David Howarth

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For the historian and author, see David Armine Howarth.

David Ross Howarth (born November 10, 1958) is a British Liberal Democrat politician and Member of Parliament (MP) for Cambridge since 2005. He is a lecturer in Law and Economics at the University of Cambridge where he is a Fellow of Clare College. He is married and has two children. He is the first Liberal Party or Liberal Democrat candidate to win Cambridge since the 1906 general election.

1 Education
2 Interests and Membership
3 Political Career
4 External links

[edit] Education

David Howarth grew up on a council estate in Walsall, going to Queen Mary's, Walsall. Attending Cambridge University, he was President of his college's Student Union. He then won a scholarship to Yale Law School.

[edit] Interests and Membership

Howarth is a member of Friends of the Earth and Amnesty International, and enjoys playing squash, running, and watching football and opera. He is an avid reader of books on philosophy and international politics. In 1995 he won the Butterworth's Prize for best new legal textbook.

[edit] Political Career

Howarth was a member of Cambridge City Council from 1987 to 2004, becoming its leader when the Liberal Democrats took control in 2000. In the 2005 general election he was elected Member of Parliament for Cambridge, defeating Labour MP Anne Campbell with a majority of 4,339 votes (and winning 44% of the votes cast).

Howarth served on the Liberal Democrat Party's Federal Executive and Federal Policy Committees during the 1990s. He was a leading opponent within the Lib Dems of closer links to the Labour party after the 1997 General Election, bringing him into conflict with Paddy Ashdown.

In the Liberal Democrat leadership election following Charles Kennedy's resignation in early 2006, Howarth was active in supporting Chris Huhne's campaign.

His performances in Parliament were recognised in 2006 when he was shortlisted for the House Magazine's 'Backbencher of the Year award'. The citation read 'Brought MPs’ attention to the ‘hidden’ effects of the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill'.