Henry Bellingham
Encyclopedia
Henry Campbell Bellingham is a British Conservative
politician. He was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
on 14 May 2010. In parliament
, he represents the constituency of North West Norfolk.
and then Magdelene College, Cambridge, where he gained a degree in law in 1977. During his time at Cambridge, he was a member of Cambridge University Liberal Club and served as Joint Master of the Cambridge University Draghounds. He also took a short service commission in the Guards for a year between school and university. He trained at the Inns of Court School of Law
, and joined the Middle Temple
in 1978 and practised as a barrister
for eight years.
after winning the seat for North West Norfolk. But lost his seat at the 1997 election
. He contested the same seat at the election in 2001
, and won it back. He was re-elected in 2005 with a 9000 vote majority, and again in 2010 with a majority of 14,810.
Henry Bellingham was appointed as a Shadow Minister for Trade and Industry in July 2002, before becoming an Opposition
Whip
in May 2005. From November 2006 until the 2010 general election he was a Shadow Minister for the Department of Constitutional Affairs. He won the North West Norfolk seat in the 2010 election, and was appointed a Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the coalition government.
On September 29, 2011, while quoting Bellingham, the Antigua Observer described him as the United Kingdom's Overseas Territories Minister.
While in Antigua
Bellingham had commented on the surprise decision of former Prime Minister of Bermuda Ewart Brown
to provide asylum to four former Uyghur captives in Guantanamo.
, Environmental Polymer Technologies of Shaftesbury
, and Arc Fund Management.
. He married Emma Whiteley in August 1993 in Horsham
, and they have a son.
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. He was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
on 14 May 2010. 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 represents the constituency of North West Norfolk.
Early life
He attended EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and then Magdelene College, Cambridge, where he gained a degree in law in 1977. During his time at Cambridge, he was a member of Cambridge University Liberal Club and served as Joint Master of the Cambridge University Draghounds. He also took a short service commission in the Guards for a year between school and university. He trained at the Inns of Court School of Law
Inns of Court School of Law
The Inns of Court School of Law, often abbreviated to ICSL is a professional legal training institution based in London in Gray's Inn...
, and joined the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
in 1978 and practised as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
for eight years.
Parliamentary career
Bellingham first entered Parliament at the 1983 electionUnited 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...
after winning the seat for North West Norfolk. But lost his seat at the 1997 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...
. He contested the same seat at the election in 2001
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...
, and won it back. He was re-elected in 2005 with a 9000 vote majority, and again in 2010 with a majority of 14,810.
Henry Bellingham was appointed as a Shadow Minister for Trade and Industry in July 2002, before becoming an Opposition
Opposition (parliamentary)
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...
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...
in May 2005. From November 2006 until the 2010 general election he was a Shadow Minister for the Department of Constitutional Affairs. He won the North West Norfolk seat in the 2010 election, and was appointed a Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the coalition government.
On September 29, 2011, while quoting Bellingham, the Antigua Observer described him as the United Kingdom's Overseas Territories Minister.
While in Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
Bellingham had commented on the surprise decision of former Prime Minister of Bermuda Ewart Brown
Ewart Brown
Ewart Frederick Brown, Jr. was Premier of Bermuda and leader of the Progressive Labour Party from 2006 and 2010. He served as Member of Parliament for the constituency of Warwick South Central for 17 years until his retirement from politics in October 2010.Brown was elected leader of the ruling...
to provide asylum to four former Uyghur captives in Guantanamo.
“This is something that we weren’t consulted on by the last (Brown) administration. We have spoken to the United States about it — it’s our understanding that the arrangement was not to be permanent and we’re looking to the US State Department to find a permanent solution. We’re working with them to try and achieve that.”
Business Interests
He is a Director of Longborough Capital of WitneyWitney
Witney is a town on the River Windrush, west of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England.The place-name 'Witney' is first attested in a Saxon charter of 969 as 'Wyttannige'; it appears as 'Witenie' in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'Witta's island'....
, Environmental Polymer Technologies of Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury is a town in Dorset, England, situated on the A30 road near the Wiltshire border 20 miles west of Salisbury. The town is built 718 feet above sea level on the side of a chalk and greensand hill, which is part of Cranborne Chase, the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset...
, and Arc Fund Management.
Personal life
He lives in ConghamCongham
Congham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated some 10 km west of the town of King's Lynn and 55 km west of the city of Norwich....
. He married Emma Whiteley in August 1993 in Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, and they have a son.