Giles Chichester
Encyclopedia
Giles Chichester is a British Conservative Party
politician, and a Member of the European Parliament
(MEP) for South West England and Gibraltar
. He was elected as a temporary Vice President of the European Parliament
on 6 July 2011 to replace Silvana Koch-Mehrin
who had resigned over plagiarism allegations.
Chichester was born in London. Since 1969 worked in family business Francis Chichester Ltd (publishers of maps, guides and educational wallcharts), founded by his father Sir Francis Chichester KBE.
He was MEP for Devon and East Plymouth
from 1994 to 1999 and has represented South West England in the European Parliament
since 1999. On 23 July 2004 he was elected chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Industry, Research and Energy.
He is a former Chairman of the Carlton Club
Political Committee and is chairman of his family business publishing maps.
Chichester describes himself as a “climate change sceptic”.
David Cameron
did not withdraw the party whip from him as he did with the former Conservative MP Derek Conway
who now sits as an Independent. Chichester remained as a Conservative MEP but not their leader and was replaced by his deputy, Philip Bushill-Matthews
. The revelation came while as Leader of the Conservative MEPs Cameron had tasked Chichester to review and compile a code of conduct for Conservative MEPs' expenses after the embarrassment of Derek Conway. However, Chichester admitted he had been told the contract was not in order so he cancelled it immediately and described it as a "whoopsy-daisy" surprise to him. In September 2008 after a painstakingly detailed audit process by the European Parliament authorities Chichester received a letter from the Secretary General which cleared him of any conflict of interest, confirmed that all funds had been applied to the purpose intended and that he had received no personal benefit.
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, and a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
(MEP) for South West England and Gibraltar
South West England (European Parliament constituency)
South West England is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation, reduced from 7 in 2004.-Boundaries:...
. He was elected as a temporary Vice President of the European Parliament
Vice President of the European Parliament
There are fourteen Vice Presidents of the European Parliament who sit in for the President in presiding over the plenary of the European Parliament.-Role:...
on 6 July 2011 to replace Silvana Koch-Mehrin
Silvana Koch-Mehrin
Esther Silvana Koch-Mehrin is a German politician and Member of the European Parliament with the Free Democratic Party of Germany. Until May 2011, she was Vice Chairwoman of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. She is a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Budgets...
who had resigned over plagiarism allegations.
Chichester was born in London. Since 1969 worked in family business Francis Chichester Ltd (publishers of maps, guides and educational wallcharts), founded by his father Sir Francis Chichester KBE.
He was MEP for Devon and East Plymouth
Devon and East Plymouth (European Parliament constituency)
Devon and East Plymouth was a European Parliament constituency covering all of Devon in England, with the exception of the city of Plymouth. It was created in 1994 to replace the majority of Devon and a small part of Cornwall and Plymouth....
from 1994 to 1999 and has represented South West England in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
since 1999. On 23 July 2004 he was elected chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Industry, Research and Energy.
He is a former Chairman of the Carlton Club
Carlton Club
The Carlton Club is a gentlemen's club in London which describes itself as the "oldest, most elite, and most important of all Conservative clubs." Membership of the club is by nomination and election only.-History:...
Political Committee and is chairman of his family business publishing maps.
Chichester describes himself as a “climate change sceptic”.
Expenses
On 5 June 2008, Chichester stepped down as Leader of the Conservative MEPs, after it was alleged that since 1996 he had wrongly sent European parliamentary funds for secretarial and office services through his family business of which he was a paid director. He insists the contract was accepted by the EU Parliament 1999 and in 2004, he transferred money for his political staff through the company as an easier means of administration. The European Parliament suggested that a change in the Financial Regulation in 2003 meant this arrangement constituted a potential conflict of interest.David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
did not withdraw the party whip from him as he did with the former Conservative MP Derek Conway
Derek Conway
Derek Leslie Conway TD is an English politician and television presenter. A member of the centre-right Conservative Party, Conway served as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Old Bexley and Sidcup from 2001 to 2010....
who now sits as an Independent. Chichester remained as a Conservative MEP but not their leader and was replaced by his deputy, Philip Bushill-Matthews
Philip Bushill-Matthews
Philip Bushill-Matthews was a British politician and was a Conservative Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands.-Biography:...
. The revelation came while as Leader of the Conservative MEPs Cameron had tasked Chichester to review and compile a code of conduct for Conservative MEPs' expenses after the embarrassment of Derek Conway. However, Chichester admitted he had been told the contract was not in order so he cancelled it immediately and described it as a "whoopsy-daisy" surprise to him. In September 2008 after a painstakingly detailed audit process by the European Parliament authorities Chichester received a letter from the Secretary General which cleared him of any conflict of interest, confirmed that all funds had been applied to the purpose intended and that he had received no personal benefit.