John Gummer
Encyclopedia
John Selwyn Gummer, Baron Deben, PC
(born 26 November 1939) is a British
Conservative Party
politician
, formerly Member of Parliament
(MP) for Suffolk Coastal
, now a member of the House of Lords
. He is Chairman of the environmental consultancy company Sancroft International and Chairman of Veolia Water
. He is also a non-executive director and regular columnist for the Catholic Herald and a non-executive director of Castle Trust (see - http://www.castletrust.co.uk/about-us/who-we-are).
On 30 December 2009, Gummer announced his intention to stand down at the 2010 general election in order to participate in a new pan-European campaign in support of action in response to climate change
. He became a member of the House of Lords in June 2010.
priest whose living was in Gravesend
, Kent
, another being Lord Chadlington. He began his education at Holy Trinity Primary School in Brompton
, London and later went to King's School, Rochester. He read History at Selwyn College
, Cambridge
. He was the chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association
and later President of the Cambridge Union Society
.
Whilst at Cambridge, he was a member of what became known as the Cambridge Mafia
– a group of future Conservative Cabinet ministers, including Leon Brittan
, Michael Howard
, Kenneth Clarke
, Norman Lamont, and Norman Fowler
.
In 1962, Gummer joined Business Publications as an editor, leaving in 1964 to become editor in chief with Max Parrish & Oldbourne Press. He left to take up the position of special assistant to the chairman of BPCPublishing the publishing arm of the British Printing Corporation in 1967, transferring to become a publisher within the special projects department until 1969, when he was promoted to become the editorial coordinator, where he remained until he was first elected to Parliament. He has held various board level positions in publishing companies since his election.
, Gummer stood as a candidate in the Greenwich
constituency, but was heavily defeated by the incumbent Labour
MP, Richard Marsh
. He stood again some 18 months later at the 1966 general election
and lost even more heavily.
He was finally elected to the House of Commons on his third attempt, at the 1970 general election
, when he narrowly unseated the sitting MP James Dickens
in the Lewisham West constituency. However, at the February 1974 general election
he lost the seat to Labour's Christopher Price
, and failed to regain it in the October 1974 election
.
In 1979, he eventually returned to the House of Commons, securing the seat of Eye
, following the retirement of veteran Tory Harwood Harrison
. He held the constituency until its abolition for the 1983 general election
. From then until 2010 he was the MP for one of its successor constituencies, Suffolk Coastal
.
, Gummer held various minor positions in the government, ultimately being appointed Conservative Party Vice-Chairman (a position he held until the fall of the government). In 1979, he was re-elected as an MP as the Conservative Party returned to Government. He held various government positions and also chaired the Conservative Party from 1983 to 1985; he was chairman at the time of the Brighton hotel bombing
during the Conservative party conference. However, unlike his predecessor, Cecil Parkinson
, and many of his successors, he did not hold cabinet rank at this time. He eventually joined the cabinet in 1989 as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
, moving to become Secretary of State for the Environment
under John Major
in 1993. As Environment Secretary he introduced the UK's first Environmental Tax, the landfill tax. BBC Wildlife
magazine described him as the "Environment Secretary against which all others are judged", putting him in the top ten environmental heroes [BBC Wildlife Magazine 2007]. In 1997, he was awarded a Medal of Honour by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
.
Following the 1997 Labour election victory he was a backbencher and chairman of the all-party group on architecture and planning.
as Baron Deben
, of Winston
in the County of Suffolk
on 21 June 2010, and he was introduced
in the House of Lords
the same day, supported by his brother, Lord Chadlington
, and the composer Lord Lloyd-Webber
.
Although there has never been a Lord Gummer, both he and his brother chose to take geographical titles instead of their surname.
. They have two sons and two daughters: Ben, the MP for Ipswich constituency
; Felix; Leonora; and Cordelia.
For many years, including his period as Conservative Party Chairman, he was known as John Selwyn Gummer. He dropped the Selwyn from common usage as he entered the cabinet in the late 1980s.
He is one of the members of Thatcher's cabinet who were said to have wept when she met with them individually on the evening before her resignation in November 1990 to seek their views on whether she should continue to fight for the party leadership.
He was a member of the General Synod
of the Church of England
from 1978 until he left the church and was received into the Roman Catholic Church
in 1992, following the decision of the General Synod
allowing the ordination of women
to the priesthood.
He introduced an Early Day Motion
on Climate Change
to Parliament along with Michael Meacher
and Norman Baker
. In 2001, he called on the European Union
to come together against nuclear terrorism
.
He is a pro-European
moderate, and was a supporter of Kenneth Clarke
's leadership bids.
He is also a strong opponent of abortion
. The former Conservative MP Gyles Brandreth
records in his published diaries an incident when Gummer was campaigning in Brandreth's Chester constituency during the 1997 general election
campaign:
, won the seat.
Soon after the election of the new leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron
, in 2005, Gummer was asked to chair a new Quality of Life Policy Group with Zac Goldsmith
as his deputy. He was chosen for his experience as Secretary of State for the Environment
and known interest in environmental issues.
panic in 1990, though his daughter did not eat it as it was too "hot" and she was full.
In 1993, he was called a "drittsekk" (translated as "shitbag") by the Norwegian
Minister of Environmental Affairs, Thorbjørn Berntsen
, who commented "John Gummer is the biggest shitbag I have ever met." after Gummer had refused to discuss an acid rain problem on Norwegian soil.
Gummer is a recipient of the RSPB Medal.
In 2009, Gummer attracted attention, with many other MPs, because of his parliamentary expense claims, approved by the Parliamentary Fees Office, in which he claimed for, among other things, mole-catching, jackdaw nest removal and gardening on his country estate at Debenham in Suffolk.
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Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(born 26 November 1939) is a British
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...
, formerly 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 Suffolk Coastal
Suffolk Coastal (UK Parliament constituency)
Suffolk Coastal 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.This East Anglian constituency was created in 1983....
, now a member of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. He is Chairman of the environmental consultancy company Sancroft International and Chairman of Veolia Water
Veolia Water
Veolia Water , the water division of the French company Veolia Environnement, is the world's largest supplier of water services....
. He is also a non-executive director and regular columnist for the Catholic Herald and a non-executive director of Castle Trust (see - http://www.castletrust.co.uk/about-us/who-we-are).
On 30 December 2009, Gummer announced his intention to stand down at the 2010 general election in order to participate in a new pan-European campaign in support of action in response to climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
. He became a member of the House of Lords in June 2010.
Early life
John Gummer was one of the three sons of a Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
priest whose living was in Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, another being Lord Chadlington. He began his education at Holy Trinity Primary School in Brompton
Brompton, Kensington
Brompton is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is roughly defined by a triangle formed by the Brompton Cemetery, Old Brompton Road/Brompton Road and Walton Street/Fulham Road.-Development:...
, London and later went to King's School, Rochester. He read History at Selwyn College
Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College is a constituent college in the University of Cambridge in England, United Kingdom.The college was founded by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of the Rt Reverend George Selwyn , who rowed on the Cambridge crew in the first Varsity Boat Race in 1829, and went on to become the...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. He was the chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association
Cambridge University Conservative Association
The Cambridge University Conservative Association is a long-established political society going back to 1921, with roots in the late nineteenth century, as a Conservative branch for students at Cambridge University in England...
and later President of the Cambridge Union Society
Cambridge Union Society
The Cambridge Union Society, commonly referred to as simply "the Cambridge Union" or "the Union," is a debating society in Cambridge, England and is the largest society at the University of Cambridge. Since its founding in 1815, the Union has developed a worldwide reputation as a noted symbol of...
.
Whilst at Cambridge, he was a member of what became known as the Cambridge Mafia
Cambridge Mafia
The Cambridge Mafia was a pejorative term which referred to the fact that many senior British Conservative Party politicians of the 1980s and 1990s attended the University of Cambridge at roughly the same time in the early 1960s — many of them served as Chairman of the Cambridge University...
– a group of future Conservative Cabinet ministers, including Leon Brittan
Leon Brittan, Baron Brittan of Spennithorne
Sir Leon Brittan, Baron Brittan of Spennithorne, QC, PC, DL is a British barrister, politician and former Conservative Member of Parliament, as well as former member of the European Commission and former Home Secretary of the United Kingdom...
, 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...
, Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Harry "Ken" Clarke, QC, MP is a British Conservative politician, currently Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. He was first elected to Parliament in 1970; and appointed a minister in Edward Heath's government, in 1972, and is one of...
, Norman Lamont, and Norman Fowler
Norman Fowler
Norman Fowler, Baron Fowler, PC is a British Conservative politician who was from 1981 to 1990 a member of Margaret Thatcher's Cabinet.-Early life:...
.
In 1962, Gummer joined Business Publications as an editor, leaving in 1964 to become editor in chief with Max Parrish & Oldbourne Press. He left to take up the position of special assistant to the chairman of BPCPublishing the publishing arm of the British Printing Corporation in 1967, transferring to become a publisher within the special projects department until 1969, when he was promoted to become the editorial coordinator, where he remained until he was first elected to Parliament. He has held various board level positions in publishing companies since his election.
Member of Parliament
At the 1964 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
, Gummer stood as a candidate in the Greenwich
Greenwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Greenwich was a parliamentary constituency in South-East London, which returned Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1997 by the first past the post system.-History:...
constituency, but was heavily defeated by the incumbent 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, Richard Marsh
Richard Marsh, Baron Marsh
Richard William Marsh, Baron Marsh PC was an English politician and business executive.Marsh was educated at Woolwich Polytechnic and was elected as Labour Party Member of Parliament for Greenwich at the 1959 general election...
. He stood again some 18 months later at the 1966 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
and lost even more heavily.
He was finally elected to the House of Commons on his third attempt, at the 1970 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
, when he narrowly unseated the sitting MP James Dickens
James Dickens (UK politician)
James McCulloch York Dickens has been a British Labour politician. He was Member of Parliament for the marginal constituency of Lewisham West from 1966 to 1970.He was a member of the Tribune Group of left-wing MPs. His seat was gained by the Conservative candidate John Gummer.After leaving...
in the Lewisham West constituency. However, at the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
he lost the seat to Labour's Christopher Price
Christopher Price (UK politician)
Christopher Price is a former Labour politician in the United Kingdom.Price was educated at Leeds Grammar School and The Queen's College, Oxford where he was secretary of the Labour Club in 1953...
, and failed to regain it in the October 1974 election
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
.
In 1979, he eventually returned to the House of Commons, securing the seat of Eye
Eye (UK Parliament constituency)
Eye was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election...
, following the retirement of veteran Tory Harwood Harrison
Harwood Harrison
Sir Harwood Harrison, 1st Baronet was a British Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Eye in Suffolk from 1951 to 1979, having first contested it in 1950....
. He held the constituency until its abolition for 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...
. From then until 2010 he was the MP for one of its successor constituencies, Suffolk Coastal
Suffolk Coastal (UK Parliament constituency)
Suffolk Coastal 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.This East Anglian constituency was created in 1983....
.
In government
Under Edward HeathEdward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
, Gummer held various minor positions in the government, ultimately being appointed Conservative Party Vice-Chairman (a position he held until the fall of the government). In 1979, he was re-elected as an MP as the Conservative Party returned to Government. He held various government positions and also chaired the Conservative Party from 1983 to 1985; he was chairman at the time of the Brighton hotel bombing
Brighton hotel bombing
The Brighton hotel bombing happened on 12 October 1984 at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England. The bomb was planted by Provisional Irish Republican Army member Patrick Magee, with the intention of assassinating Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet who were staying at the hotel for the...
during the Conservative party conference. However, unlike his predecessor, Cecil Parkinson
Cecil Parkinson
Cecil Parkinson, Baron Parkinson, PC , is a British Conservative politician and former Cabinet Minister.-Early life:...
, and many of his successors, he did not hold cabinet rank at this time. He eventually joined the cabinet in 1989 as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The post was originally named President of the Board of Agriculture and was created in 1889...
, moving to become Secretary of State for the Environment
Secretary of State for the Environment
The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...
under 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 1993. As Environment Secretary he introduced the UK's first Environmental Tax, the landfill tax. BBC Wildlife
BBC Wildlife
BBC Wildlife is a British glossy, all-colour, monthly magazine about wildlife, founded by BBC Worldwide and published through the BBC Magazines Bristol division, also trading as Bristol Magazines Ltd....
magazine described him as the "Environment Secretary against which all others are judged", putting him in the top ten environmental heroes [BBC Wildlife Magazine 2007]. In 1997, he was awarded a Medal of Honour by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...
.
Following the 1997 Labour election victory he was a backbencher and chairman of the all-party group on architecture and planning.
Peerage
It was announced that Gummer would be awarded a peerage in the 2010 Dissolution Honours List. He was created a life peerLife peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Deben
River Deben
The River Deben is a river in Suffolk rising in Debenham -to be precise it has two main sources but the others are mostly fields runoff then , passes through Woodbridge, turning into a tidal estuary before entering the North Sea at Felixstowe Ferry...
, of Winston
Winston, Suffolk
Winston is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located around eight miles east of Stowmarket, in 2005 its population was 160. The parish also contains the villages of Winston Green and Fenn Street. There is a church and an old school room, and every...
in the County of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
on 21 June 2010, and he was introduced
Introduction (House of Lords)
Introduction is a ceremony in the House of Lords whereby new members are "introduced" to the existing membership. Introductions in the Lords are more elaborate than those in the House of Commons.-Origins:...
in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
the same day, supported by his brother, Lord Chadlington
Peter Gummer, Baron Chadlington
Peter Selwyn Gummer, Baron Chadlington FCIPR FIoD FCinstM FRSA is an English businessman.-Early life and education:Gummer was born on 24 August 1942 to Selwyn Gummer, a Church of England priest, and his wife Margaret Mason. Gummer has two brothers; John Gummer, Baron Deben, former Chairman of the...
, and the composer Lord Lloyd-Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
.
Although there has never been a Lord Gummer, both he and his brother chose to take geographical titles instead of their surname.
Personal life
He has been married to Penelope Jane Gardner since 1977 and they live near Debenham in the Mid Suffolk DistrictMid Suffolk
Mid Suffolk is a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council is based in Needham Market, and the largest town is Stowmarket.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Borough of Eye, Stowmarket urban district, Gipping Rural District, Hartismere Rural District and...
. They have two sons and two daughters: Ben, the MP for Ipswich constituency
Ipswich (UK Parliament constituency)
Ipswich is a borough 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.- Boundaries :...
; Felix; Leonora; and Cordelia.
For many years, including his period as Conservative Party Chairman, he was known as John Selwyn Gummer. He dropped the Selwyn from common usage as he entered the cabinet in the late 1980s.
He is one of the members of Thatcher's cabinet who were said to have wept when she met with them individually on the evening before her resignation in November 1990 to seek their views on whether she should continue to fight for the party leadership.
He was a member of the General Synod
General Synod
-Church of England:In the Church of England, the General Synod, which was established in 1970 , is the legislative body of the Church.-Episcopal Church of the United States:...
of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
from 1978 until he left the church and was received into the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in 1992, following the decision of the General Synod
General Synod
-Church of England:In the Church of England, the General Synod, which was established in 1970 , is the legislative body of the Church.-Episcopal Church of the United States:...
allowing the ordination of women
Ordination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
to the priesthood.
He introduced an Early Day Motion
Early day motion
An Early Day Motion , in the Westminster system, is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by Members of Parliament for debate "on an early day" . Controversial EDMs are not signed by Government Ministers, PPS or the Speaker of the House of Commons and very few are debated on the floor...
on Climate Change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
to Parliament along with Michael Meacher
Michael Meacher
Michael Hugh Meacher is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Oldham West and Royton since 1997. Previously he had been the MP for Oldham West, first elected in 1970. On 22 February 2007 he declared that he would be standing for the Labour Leadership, challenging...
and Norman Baker
Norman Baker
Norman John Baker is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Lewes in East Sussex since 1997. Since May 2010 he has been Parliamentary Under Secretary for the Department for Transport....
. In 2001, he called on the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
to come together against nuclear terrorism
Nuclear terrorism
Nuclear terrorism denotes the use, or threat of the use, of nuclear weapons or radiological weapons in acts of terrorism, includingattacks against facilities where radioactive materials are present...
.
He is a pro-European
Pro-European
Pro-European is a subjective term applied to a person who supports the idea of European unification and generally supports further 'deepening' of European integration, specifically in the context of political argument over the current and future status of the EU and its policies.-The Pro-European...
moderate, and was a supporter of Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Harry "Ken" Clarke, QC, MP is a British Conservative politician, currently Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. He was first elected to Parliament in 1970; and appointed a minister in Edward Heath's government, in 1972, and is one of...
's leadership bids.
He is also a strong opponent of abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. The former Conservative MP Gyles Brandreth
Gyles Brandreth
Gyles Daubeney Brandreth is a British writer, broadcaster and former Conservative Member of Parliament and junior minister.-Early life:...
records in his published diaries an incident when Gummer was campaigning in Brandreth's Chester constituency during 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...
campaign:
"John's happiest moment comes when we encounter a lone Labour activist... The man mutters something derogatory as JG strides past. John spins round. 'What does your candidate have to say on abortion then?'Despite this outburst, the Labour candidate, Christine Russell
The man is momentarily stunned, and then declares with some conviction, 'She believes in a woman's right to choose.'
'Oh yes, oh yes,' trills John, voice rising, breath quickening: 'She believes in murdering babies does she? Just so we know.' The Secretary of State for the Environment is smacking his lips now. 'You want us to vote for someone who believes in murdering babies. Thank you! Thank you very much!'"
Christine Russell
Christine Margaret Russell is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for the City of Chester from 1997 to 2010. She lost her seat to the Conservative Stephen Mosley at the 2010 General Election.-Early life:She is a Lincolnshire farmer's daughter from South Holland...
, won the seat.
Soon after the election of the new leader of the Conservative Party, 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 ....
, in 2005, Gummer was asked to chair a new Quality of Life Policy Group with Zac Goldsmith
Zac Goldsmith
Frank Zacharias Robin "Zac" Goldsmith, MP is an English environmental journalist, entrepreneur and Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Richmond Park since winning the seat at the 2010 general election.Goldsmith is the middle child of the late financier Sir...
as his deputy. He was chosen for his experience as Secretary of State for the Environment
Secretary of State for the Environment
The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...
and known interest in environmental issues.
Controversies
He is noted for delaying a ban on beef in 1989, and for the way he attempted to feed a hamburger to his four-year-old daughter Cordelia at the height of the BSEBovine spongiform encephalopathy
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy , commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. BSE has a long incubation period, about 30 months to 8 years, usually affecting adult cattle at a peak age onset of...
panic in 1990, though his daughter did not eat it as it was too "hot" and she was full.
In 1993, he was called a "drittsekk" (translated as "shitbag") by the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
Minister of Environmental Affairs, Thorbjørn Berntsen
Thorbjørn Berntsen
Thorbjørn Berntsen is a former Norwegian politician representing the Labour Party. He was Minister of Environmental Affairs 1990-1997.-References:...
, who commented "John Gummer is the biggest shitbag I have ever met." after Gummer had refused to discuss an acid rain problem on Norwegian soil.
Gummer is a recipient of the RSPB Medal.
In 2009, Gummer attracted attention, with many other MPs, because of his parliamentary expense claims, approved by the Parliamentary Fees Office, in which he claimed for, among other things, mole-catching, jackdaw nest removal and gardening on his country estate at Debenham in Suffolk.
External links
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: John Gummer MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - John Gummer MP
- BBC article on the burger / BSE story
- Video of BSE story from 1990
- Castle Trust
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