Keith Hampson
Encyclopedia
Keith Hampson is a former Conservative party
politician in the United Kingdom
.
Hampson was educated at King James I Grammar School, Bishop Auckland
, where he was head boy, the University of Bristol
and Harvard
and was a university lecturer by profession. He was a personal assistant to Edward Heath
in the 1966 general election.
He was elected the MP
for Ripon
in February 1974, a seat that the Liberals
had gained in a by-election
the previous year. The constituency was abolished for the 1983 general election
, and Hampson was then elected for Leeds North West
. Hampson was PPS
to Michael Heseltine
, then Defence Secretary, when he was involved in a May 1984 incident in a gay theatre club in Soho where Hampson "accidentally brushed" the thigh of an undercover police officer. Hampson was forced to resign. In 1990, with Michael Mates
, Hampson ran Heseltine's Conservative Party
leadership campaign. At the 1997 general election
he was defeated by Labour
candidate Harold Best
.
Keith Hampson is married to the British journalist and broadcaster Sue Cameron.
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 in the United Kingdom
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...
.
Hampson was educated at King James I Grammar School, Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless...
, where he was head boy, the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
and Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and was a university lecturer by profession. He was a personal assistant to Edward Heath
Edward 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 ....
in the 1966 general election.
He was elected the MP
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,...
for Ripon
Ripon (UK Parliament constituency)
Ripon was a constituency sending members to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1983, centred on the city of Ripon in North Yorkshire.-History:...
in February 1974, a seat that the Liberals
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
had gained in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
the previous year. The constituency was abolished 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...
, and Hampson was then elected for Leeds North West
Leeds North West (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds North West is a parliamentary constituency in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire which is 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....
. Hampson was PPS
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...
to Michael Heseltine
Michael Heseltine
Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, CH, PC is a British businessman, Conservative politician and patron of the Tory Reform Group. He was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001 and was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major...
, then Defence Secretary, when he was involved in a May 1984 incident in a gay theatre club in Soho where Hampson "accidentally brushed" the thigh of an undercover police officer. Hampson was forced to resign. In 1990, with Michael Mates
Michael Mates
Michael John Mates is a Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for the constituency of East Hampshire from 1974 to 2010.He has been a member of the Privy Council since February 2004.-Education:...
, Hampson ran Heseltine's 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...
leadership campaign. 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...
he was defeated by 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...
candidate Harold Best
Harold Best
Harold Best is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was educated at Meanwood County Secondary School and worked as an electrical technician. He was Member of Parliament for Leeds North West from the 1997 general election until he retired at the 2005 general election. He is a...
.
Keith Hampson is married to the British journalist and broadcaster Sue Cameron.