Members Of Parliament in Townsend, Ilminster, Somerset - Somerset County Gazette

MPs: David Laws MP; William of Dartmouth MEP;

Yeovil (House of Commons)

Rt Hon. David Laws MP (Liberal Democrat)

Surgery: 5 Church Street
Yeovil
Somerset
BA20 1HB

Surgery Tel: 01935 423284

MP Since - 2001 Majority - 13,036 Born - 30/11/1965.
Education - St. George's College, Weybridge. Kings College, Cambridge (Double First Class Honours in Economics).

Previous Occupation - Vice President JP Morgan & Company (1987-92), Barclays de Zoete Wedd Ltd (1992-94), Managing Director Head US Dollar & Sterling Treasuries (1992-94). Economic Advisor to the Liberal Democrat Party (1994-97), Director of Policy & Research (1997-99).

Personal Overview - A high flying party insider who has successfully inherited the now safe seat of former leader Paddy Ashdown. Likely to be at the centre of Liberal Democrat Economic policy over the coming years, he has already authored several of their alternative budgets (1994 & 1995). He has rapidly risen up the Liberal Democrat ranks and is likely to take an increasingly high profile in the party. This was further accelerated by becoming one of the 5 initial Liberal Democrat Cabinet members in May 2010 in the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition. Despite an initially promising start, he only last some two weeks in post, resigning in late May following the disclosure that he had claimed expenses to pay rent to his partner, a relationship that he had wished to remain private. He also referred himself to the parliamentary standards commissioner. In May 2011 following an investigation into his expense claims it was ruled that he should be suspended from Parliament for seven days. Returned to Government at the September 2012 reshuffle having been deemed to have spent enough time on the outside following his expense claim issues.

Political History - Special Advisor to Rt. Hon. Paddy Ashdown on Economic Affairs. General Election Candidate, Folkestone & Hythe (1997). MP Yeovil (2001-). Member of the Treasury Select Committee & Treasury Sub Committee (2001-03). Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesman (2001-02), Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury (2002-05). Shadow Secretary of State for Work & Pensions (2005-07). Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (2007-10). Chief Secretary to the Treasury (2010). Minister of State for Children and Families and Minister of State at the Cabinet Office (2012-).

Characteristics - Won the MACE National Schools Debating Competition (1984).

Business Tel: 020 7219 8413

Email: lawsd@parliament.uk

My blog

Interests: Environment,UK Economy,Economics,General Economy,Education & Training

Commitee membership

• All-Party Parliamentary Group on Communications (Member)
• All-Party Parliamentary Group on Overseas Development (Chairman)
• All-Party Parliamentary Rail Group (Member)
• All-Party Parliamentary Group on Social Enterprise (Treasurer)

South West (European Parliament)

Earl William of Dartmouth MEP (UK Independence)

MEP Since - 2009 Born - 23/09/49. 10th Earl of Dartmouth.
Education - Eton. Christchurch College, Oxford. Harvard Business School.
Previous Occupation - Chartered Accountant, working in the United Arab Emirates (1975-77). Worked in the US for 6 years before returning to work in the UK in 1983 in finance, property and communications. Director, Hanson Transport. Chairman and Founder of Kirklees Cable.

Personal Overview - Former Conservative Peer who defected to the UK Independence party successfully gained election to the European Parliament at the 2009 elections. From a background in accountancy, he has worked in several countries, including the United Arab Emirates and US. A former Hereditary Peer, he lost his seat in the House of Lords in November 1999 in the Lords reforms of that year. Having reinvented himself as a UK Independence member he has the opportunity to use his accountancy skills to highlight any financial issues within the EU.

Political History - General Election candidate (Conservative) for Leigh (February 1974), Stockport South (October 1974). Succeeded his father to became a member of the House of Lords (1997-99). European Parliament candidate (1999). Joined the UK Independence Party (2007). Current prospective parliamentary candidate for Exeter. MEP South West Region (2009-). Member of the Committee on International Trade (2009-). Substitute member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Other Information - At Oxford he was elected Secretary of the Oxford Union.
Intergroups - N/a.

Business Tel: 32(0)2 28 49735

Email: william.dartmouth@europarl.europa.eu

Interests: Business & Finance

Commitee membership

• Foreign Affairs (Substitute)
• International Trade (Member)

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