George Osborne
| |
| Constituency | Tatton |
| Served | 2001 — present |
| Majority | 11,731 (28.3%) |
| Political Party | Conservative |
| Portfolio | Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer |
George Gideon Oliver Osborne (born 23 May, 1971 in London) is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom, and has been Member of Parliament for Tatton since 2001. He is currently Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Early life and career
The eldest son and heir of Sir Peter Osborne, 17th Baronet, Osbourne was educated at St Paul's School and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a 'Demy' (a scholarship winner) in Modern History. He was also editor of the University magazine Isis. He is married to the author The Hon. Frances Howell (elder daughter of David Howell, Baron Howell of Guildford, a former Conservative Cabinet Minister), and they have two young children. Has a penchant for ladies of the night and "snow".
Originally named Gideon, he changed his name to George when he was 13. In a Daily Telegraph interview in July 2005, Osborne is quoted as saying: "It was my small act of rebellion. I never liked it. When I finally told my mother she said, 'Nor do I.' So I decided to be George after my grandfather, who was a war hero. Life was easier as a George; it was a straightforward name."
He joined the Conservative Research Department in 1994 and became Head of the Political Section. Between 1995 and 1997 he was a Special Advisor at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (during the BSE crisis) and worked in the Political Office at 10 Downing Street. Between 1997 and 2001 he worked for the then Conservative leader William Hague as a speech writer and Political Secretary. In this role he would help prepare Hague for the weekly session of Prime Minister's Questions, often playing the role of Prime Minister Tony Blair as part of the preparation.
Under the leaderships of Michael Howard and now under David Cameron, he has continued to be used as part of the Prime Minister's Questions team.
Parliamentary Career
Elected as the Member of Parliament for Tatton, Cheshire, in June 2001, he succeeded the Independent MP Martin Bell, who had famously won it from the controversial former Conservative minister Neil Hamilton at the 1997 election. Osborne won with a majority of 8,611, becoming (at that time) the youngest Conservative MP in the House of Commons. At the 2005 election, he was reelected with an increased majority of 11,731, winning 51.8% of the vote.
In September 2004, Osborne was appointed Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and following the 2005 General Election he was promoted to Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer at the young age of 33.
He has in the past been touted as a possible future leader of the Conservative Party [citation needed] and is friends with David Cameron, the current leader whose leadership campaign he organised. This close friendship has led to comparisons with the relationship between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He has denied such a comparison being made however; saying at LSE in February 2006 that there had been 'no deal' between him and Cameron, like the one widely alleged between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
Osborne attracted praise from the right [citation needed], and criticism from the left and centre [citation needed] for his interest in the ideas of tax simplification (including the idea of [flat tax]) in the UK. He set up the Tax Reform Commission in October 2005 to investigate ideas for how to create a 'flatter, simpler' tax system.
In June 2006 Osborne attended the annual Bilderberg Conference, held at the Brookstreet Hotel, Ottawa, Canada.[1]
Attacks on Gordon Brown
During Osborne's response to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown's Pre-Budget Report on 5 December 2005 (in which Brown announced the revision of his estimate for UK growth in 2005 to from 3.50% to 1.75%), Osborne attacked Brown as "a Chancellor past his sell by date, a Chancellor holding Britain back". This performance was greatly acclaimed by some political commentators while others remarked that Osborne had a "piping, squeaky voice" and seemed out of his depth.
In October 2006, during the Conservative Party Conference, Osborne was involved in an interview with a journalist at a fringe meeting when, after recalling his propensity for remembering odd facts, was asked if he was "faintly autistic." Osborne responded by joking "we're not getting on to Gordon Brown yet." [2] This comment drew controversy and was immediately attacked by the National Autistic Society, a director of which stated that "any pejorative use of terms relating to autism can cause deep distress and hurt to people affected by the condition". A spokesman for Brown demanded an apology from Osborne for the comment, which has not yet been forthcoming. In response to this Osbourne claimed he did not intend to insult people suffering from autism, though he did remark "do I think that Chancellor Gordon Brown needs better relations with his colleagues, let alone with the opposition front bench? Most certainly." In the same meeting Osborne also said of Brown "He's the only man, apart from close members of my family, who has hung up the phone on me."
See also
References
- ^ "Exclusive : Ed Balls & George Osborne Attend Bilderberg Conference". Global & General Nominees LLC. 2006-06-12. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Article on George Osborne Autism Comment". BBC News. 2006-10-03.
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External links
- George Osborne official site
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: George Osborne MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - George Osborne MP
- The Public Whip - George Osborne MP voting record
- - BBC Profile of George Osborne profile 5 April, 2005
- Open Directory Project - George Osborne directory category
- Tax Reform Commission