John Whittingdale: Difference between revisions
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In 2011 he was Chair of the [[Football Governance Inquiry]]. |
In 2011 he was Chair of the [[Football Governance Inquiry]]. |
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====Media Select Committee==== |
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John Whittingdale MP is Chairman of the parliamentary select committee on media, culture and sport. He was interviewed on Sky News on 11 July 2011, where he suggested that his committee should do nothing at all about the fact that Rebekah Wade Brooks misled parliament and lied to the committee, at least until police investigations and the judge-led inquiry are over. <ref>http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2011/07/whittingdale-wades-in/</ref> |
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==Personal life== |
==Personal life== |
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Revision as of 16:51, 11 July 2011
John Whittingdale | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee | |
| Assumed office 14 July 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Gerald Kaufman |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport | |
| In office 19 June 2004 – 6 May 2005 | |
| Leader | Michael Howard |
| Preceded by | Julie Kirkbride |
| Succeeded by | Theresa May |
| In office 23 July 2002 – 8 December 2003 | |
| Leader | Iain Duncan Smith |
| Preceded by | Tim Yeo |
| Succeeded by | Julie Kirkbride |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | |
| In office 18 September 2001 – 23 July 2002 | |
| Leader | Iain Duncan Smith |
| Preceded by | David Heathcoat-Amory |
| Succeeded by | Tim Yeo |
| Member of Parliament for Maldon Maldon and East Chelmsford (1997-2010) South Colchester and Maldon (1992-1997) | |
| Assumed office 9 April 1992 | |
| Preceded by | John Wakeham |
| Majority | 19,407 (40.5%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 October 1959 Sherborne, Dorset, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Ancilla Murfitt (divorced) |
| Alma mater | University College London |
John Flasby Lawrance Whittingdale OBE, (born October 16, 1959), is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1992.
Education
Whittingdale was educated at two independent schools: at Sandroyd School[1] from 1968–1973, in Rushmore Park at the heart of Cranborne Chase near Tollard Royal in Wiltshire and at Winchester College in the county town of Winchester in Hampshire, followed by University College London (UCL) where he was Chairman of the UCL Conservative Association, and gained a BSc in Economics (grade 2 ii) in 1982.
Early life
From 1982-4, Whittingdale was Head of the political section of the Conservative Research Department. He then served as Special Adviser to three successive Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry, Norman Tebbit 1984-85, Leon Brittan 1985-86, and Paul Channon 1986-87. He worked on international privatisation at NM Rothschild in 1987 and in January 1988, became Political Secretary to the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. Upon her resignation, Whittingdale received the OBE and he continued as her Political Secretary until his election to Parliament in 1992.
Parliamentary career
He was first elected to parliament in 1992. He was shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary until the reshuffle after the general election in 2005 when he was re-elected Member of Parliament for Maldon and Chelmsford East. On 14 July 2005,[2] he became the Chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. In this role he led the Committee's 2009/2010 investigation into libel and privacy issues, including the News of the World phone hacking affair and was accused of warning members of the committe not to compel former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks to testify due to the risk that their personal lives would be investigated in revenge.[3] He has since defended the News of the World's parent company News International from criticism, saying "I don't think one should condemn an entire global organisation for something that, very clearly, was going wrong at the News of the World." [4] Allegations that his support for News International and Murdoch has a financial basis have been denied[5].
In 2005 he was appointed to the Executive of Conservative Way Forward, a Thatcherite pressure group within the Conservative Party. He is on a member of the Council of the Freedom Association and the European Foundation. Since 2008, he has been an elected Parliamentary Member of the Board of the Conservative Party and Vice Chairman of the Conservative Parliamentary 1922 Committee.
In 2011 he was Chair of the Football Governance Inquiry.
Media Select Committee
John Whittingdale MP is Chairman of the parliamentary select committee on media, culture and sport. He was interviewed on Sky News on 11 July 2011, where he suggested that his committee should do nothing at all about the fact that Rebekah Wade Brooks misled parliament and lied to the committee, at least until police investigations and the judge-led inquiry are over. [6]
Personal life
He married Ancilla Murfitt in 1990 who is a practice nurse at a general practice in Colchester. They have a son, called Henry (May 1993), and daughter Alice (born December 1995). The marriage was dissolved in 2007.
References
- ^ Sandroyd School's list of Distinguished Alumni
- ^ http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-04400.pdf
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/sep/10/mps-backed-down-rebekah-brooks
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8617579/Milly-Dowler-phone-hacking-the-reaction.html
- ^ Seeing what the man will do unbought - the Guardian
- ^ http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2011/07/whittingdale-wades-in/
External links
- John Whittingdale OBE MP official site
- Membership of Culture Media and Sport select committee
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
- John Whittingdale collected news and commentary at The Guardian
News items
- TV licence in March 2005
- Flood defences in October 2004
- UK fishing industry in January 2004
- BBC digital services in August 2003
- BBC's future in May 2003