James Arbuthnot
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| In office 6 November 2003 – 6 May 2005 |
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| Leader | Michael Howard |
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| Preceded by | David Willetts (Pensions) Tim Yeo (Trade) |
| Succeeded by | David Willetts (Trade) Malcolm Rifkind (Pensions) |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 11 June 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Patrick Jenkin |
| Majority | 12,549 (26.5%) |
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| Born | 4 August 1952 Deal Kent |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Emma Broadbent |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
James Norwich Arbuthnot (born 4 August 1952) is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Hampshire North-East.
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[edit] Early life
Arbuthnot was born in Deal, Kent, the son of Sir John Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet and Margaret Jean Duff.[1] He was educated at Wellesley House School in Broadstairs, Eton College (Captain of school) and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he obtained a law degree in 1974.[2]
Arbuthnot was called to the Bar by Lincoln's Inn in 1975 and became a practising barrister. An active member of the Chelsea Conservative Association, he was elected as a councillor to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in 1978 and remained a councillor until his election as a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1987.[3] In 1980 he became the vice-chairman of the Chelsea Conservative Association.
Arbuthnot contested the Cynon Valley seat, in the Labour heartland of industrial South Wales, at the 1983 general election and was defeated by Ioan Evans. A year later in 1984, Evans died and Arbuthnot fought the resulting by-election, but he was again defeated by the Labour candidate, Ann Clwyd.
[edit] Member of Parliament
At the 1987 general election Arbuthnot was chosen to contest the safe Conservative seat of Wanstead and Woodford as the sitting MP, Patrick Jenkin, was standing down. Arbuthnot held the seat, increasing the Conservative majority by over two thousand to 16,412.[4]
In 1988 he became the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Archie Hamilton at the Ministry of Defence, and in 1990 became the PPS to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Peter Lilley. He entered the John Major government after the 1992 general election when he was made an assistant government whip. He was promoted in 1994 as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Social Security. The following year he was promoted to Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence, where he remained until the end of the Major government in 1997.
Arbuthnot's seat of Wanstead and Woodford was abolished at the 1997 general election, and he found a new seat in the form of Hampshire North East. In opposition, he was a member of William Hague's Shadow Cabinet as the Party's Chief Whip until the 2001 general election when he returned to the backbenches. He was made a Member of the Privy Council in 1998.
Arbuthnot returned to the Shadow Cabinet under Michael Howard as Shadow Trade Secretary in 2003, but stood down after the 2005 general election. Since the election he has served as the chairman of the influential Defence Select Committee and is a council member of the Royal United Services Institute.
Arbuthnot stated that one of his proudest parliamentary achievements was "organising an all-party meeting with the prime minister for the exoneration of the pilots of the Chinook that crashed on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994."[5]
Arbuthnot is the current Parliamentary Chairman of the Conservative Friends of Israel.[6]
[edit] Personal life
He is a direct descendant from James V of Scotland and is heir presumptive to the baronetcy currently held by his older brother, Sir William Arbuthnot.[1] On 6 September 1984, he married Emma Broadbent, daughter of Michael Broadbent, Wine Director of Christie's, and has one son and three daughters.
Arbuthnot is described in the Almanac of British Politics as "an austere, desiccated man with a voice likened to that of a speaking clock, but with a patrician accent redolent of his party some decades ago"[7][8] whilst Simon Hoggart described his smile as being "like winter sunshine upon a coffin lid".[9]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b The Peerage.com - Rt. Hon. James Norwich Arbuthnot
- ^ "James Arbuthnot MP profile". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/candidates/candidates/2/29601.stm. Retrieved on 2008-07-17.
- ^ "Rt Hon James Arbuthnot MP profile". Conservative Party. http://www.conservatives.com/People/Members_of_Parliament/Arbuthnot_James.aspx. Retrieved on 2009-02-22.
- ^ University of Keele - Political Science Resources - UK General Election results June 1987
- ^ "Ask Aristotle: James Arbuthnot profile". The Guardian. http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-110,00.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-17.
- ^ Conservative Friends of Israel - About Us
- ^ Byron Criddle; Robert Waller (2002). "Almanac of British Politics". Routledge. http://books.google.com/books?id=x4L4aQM4IVMC&pg=PA430&lpg=PA430&dq=%22james+arbuthnot%22+clock&source=web&ots=N0hcMn51kH&sig=yta9QVaslPwJNXu4GtuI_Tef1wc.
- ^ David Aaronovitch (8 May 1996). "Comic duo way off target on question of devolution". The Independent. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19960508/ai_n14044663. Retrieved on 2008-07-17.
- ^ Rod Liddle. "The most interesting thing about James Arbuthnot, MP". The Guardian. http://politics.guardian.co.uk/redbox/comment/0,,794210,00.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-17.
[edit] External links
- James Arbuthnot MP official website
- North East Hampshire Conservative Association
- The Public Whip - James Arbuthnot MP voting record
- TheyWorkForYou.com - James Arbuthnot MP
- Arbuthnot family tree
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by Patrick Jenkin |
Member of Parliament for Wanstead and Woodford 1987 – 1997 |
Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Hampshire North East 1997 – present |
Incumbent |
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