Howard Flight

The Right Honourable The Baron Flight
Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs
In office 1 May 1997 – 5 May 2005
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Nick Herbert
Personal details
Born	16 June 1948 (1948-06-16)
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Alma mater	University of Michigan, Magdalene College, Cambridge

Howard Emerson Flight, Baron Flight (born 16 June 1948) is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom and a member of the House of Lords. He was Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs from 1997 to 2005. He held several Shadow posts: Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury 1999-2001, Shadow Paymaster General to 2002, then Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Early and personal life

Flight was educated at Brentwood School, Magdalene College, Cambridge and the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. From 1970 to 1998 he worked as an investment adviser and director in various banks. He stood unsuccessfully for Parliament for Bermondsey in the February and October 1974 general elections. Flight is author of All you Need to know about Exchange Rates (1989), and contributor to the book The City in Europe and the World (2005). He has been married to Christabel since 1974; they have four children: Kitty, Thomas, Josie and Maryanne.

Political career

Spending controversy

Flight resigned as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party on 24 March 2005, following comments made at a Conservative Way Forward meeting that was being secretly recorded. In the meeting he stated that the Conservatives in office could make more spending cuts than they were promising in their campaign before the general election. Conservative leader Michael Howard then withdrew the party whip, and announced that Flight was no longer an approved candidate and could not contest the Arundel and South Downs seat as a Conservative party candidate at the 2005 general election. Flight refused to accept this, maintaining that only his local party branch has the right to deselect him. On 29 March 2005, he announced that he had an opinion from a Queen's Counsel, confirming his view. The Arundel and South Downs Conservative branch initially refused to seek a new candidate, though they reversed their position when threatened with the 'Slough treatment', referring to the suspension of that association for refusing to deselect Adrian Hilton. Amid speculation, Flight confirmed that he would not stand as an independent and would not oppose any decision by the local association to deselect him.

Elections

On 6 April, he agreed to give up his attempts to continue as a Conservative candidate and his party began the process of selecting a new candidate. Anne Marie Morris, Laura Sandys and Nick Herbert put themselves forward for nomination as replacement candidates. The chosen candidate, Nick Herbert, won the seat at the election.

Flight was placed on the 'A-List' of Conservative Party candidates ahead of the 2010 general election, but this failed to secure him a new seat. On 19 November 2010, it was announced that Flight was to be created a life peer and sit as a Conservative in the House of Lords. His full title is Baron Flight of Worcester in the County of Worcester.

Breeding controversy

On 25 November 2010, Flight provoked controversy by suggesting that the government's cuts to child benefit would 'discourage the middle classes from breeding' -- 'but for those on benefits there is every incentive'.

External links

• Speeches in Parliament & other performance data

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by (new constituency)	Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs 1997–2005	Succeeded by Nick Herbert