at the House of Commons (addresses are on the contact page).

The rest of the time, David is at Westminster representing the people of Aylesbury constituency. In a normal week, he arrives at 8am and has meetings with people related to Foreign Affairs, the constituency and with his secretary and researcher, who look after his office in Westminster. The remainder of the time is spent preparing for business in the House of Commons, which starts at 2.30pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, 11.30am on Wednesdays and 10.30am on Thursdays, or for work in committees.

There are two types of committee; Select committees which look at the running of departments (such as Social Security or Defence) and they have a set membership and Standing Committees which form to consider the details of Bills put forward the Government. David sat on the Education Select Committee under the previous Government and is currently on the Northern Ireland Grand Committee. The committees sit in the morning and are usually open to members of the public.

Prime Minister's Question time is on Wednesdays from 12 noon to 12.30pm. If you want to know more about Parliament you can visit the Parliament website.


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