David Rendel
| David Rendel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| David Rendel at the Newbury declaration for the 2005 election | |
| Member of Parliament for Newbury | |
| In office 6 May 1993 – 5 May 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Judith Chaplin |
| Succeeded by | Richard Benyon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 April 1949 |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford, St Cross College, Oxford |
David Digby Rendel (born 15 April 1949) is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Newbury from 1993 to 2005. He won the seat at by-election in May 1993 caused by the death of Judith Chaplin, and held it until his defeat at the 2005 general election to Conservative candidate Richard Benyon. At the time he lost his seat he was the Liberal Democrats' spokesman on Higher and Further Education.
Early life
Educated at Eton College, Magdalen College, Oxford and St Cross College, Oxford, Rendel was a member of the winning University of Oxford boat race crew of 1974. After a gap year volunteering in Africa, he worked in the finance department of Shell Oil Company.
His father was a foreign correspondent for The Times, and he is a great-grandson of civil engineer Sir Alexander Meadows Rendel, and a great-great-nephew of Liberal MP Stuart Rendel.
Political career
Rendel fought and lost two elections in Fulham, before moving to Newbury in 1986 when his wife started work as a GP. He became a Newbury District Councillor from 1987 to 1995, and managed 37% of the vote in the 1992election.
Against a backdrop of the unpopular poll tax and recession, he won the by-election in 1993 with a massive majority of 22,055 (65% of the vote). He first came to national attention for supporting the Newbury bypass, and stood in the 1999 election for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats, but came fifth of six candidates, losing to Charles Kennedy.
He held on to his seat in 1997 and 2001 with reduced majorities, but at the 2005 election he was defeated by the Conservatives Richard Benyon.
Rendel is a directly elected member of the Liberal Democrats Federal Executive committee.[1]
During May 2006, Rendel was re-selected by local party members as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Newbury seat for the next election. At the general election in May 2010 was defeated by the sitting Conservative MP, Richard Benyon, whose majority grew to 21%.
After the election, Rendel was the only member on the Liberal Democrats Federal Executive to vote against the recommendation that the party form a coalition government with the Conservative Party.[2]
References
- ↑ "Federal Executive". Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
- ↑ Watt, Nicholas (11 May 2010). "David Cameron sacrifices inheritance tax policy to win Liberal Democrat deal". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 12 May 2010.
External links
- David Rendel official site
- David Rendel profile at the site of Liberal Democrats
- Guardian Politics Ask Aristotle - David Rendel
- TheyWorkForYou.com - David Rendel
- The Public Whip - David Rendel voting record
- BBC News - David Rendel profile 10 February 2005
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Judith Chaplin |
Member of Parliament for Newbury 1993–2005 |
Succeeded by Richard Benyon |
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