Charles Hendry
Encyclopedia
Charles Hendry is a British
Conservative Party
politician
and the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Wealden
. In May 2010 he was appointed Minister of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change
.
, Hendry was educated at Rugby School
, Warwickshire
and the University of Edinburgh
where he was awarded a Bachelor of Commerce
degree in Business Studies
in 1981. He was the president of the Edinburgh University Conservative Association in 1979. He worked as an account manager with Ogilvy and Mather PR for six years from 1982, and from 1988 he worked for two years as a special adviser
for the successive Secretaries of State for Social Security John Moore
and Tony Newton
. He became a senior consultant
with Burson-Marsteller in 1990, where he remained until his election to parliament
. During his interregnum from parliament he served as the chief of staff to the Leader of the Opposition
William Hague
.
Federation of Conservative Students
in 1980 and was elected as the vice-chairman of the Battersea
Conservative Association for two years in 1981.
He unsuccessfully contested the Central Scotland
seat of Clackmannan
at the 1983 general election
where he was beaten into third place, finishing some 9,988 votes behind the sitting Labour
MP Martin O'Neill
. He contested the Nottinghamshire
seat of Mansfield
at the 1987 general election
where he was narrowly defeated by Alan Meale
, who won by just 56 votes: this was the joint closest constituency in the whole election.
at the 1992 general election
for the Derbyshire
seat of High Peak
following the retirement of the Conservative MP Christopher Hawkins
. Hendry held the seat with a majority of 4,819, but lost his Peak District
-based seat at the 1997 general election
when he was defeated by Labour's Tom Levitt
by 8,791 votes. He was re-elected to parliament at the 2001 general election
for the East Sussex
seat of Wealden
following the retirement of the veteran Conservative MP Geoffrey Johnson Smith
. Hendry won with a majority of 13,772 and has remained the MP there since.
In Parliament
he was a member of the procedure select committee for three years from 1992 and he was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary
(PPS) to the Minister of State
at the Department of Social Security
William Hague in 1994 for a year, and also served briefly as the PPS to the Secretary of State for Education and Employment Gillian Shephard
in 1995. He also served on the Northern Ireland
select committee 1994–1996. He was appointed as the vice chairman of the Conservative Party in 1995 by John Major
, in which capacity he remained until he lost his seat in 1997.
On his re-election in 2001, he was appointed an Opposition Whip
by Hague, and was appointed as a spokesman on Education and Skills in 2003 under the leadership of Iain Duncan Smith
. However, he was moved a few months later under Michael Howard
to again become a vice-chairman of the Conservative Party before serving as a spokesman on trade and industry since early 2005. He served briefly as a member of the culture, media and sport
select committee in 2004. He also serves as the vice chairman of the all party groups on endometriosis
, Internet
and management
.
In September 2006, Charles became a Patron of the Tory Reform Group
. Hendry was a Shadow Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change
since October 2008.
He married Sallie Moores in July 1995 in Westminster and he has two sons and two stepchildren. In 2003, he called for the introduction of first time voter packs to help to engage young people in the political process.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2980022.stm In January 2008 he was appointed as a Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of UK Youth Parliament
. He had served as Co-Chair from late 2006 but governance changes dissolved the Co-Chair system in favour of a sole Chair.
In 2005 Hendry said that the Church of Scientology
"are not a cult", adding that his statement was on the behalf of constituents subscribed to the Church.
News articles
Video clips
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Wealden
Wealden (UK Parliament constituency)
Wealden is a county constituency covering the Wealden district in East Sussex. It is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Boundaries:...
. In May 2010 he was appointed Minister of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change
Department of Energy and Climate Change
The Department of Energy and Climate Change is a British government department created on 3 October 2008 by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to take over some of the functions of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs...
.
Early life
The son of a stockbrokerStock broker
A stock broker or stockbroker is a regulated professional broker who buys and sells shares and other securities through market makers or Agency Only Firms on behalf of investors...
, Hendry was educated at Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
and the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
where he was awarded a Bachelor of Commerce
Bachelor of Commerce
A Bachelor of Commerce is an undergraduate degree in commerce and related subjects. The degree is also known as the Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, or BCA...
degree in Business Studies
Business studies
Business studies is an academic subject taught at higher level in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom, as well as at university level in many countries...
in 1981. He was the president of the Edinburgh University Conservative Association in 1979. He worked as an account manager with Ogilvy and Mather PR for six years from 1982, and from 1988 he worked for two years as a special adviser
Senior Advisor
In some countries, a Senior Advisor is an appointed position by the Head of State to advise on the highest levels of national and government policy. Sometimes a junior position to this is called a National Policy Advisor...
for the successive Secretaries of State for Social Security John Moore
John Moore, Baron Moore of Lower Marsh
John Edward Michael Moore, Baron Moore of Lower Marsh PC is a British politician who was Member of Parliament for Croydon Central from February 1974 until 1992. During the Premiership of Margaret Thatcher he enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of government which culminated in him serving as...
and Tony Newton
Tony Newton
Antony Harold "Tony" Newton, Baron Newton of Braintree, PC, OBE , is a British Conservative politician and former Cabinet member...
. He became a senior consultant
Consultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
with Burson-Marsteller in 1990, where he remained until his election to parliament
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
. During his interregnum from parliament he served as the chief of staff to the Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (UK)
The Leader of Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition in the United Kingdom is the politician who leads the Official Opposition in the United Kingdom. There is also a Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords...
William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
.
Political career
Hendry was the vice-chairman of the ScottishScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Federation of Conservative Students
Federation of Conservative Students
The Federation of Conservative Students was the student organisation of the British Conservative Party from the late 1940s to 1986. It was created to act as a bridge between the student movement and the Conservative Party....
in 1980 and was elected as the vice-chairman of the Battersea
Battersea (UK Parliament constituency)
Battersea is a parliamentary constituency located in Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, to which it elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system.- Boundaries :The...
Conservative Association for two years in 1981.
He unsuccessfully contested the Central Scotland
Central Region, Scotland
Central Region was a local government region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. It is now divided into the council areas of Falkirk, Stirling, and Clackmannanshire, which had previously been districts within Central...
seat of Clackmannan
Clackmannan (UK Parliament constituency)
Clackmannan was a parliamentary constituency in the Clackmannan area of Central Scotland. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
at the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
where he was beaten into third place, finishing some 9,988 votes behind the sitting Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MP Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of Clackmannan
Martin John O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of Clackmannan is a Scottish politician.He was a Labour Member of Parliament between 1979 and 2005, representing the Clackmannan and Eastern Stirlingshire, Clackmannan and Ochil seats successively...
. He contested the Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
seat of Mansfield
Mansfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Mansfield is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundary review:...
at the 1987 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
where he was narrowly defeated by Alan Meale
Alan Meale
Sir Joseph Alan Meale is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Mansfield since 1987.-Early life:...
, who won by just 56 votes: this was the joint closest constituency in the whole election.
Parliament
Hendry was elected to the House of CommonsBritish House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
at the 1992 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
for the Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
seat of High Peak
High Peak (UK Parliament constituency)
- Elections in the 2000s :- Elections in the 1990s :- Elections in the 1980s :-Elections in the 1970s:-Elections in the 1960s:...
following the retirement of the Conservative MP Christopher Hawkins
Christopher Hawkins
Christopher James Hawkins was a British Conservative Party Member of Parliament for High Peak constituency in Derbyshire from 1983 until he stood down in 1992. Born in Saffron Walden, his successor was Charles Hendry.- External links:...
. Hendry held the seat with a majority of 4,819, but lost his Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
-based seat at the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
when he was defeated by Labour's Tom Levitt
Tom Levitt
Tom Levitt is a British Labour Party politician, and was the longest-serving Labour Member of Parliament for High Peak, from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
by 8,791 votes. He was re-elected to parliament at the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
for the East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
seat of Wealden
Wealden (UK Parliament constituency)
Wealden is a county constituency covering the Wealden district in East Sussex. It is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Boundaries:...
following the retirement of the veteran Conservative MP Geoffrey Johnson Smith
Geoffrey Johnson Smith
Sir Geoffrey Johnson-Smith, PC, DL was a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom. He was a Member of Parliament from 1959 to 2001, with only a brief interruption in the 1960s....
. Hendry won with a majority of 13,772 and has remained the MP there since.
In Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
he was a member of the procedure select committee for three years from 1992 and he was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
(PPS) to the Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
at the Department of Social Security
Department of Social Security
The Department of Social Security is the name of a defunct governmental agency in the United Kingdom.The DSS replaced the older Department of Health and Social Security, from 1988 until 2001, when it was itself largely replaced as a department of the Government of the United Kingdom by the...
William Hague in 1994 for a year, and also served briefly as the PPS to the Secretary of State for Education and Employment Gillian Shephard
Gillian Shephard
Gillian Patricia Shephard, Baroness Shephard of Northwold, PC , née Watts, is an English Conservative politician; she was the Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk, and a former Cabinet Minister and is now Chairman of the Association of Conservative Peers.-Early life and career:The daughter...
in 1995. He also served on the Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Office
The Northern Ireland Office is a United Kingdom government department responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and is based in Northern Ireland at Stormont House.-Role:...
select committee 1994–1996. He was appointed as the vice chairman of the Conservative Party in 1995 by John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
, in which capacity he remained until he lost his seat in 1997.
On his re-election in 2001, he was appointed an Opposition Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
by Hague, and was appointed as a spokesman on Education and Skills in 2003 under the leadership of Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
. However, he was moved a few months later under Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
to again become a vice-chairman of the Conservative Party before serving as a spokesman on trade and industry since early 2005. He served briefly as a member of the culture, media and sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
select committee in 2004. He also serves as the vice chairman of the all party groups on endometriosis
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a gynecological medical condition in which cells from the lining of the uterus appear and flourish outside the uterine cavity, most commonly on the ovaries. The uterine cavity is lined by endometrial cells, which are under the influence of female hormones...
, Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
.
In September 2006, Charles became a Patron of the Tory Reform Group
Tory Reform Group
The Tory Reform Group is a group aligned to, but independent of, the British Conservative Party, that works to promote the values of the One Nation Tory vision...
. Hendry was a Shadow Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change
Department of Energy and Climate Change
The Department of Energy and Climate Change is a British government department created on 3 October 2008 by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to take over some of the functions of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs...
since October 2008.
He married Sallie Moores in July 1995 in Westminster and he has two sons and two stepchildren. In 2003, he called for the introduction of first time voter packs to help to engage young people in the political process.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2980022.stm In January 2008 he was appointed as a Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of UK Youth Parliament
UK Youth Parliament
The UK Youth Parliament is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, consisting of democratically elected members aged between 11 and 18....
. He had served as Co-Chair from late 2006 but governance changes dissolved the Co-Chair system in favour of a sole Chair.
In 2005 Hendry said that the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
"are not a cult", adding that his statement was on the behalf of constituents subscribed to the Church.
External links
- Charles Hendry MP official constituency website
- Wealden Conservatives
- BBC News - Charles Hendry profile 30 March 2006
News articles
- Calling for more funding for Gatwick Airport in August 2006
- Recruiting younger Conservatives in 2003
- Contacting eighteen year olds in 2002
Video clips