Kwasi Kwarteng
Encyclopedia
Dr Kwasi Alfred Addo Kwarteng (born 26 May 1975 in London) is a British Conservative Party
politician. After the retirement of Conservative MP David Wilshire
, Kwarteng was elected as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Spelthorne
in Surrey
in the 2010 general election, winning the seat with 22,261 votes and a majority of 10,019.
as students in the 1960s.
He attended Eton College
as a King's Scholar
, and then read classics and history at Trinity College, Cambridge
. He was a member of the winning University Challenge
team in 1995, in the first series after the programme was revived by the BBC in 1994. He attended Harvard University
as a Kennedy Scholar and completed a PhD
in Economic History at Cambridge University.
Prior to becoming an MP, Kwarteng worked as an analyst for hedge fund manager Crispin Odey
. He has written a book, Ghosts of Empire, about the legacy of the British Empire
, published by Bloomsbury
in 2011.
, who had won the seat in a 2003 by-election
, and Labour challenger Yasmin Qureshi
. Kwarteng was chairman of the Bow Group
in 2005-6. In 2006, The Times suggested that he could become the first black Conservative cabinet minister. He was sixth on the Conservative list of candidates for the London Assembly
in 2008
.
After Conservative MP for Spelthorne David Wilshire
became mired in controversy arising from the Parliamentary expenses scandal
, and announced his retirement from Parliament at the 2010 general election, Kwarteng was selected as Conservative candidate for Spelthorne at an open primary
in January 2010. He was described by a local paper as a "black Boris
". He was elected with a majority of 10,019 but was heckled by Liberal Democrats with shouts of "he was a scumbag" during his acceptance speech while paying tribute to his predecessor, who used his expenses to pay £100,000 to an unregistered company.
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. After the retirement of Conservative MP David Wilshire
David Wilshire
David Wilshire is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Member of Parliament for Spelthorne in Surrey from 1987 to 2010....
, Kwarteng was elected as 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 Spelthorne
Spelthorne (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-Elections in the 1980s:-Elections in the 1970s:-Elections in the 1960s:...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
in the 2010 general election, winning the seat with 22,261 votes and a majority of 10,019.
Early life
Kwarteng was born in London. His parents migrated to the UK from GhanaGhana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
as students in the 1960s.
He attended Eton College
Eton 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"....
as a King's Scholar
King's Scholar
A King's Scholar is a foundation scholar of one of certain public schools...
, and then read classics and history at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. He was a member of the winning University Challenge
University Challenge
University Challenge is a British quiz programme that has aired since 1962. The format is based on the American show College Bowl, which ran on NBC radio from 1953 to 1957, and on NBC television from 1959 to 1970....
team in 1995, in the first series after the programme was revived by the BBC in 1994. He attended Harvard University
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...
as a Kennedy Scholar and completed a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Economic History at Cambridge University.
Prior to becoming an MP, Kwarteng worked as an analyst for hedge fund manager Crispin Odey
Crispin Odey
Crispin Odey is a London hedge fund manager as owner of Odey Asset Management. In 2008 he gave himself a £28,000,000 paypacket after predicting the credit crunch would happen and subsequently betting that Bear Stearns would go bankrupt....
. He has written a book, Ghosts of Empire, about the legacy of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, published by Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
in 2011.
Political career
He was Conservative candidate for Brent East at the 2005 General Election, but was beaten into a distant third place by the incumbent Liberal Democrat MP Sarah TeatherSarah Teather
Sarah Louise Teather is a British Liberal Democrat politician, Member of Parliament for Brent Central, Minister of State at the Department for Education, and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Guantanamo Bay....
, who had won the seat in a 2003 by-election
Brent East by-election, 2003
The Brent East by-election, 2003 was caused by the death on 18 June 2003 of the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Brent East, Paul Daisley, of the Labour Party....
, and Labour challenger Yasmin Qureshi
Yasmin Qureshi
Yasmin Qureshi is a British-Pakistani Labour Party politician and a barrister practicing criminal law. She was elected as the Member of Parliament for Bolton South East in the May 2010 general election.-Early life:...
. Kwarteng was chairman of the Bow Group
Bow Group
The Bow Group is one of the oldest think tanks in the United Kingdom. Taking its name from the Bow area of London where it first met, it was founded in 1951...
in 2005-6. In 2006, The Times suggested that he could become the first black Conservative cabinet minister. He was sixth on the Conservative list of candidates for the London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
in 2008
London Assembly election, 2008
An election to the Assembly of London took place on 1 May 2008, along with the London mayoral election, 2008. The Conservatives gained 2 seats, Labour gained one seat, the Liberal Democrats lost two seats, and United Kingdom Independence Party or One London as they became were wiped out...
.
After Conservative MP for Spelthorne David Wilshire
David Wilshire
David Wilshire is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Member of Parliament for Spelthorne in Surrey from 1987 to 2010....
became mired in controversy arising from the Parliamentary expenses scandal
United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal triggered by the leak and subsequent publication by the Telegraph Group in 2009 of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament over several years...
, and announced his retirement from Parliament at the 2010 general election, Kwarteng was selected as Conservative candidate for Spelthorne at an open primary
Open primary
An open primary is a primary election that does not require voters to be affiliated with a political party in order to vote for partisan candidates. In a traditional open primary, voters may select one party's ballot and vote for that party's nomination. As in a closed primary, the highest voted...
in January 2010. He was described by a local paper as a "black Boris
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
". He was elected with a majority of 10,019 but was heckled by Liberal Democrats with shouts of "he was a scumbag" during his acceptance speech while paying tribute to his predecessor, who used his expenses to pay £100,000 to an unregistered company.
External links
- Kwasi Kwarteng MP official constituency website
- Blog at Conservative Home
- Kwasi Kwarteng MP Conservative Party profile
- Spelthorne Conservatives