Peter Luff
Encyclopedia
Peter James Luff MP
(born 18 February 1955) is a British
Conservative Party
politician. He has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Mid Worcestershire since the 1997 general election
, and was MP Worcester
from 1992 until 1997. He is currently a Defence minister.
town of Windsor
and attended the local Windsor Grammar School (now the comprehensive Windsor Boys' School) on Maidenhead Road. He studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
, receiving a BA
in Economics in 1976, then an MA.
Before entering parliament he worked for three years from 1977 as a research assistant to the Conservative MP Peter Walker
, before heading up Edward Heath
's private office for two years from 1980. He became the managing director of Good Relations Ltd, a public affairs company in 1982. In 1987 he became a special adviser to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
, David Young
. He became a senior consultant for Lowe Bell Communications (now Bell Pottinger Communications) in 1989, before again working for Good Relations from 1990.
, but was comfortably beaten by the sitting Labour
MP, Frank Dobson
. He was first elected to Parliament for Worcester, when he succeeded his former boss, Peter Walker. Following changes in the parliamentary constituency boundaries he was selected for the new Mid Worcestershire constituency, comprising large areas of three old constituencies, defeating another sitting Conservative MP, Eric Forth
for the nomination. He won the seat comfortably and has been a member of the House of Commons since 1992.
In Parliament he was appointed a Parliamentary Private Secretary
(PPS) in 1993 to the energy minister
Tim Eggar
, from 1996 he served as PPS to both Ann Widdecombe
the prisons minister at the Home Office
and Lord Mackay the Lord Chancellor
, he held these two positions simultaneously until the defeat of the Conservative government at the 1997 general election
. He has served on many parliamentary select committees including chairing the Agriculture
(1997–2000), and from 2005 to 2010 he chaired the what was successively known as the Trade and Industry Committee; the Business and Enterprise Select Committee; and the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee
.
He is the founder member of the Parliamentary Hunting with Hounds Middle Way Group, and takes a keen parliamentary interest in India
.
In the resulting Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition of May 2010, Luff was appointed as a junior Defence minister at the Ministry of Defence
, with the post of Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology.
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,...
(born 18 February 1955) 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. He has been the 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 Mid Worcestershire since 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...
, and was MP Worcester
Worcester (UK Parliament constituency)
Worcester is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Since 1885 it has elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election; from 1295 to 1885 it elected two MPs....
from 1992 until 1997. He is currently a Defence minister.
Early life
Peter Luff was born in the BerkshireBerkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
town of Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
and attended the local Windsor Grammar School (now the comprehensive Windsor Boys' School) on Maidenhead Road. He studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
, receiving a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Economics in 1976, then an MA.
Before entering parliament he worked for three years from 1977 as a research assistant to the Conservative MP Peter Walker
Peter Walker, Baron Walker of Worcester
Peter Edward Walker, Baron Walker of Worcester, MBE, PC , was British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet as the Environment Secretary , Trade and Industry Secretary , Agriculture Minister , Energy Secretary and Welsh Secretary...
, before heading up 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 ....
's private office for two years from 1980. He became the managing director of Good Relations Ltd, a public affairs company in 1982. In 1987 he became a special adviser to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills is a cabinet position in the United Kingdom government. Its secondary title is the President of the Board of Trade...
, David Young
David Young, Baron Young of Graffham
David Ivor Young, Baron Young of Graffham, PC DL is a British Conservative politician and businessman.-Early life:Young is the elder son of a businessman who imported flour and later set up as a manufacturer of coats for children...
. He became a senior consultant for Lowe Bell Communications (now Bell Pottinger Communications) in 1989, before again working for Good Relations from 1990.
Parliamentary career
He contested Holborn and St Pancras at the 1987 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
, but was comfortably beaten by the sitting 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, Frank Dobson
Frank Dobson
Frank Gordon Dobson, is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Holborn and St. Pancras since 1979...
. He was first elected to Parliament for Worcester, when he succeeded his former boss, Peter Walker. Following changes in the parliamentary constituency boundaries he was selected for the new Mid Worcestershire constituency, comprising large areas of three old constituencies, defeating another sitting Conservative MP, Eric Forth
Eric Forth
Eric Forth was a British politician. He was the Conservative Member of the European Parliament for Birmingham North, then Member of Parliament for Mid Worcestershire and finally Bromley and Chislehurst at his death. He served as a junior minister in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John...
for the nomination. He won the seat comfortably and has been a member of the House of Commons since 1992.
In Parliament he was appointed a Parliamentary Private Secretary
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...
(PPS) in 1993 to the energy minister
Energy minister
An energy minister is a position in many governments responsible for energy production and regulation, developing governmental energy policy, scientific research, and natural resources conservation...
Tim Eggar
Timothy Eggar
Timothy John Crommelin Eggar is a company director, a Governor of Shiplake College, an independent school for boys in the village of Shiplake in Oxfordshire, and is a former British Conservative Member of Parliament....
, from 1996 he served as PPS to both Ann Widdecombe
Ann Widdecombe
Ann Noreen Widdecombe is a former British Conservative Party politician and has been a novelist since 2000. She is a Privy Councillor and was the Member of Parliament for Maidstone from 1987 to 1997 and for Maidstone and The Weald from 1997 to 2010. She was a social conservative and a member of...
the prisons minister at the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
and Lord Mackay the Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
, he held these two positions simultaneously until the defeat of the Conservative government 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 has served on many parliamentary select committees including chairing the Agriculture
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was a United Kingdom government department created by the Board of Agriculture Act 1889 and at that time called the Board of Agriculture, and then from 1903 the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, and from 1919 the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries...
(1997–2000), and from 2005 to 2010 he chaired the what was successively known as the Trade and Industry Committee; the Business and Enterprise Select Committee; and the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee
Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee
The Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that came into existence on 1 October 2009, replacing the Business and Enterprise Select Committee, which was dissolved on 30 September 2009...
.
He is the founder member of the Parliamentary Hunting with Hounds Middle Way Group, and takes a keen parliamentary interest in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
In the resulting Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition of May 2010, Luff was appointed as a junior Defence minister at the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
, with the post of Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology.
External links
- Peter Luff MP official constituency website