David Willetts

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David Willetts
David Willetts

For the West End actor see Dave Willetts

David Linsay Willetts (born March 9, 1956) is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Havant, in the United Kingdom. He is currently the Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills. He is married to the artist Sarah Butterfield and has one daughter and one son.

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[edit] Background

Willetts was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and Christ Church, Oxford. Having served as a private researcher to Nigel Lawson, he went on to take charge of the Treasury monetary policy division at 26 before he moved over to Margaret Thatcher's Policy Unit at 28. Aged 31, he subsequently took over the Centre for Policy Studies.[1]. Aged 36, Willetts entered Parliament in 1992 for Havant. He quickly established himself in Parliament, becoming a whip, a Cabinet Office minister and then Paymaster General in his first term (when that role was split between the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury as a policy co-ordination role).

However, he was forced to resign from the latter post by the Standards and Privileges Committee over an investigation into Neil Hamilton in 1996, when it found that he had "dissembled" in his evidence to the Committee over whether pressure was put onto an earlier investigation into the same Neil Hamilton.

Despite the resignation, Willetts was able to return to the shadow front bench a few years later under opposition leader William Hague, initially serving in the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Education Secretary before becoming Shadow Social Security (later Shadow Work and Pensions) Secretary. He carved out a reputation as an expert on pensions and benefits and his 'Two Brains' nickname was revived. Since leaving the DWP post, he has been recruited as an external consultant by the actuaries Punter Southall.

After the 2005 election, he served as Shadow Secretary of State for Trade & Industry in the Shadow Cabinet under Michael Howard.

In August 2005, after ruling out running for leader owing to a lack of support, commentators speculated that he was gunning for the post Shadow Chancellor position and would cut a deal with either David Davis or David Cameron. On September 15th he confirmed his support for David Davis, at that time the bookies' favourite [2]. Willetts, a centrist moderniser, went to ground following the announcement of the Davis tax plan since it was widely speculated that he disagreed with the seemingly uncosted and widely derided[3] tax plan and found it impossible to defend. [4]. Davis then lost the candidacy race. Following Cameron's win in the leadership competition, he was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills by David Cameron in his Shadow Cabinet in December 2005 (the role Cameron had just vacated).

[edit] Free Votes Record

According to the Public Whip analyses [5], Willetts was strongly in favour of an elected House of Lords and was strongly against the ban on fox-hunting.

[edit] 'Two Brains'

Due to his careful intellectual approach, ties to academia, his unusually policy-heavy background and his high hairline, he has acquired the nickname 'Two Brains'. He is currently a visiting professor at the Cass Business School, a board member of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and a fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford (part of the University of Oxford), Willetts is the author of several books on conservatism, including "Why Vote Conservative" (1996) and "Modern Conservatism" (1992), as well as numerous articles. He is the founder of the Civic Conservatism branch of thought which underpins much of the Conservative Party's current agenda. The idea of focussing on the institutions between the state and individuals as a policy concern (rather than merely thinking of individuals and the state as the only agencies) is one of the principles behind the increasing support in the Conservative Party's localist agenda and its emphasis on voluntary organisations. During an interview with The Spectator, he was referred to as 'the real father of Cameronism'.[6] He was a founding signatory in 2005 of the Henry Jackson Society principles, advocating a proactive approach to the spread of liberal democracy across the world, including when necessary by military intervention.[7]

[edit] Registered Interests

The register of members interests records that he is chairman of the board of Universal Biosensors Ltd, and holds shares in its parent company, Sensor-Tech Limited. He is also an adviser to Punter Southall actuaries and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein.[8]

[edit] References

For Willetts' roles in the 1980s-1990s as a welfare specialist:

  • Timmins, Nicholas (2001). The Five Giants: A Biography of the Welfare State. ISBN 0-00-710264-X. 

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Ian Lloyd		 Member of Parliament for Havant
1992 – present		 Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
David Heathcoat-Amory		 Paymaster-General
1996		 Succeeded by
Michael Bates
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