Member for Eddisbury since July 1999 by-election. Committees: Member, Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2001; Member, Select Committee on Education and Employment 1999-2001; Secretary, Conservative Backbench Committees on Trade and Industry and Northern Ireland 1999-2001; Chair, All-Party Minerals Group 2001; Associate Member, British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body 2000; Parliamentary Advisor to Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators 2000; Vice-Chair, Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Group since 2000; Member, British American Parliamentary Group and Hong Kong Group since 1999; Hon Vice-Chair, Chichester Conservative Association since 1999 (Chair 1998-99). Political career: Shadow Financial Secretary to HM Treasury 2002; Opposition Whip (Frontbench) 2002; Acting Director of Office of Leader of Conservative Party, the Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith 2001; Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Rt Hon Michael Ancram QC as Chair of the Conservative Party 2000-01; PPS to the Rt Hon Francis Maude as Shadow Foreign Secretary 2000. Special political interests: Economic affairs; trade, industry and enterprise; education; agriculture; housing/infrastructure; health; transport; regional development; countryside; the constitution; Northern Ireland; foreign affairs. Profession/Trade: Solicitor; manufacturing industrialist. Education: Sedburgh School, Cumbria (music scholar); Emmanuel College, Cambridge, MA (Hons) Law; College of Law, Chester, final professional qualification. Hobbies: Piano, golf.
b. 1 April 1957, Mtwara, Tanzania. Married with three children.

2005				2001
CON HOLD	Votes	%	+/- %	Votes	%
Conservative	21,181	46.3	0.06	20,556	46.3
Labour	14,986	32.8	-3.21	15,998	36
Lib Dem	8,182	17.9	2.2	6,975	15.7
UKIP	1,325	2.9	0.95	868	2
Majority	6,195	13.5	-	4,568	10.3
Turnout	45,674	63.2	-0.9	44,387	64.2