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David Lidington MP
	David Lidington MP
	;
	Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs
	In office; 10 November 2003 – 2 July 2007
Leader	David Cameron
Preceded by	Quentin Davies
Succeeded by	Owen Paterson
	Member of Parliament; for Aylesbury
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 9 April 1992
Preceded by	Timothy Raison
Majority	11,067 (21.5%)
Born	30 June 1956 (age 53); London Borough of Lambeth
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Alma mater	Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge

David Roy Lidington (born 30 June 1956) is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom, and has been Member of Parliament for Aylesbury since 1992. He had previously been a special advisor to Douglas Hurd. He is currently Shadow Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

[edit] Personal life

He was the captain of the Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge team that won the 1978 series of University Challenge. The team returned for the 2002 University Challenge - Reunited "champion of champions" series for the show's 40th anniversary, and they won the series in convincing style, beating Keele University in the final 375-185.

Mr Lidington is married with four children.

[edit] Education

Mr Lidington was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, Elstree and at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge where he took an honours degree in History and then a doctorate for research on Elizabethan history. Whilst at Cambridge, he was Deputy-President of the Cambridge University Students' Union. After graduation, he worked for BP and for RTZ before being appointed in 1987 as Special adviser to the then Home Secretary Douglas Hurd. He moved to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1989 when Mr Hurd was appointed Foreign Secretary.

His passion for History is shared by his brother, Peter, who is Head of History and Politics at Clifton College in Bristol.

[edit] Politics

In the 1987 general election, he stood unsuccessfully in the Vauxhall constituency. He was then adopted as prospective Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Aylesbury in December 1990, where he was successful at the 1992 general election. He was again successful in holding his seat in the 1997 general election, 2001 general election and 2005 general election

At Westminster, he has participated in the Education Select Committee and Conservative Backbench Home Affairs Committee. In 1994, he successfully promoted a Private Members Bill which became the Chiropractors Act 1994.

He has since held the following political appointments:

August 1994 - Parliamentary Private Secretary to Home Secretary Michael Howard
June 1997 - Parliamentary Private Secretary to Leader of the Opposition William Hague
June 1999 - Shadow Home Affairs Minister under Ann Widdecombe
September 2001 - Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury
May 2002 - Shadow Minister for Agriculture
July 2002 - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
November 2003 - Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
July 2007 - Shadow Foreign Office Minister (attending cabinet)

He became a member of the shadow cabinet in May 2002, replacing Ann Winterton as Shadow Agriculture Minister after the former had to resign. Michael Howard reduced the size of the shadow cabinet drastically on becoming leader of the opposition in November 2003, so, though he remained a shadow secretary of state, Lidington was not a member of the shadow cabinet. In May 2005, Howard enlarged it again and Lidington rejoined the group. He was one of the few shadow cabinet ministers left in his old post by David Cameron when the latter became leader in December 2005, however on 2 July 2007, he was demoted to be a junior foreign affairs spokesman. On the 22nd May 2009, in the midst of the MP expenses row, the Daily Telegraph revealed that Mr Lidington claimed nearly £1,300 for his dry cleaning and claimed for toothpaste, shower gel, body spray and vitamin supplements on his second home allowance.^[1]. The claim was approved, however he has since referred the claim to the Conservatives’ scrutiny committee. He also repaid the money back, saying: “I accept that many people would see them [the claims] as over-generous, that is why I paid back the money I claimed for toiletries 10 days ago.”

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5364110/MPs-expenses-David-Lidington-is-Mr-Clean-but-you-pay-for-his-soap.html

[edit] External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Timothy Raison	Member of Parliament for Aylesbury 1992–present	Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Quentin Davies	Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 2003–2007	Succeeded by Owen Paterson

[0] ttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5364110/MPs-expenses-David-Lidington-is-Mr-Clean-but-you-pay-for-his-soap.html

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