Mike Hancock (UK politician)
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| Mike Hancock CBE MP | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 May 1997 |
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| Preceded by | David Martin |
| In office 14 June 1984 – 11 June 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Bonner Pink |
| Succeeded by | David Martin |
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| Born | 9 April 1946 Portsmouth, Hampshire, |
| Political party | (1) Labour (1968 - 1981) (2) SDP (1981 - 1988) (3) Liberal Democrats (1988 - present) |
| Spouse(s) | Jacqueline Elliott |
| Children | 2 |
Michael Thomas Hancock CBE (born 9 April 1946), known as Mike Hancock, is a British politician. He is Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South and a City councillor for Fratton ward.
Mike Hancock was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, the son of a sailor, he was educated locally at the Copnor and Portsea School[citation needed]. He worked as an engineer until he was first elected to parliament, and in the years between his parliamentary career he worked as both a director of the Daytime Club at the BBC and as a district officer for MENCAP[1]. Mike Hancock currently resides in Portchester in the borough of Fareham on the outskirts of Portsmouth.
He joined the Labour Party in 1968 and was elected as a councillor to the Portsmouth City Council in 1970, he left the Labour Party and joined the new Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1981, and became the leader of the council in 1989 until his second election to the House of Commons, and he remains a member for Fratton on the city council. He was also elected to the Hampshire County Council in 1973, becoming the leader of the Labour group on the council in 1977 until he left party, leading the council 1989-97 when he stood down[1].
He contested Portsmouth South for the SDP at the 1983 General Election but lost to the sitting Conservative MP Bonner Pink by 12,335 votes. Pink died on 6 May 1984, and Hancock was elected, again for the SDP, at the by-election by 1,341 votes. In his book "Time To Declare" the SDP leader David Owen claimed that Hancock's victory prevented a Liberal attempt to subsume the SDP before the 1987 General Election.However, he later lost his seat in the 1987 General Election to the Tory David Martin by just 205 votes. He narrowly lost the seat to Martin again at the 1992 General Election, this time by just 242 votes. He also contested the European Parliament seat of Wight and Hampshire in 1994. He returned to parliament at the 1997 General Election, defeating Martin by 4,327 votes and has held the seat for the Liberal Democrats since[2].
He was promoted to the frontbench by Paddy Ashdown in 1997 as the spokesman on foreign and commonwealth affairs until 2000 when he was moved by Charles Kennedy to speak on the environment, transport and the regions, but returned to the backbenches following the 2001 General Election. He has been a member of both the defence select committee and the Speaker's panel of chairmen since 1999. He is the vice chairman of the all party groups on Russia[3], and Croatia.[4]
He has been married to Jacqueline Elliott since 1967 and has a son and a daughter[1]}. He has been the chairman of the southern region of the NSPCC since 1989 and has been the vice chairman of Portsmouth Dock since 1992 and was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the same year[1].
It was reported that he signed nomination forms for more than one candidate in the 2006 Liberal Democrat leadership election, in order to ensure a 'proper contest'.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Mike Hancock MP - Liberal Democrat Website
- ^ Portsmouth South Results - The Guardian
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Huhne enters Lib Dem leader race - BBC News - 13 January 2006
[edit] External links
- Mike Hancock MP official site
- Mike Hancock MP profile at the site of Liberal Democrats
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Michael Hancock MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Mike Hancock MP
- The Public Whip - Mike Hancock MP voting record
- BBC News - Mike Hancock profile 10 February 2005
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bonner Pink |
Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South 1984 – 1987 |
Succeeded by David Martin |
| Preceded by David Martin |
Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South 1997 – present |
Incumbent |
