Richard Alexander (UK politician)

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Richard Thain Alexander (born 29 June 1934) is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Newark-on-Trent until losing his seat in the landslide of the 1997 general election.

Alexander was born in Aberdeen, although his father was an architect from Lincoln. He went to Logie Coldstone prep school in Eastbourne and Dewsbury Grammar School and the Wheelwright School in Dewsbury, Yorkshire before studying law at University College London. He was a solicitor in Retford, Nottinghamshire from 1964.

Having joined the Young Conservatives in 1957, Alexander served on their National Advisory Committee in 1961 and fought his first election (for Scunthorpe Town Council) in 1962. He was a parliamentary candidate for Lincoln in 1966 and was elected to Nottinghamshire County Council in 1967. After fighting Lincoln again in 1970, he was not chosen by the right-wing local party to fight the byelection of 1973. In 1975, Alexander was finally elected to Bassetlaw District Council and he was Mayor of Retford in 1977-78.

At the 1979 general election, Alexander narrowly and unexpectedly beat the popular Labour MP Edward Bishop despite the remaining presence of working mines in the constituency. He adopted a maverick approach in the House of Commons, and was never made a Minister. He was fully in support of the Conservatives on defence issues, describing Tony Benn's approach to the Falklands war as a "prima facie case of treason and sedition" and strongly opposing the "no first use" pledge on nuclear weapons. On other issues he was more moderate, being a member of the Tory Campaign for Homosexual Equality for a time (he resigned over a controversial article which suggested that Prince Charles should embrace Prince Edward in order to advance their campaign).

However Alexander could appear a classic Tory. He bridled at the poor dress sense of Militant Tendency MP Terry Fields, supported rate capping of left-wing councils, and sought the abolition of Wages Councils which set minimum pay rates. Boundary changes in 1983 helped him to keep his seat and made it safe by removing the mining area to Sherwood (although that too went Conservative in 1983).