Piers Merchant
Encyclopedia
Piers Rolf Garfield Merchant (2 January 1951 – 21 September 2009) was a British
Conservative Party
politician. He was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne Central
from 1983 to 1987, and then MP for Beckenham
from 1992 until he resigned in October 1997 following a scandal.
and the University of Durham
where he was Senior Man of University College's
JCR. He was also a member of Mensa
.
for the Newcastle Central
constituency, but lost his seat at the June 1987 general election
. Merchant returned to parliament as the MP for Beckenham
at the 1992 general election
.
His resignation was caused by renewed allegations that he was sleeping with his researcher. He was then caught by the The Sun
romancing with a 17-year-old nightclub hostess on a park bench in South East London in 1997, while his wife Helen was out canvassing for him. Anna Cox later told how he wanted to have sex in the open and she performed "a sex act" on him. MPs cannot technically resign; instead he took the offices of Steward of the Manor of Northstead, which automatically led to his disqualification.
In the 2004 European Parliament election
, Merchant stood for the United Kingdom Independence Party
(UKIP) in the North East England constituency
at the top of their party list. He was not elected. In 2005, he was the UKIP candidate for the Torrington Rural ward in the Devon County Council
election, but finished fourth of the four candidates
Piers Merchant worked for some years in various capacities for UKIP, and was at one time political advisor to Roger Knapman
during their successful 2004 election; also, for a short time, he acted as UKIP General Secretary until a suitable individual could be found full time.
in North Devon
.
In July 2009 he was diagnosed as having advanced multisite metastatic cancer
with a bleak prognosis. He died on 21 September 2009.
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 was 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 Newcastle upon Tyne Central
Newcastle upon Tyne Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Newcastle upon Tyne Central 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 :...
from 1983 to 1987, and then MP for Beckenham
Beckenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Beckenham is a parliamentary 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.-Constituency profile:...
from 1992 until he resigned in October 1997 following a scandal.
Education
He was educated at Nottingham High SchoolNottingham High School
Nottingham High School is a British boys' independent school situated about a mile north of Nottingham city centre. It has around 900 pupils from ages 11 to 18 and there is the adjoining Nottingham High Junior School catering for younger boys and, from September 2008, the Lovell House...
and the University of Durham
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
where he was Senior Man of University College's
University College, Durham
University College, commonly known as Castle, is a college of the University of Durham in England. Centred around Durham Castle on Palace Green, it was founded in 1832 and is the oldest of Durham's colleges. As with all of Durham's colleges, it is, independently of the University, a listed body...
JCR. He was also a member of Mensa
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
.
Political career
He was first elected to the House of Commons at the 1983 general 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...
for the Newcastle Central
Newcastle upon Tyne Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Newcastle upon Tyne Central 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 :...
constituency, but lost his seat at the June 1987 general election
United 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...
. Merchant returned to parliament as the MP for Beckenham
Beckenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Beckenham is a parliamentary 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.-Constituency profile:...
at the 1992 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
.
His resignation was caused by renewed allegations that he was sleeping with his researcher. He was then caught by the The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
romancing with a 17-year-old nightclub hostess on a park bench in South East London in 1997, while his wife Helen was out canvassing for him. Anna Cox later told how he wanted to have sex in the open and she performed "a sex act" on him. MPs cannot technically resign; instead he took the offices of Steward of the Manor of Northstead, which automatically led to his disqualification.
In the 2004 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2004 (UK)
The European Parliament election, 2004 was the UK part of the European Parliament election, 2004. It was held on 10 June. It was the first European election to be held in the United Kingdom using postal-only voting in four areas. It coincided with local and London elections.The Conservative Party...
, Merchant stood for the United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
(UKIP) in the North East England constituency
North East England (European Parliament constituency)
North East England is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 3 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
at the top of their party list. He was not elected. In 2005, he was the UKIP candidate for the Torrington Rural ward in the Devon County Council
Devon County Council
Devon County Council is the county council administering the English county of Devon. Based in the city of Exeter, the council covers the non-metropolitan county area of Devon...
election, but finished fourth of the four candidates
Piers Merchant worked for some years in various capacities for UKIP, and was at one time political advisor to Roger Knapman
Roger Knapman
Roger Maurice Knapman is a British politician and the former leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party ....
during their successful 2004 election; also, for a short time, he acted as UKIP General Secretary until a suitable individual could be found full time.
Personal life
In 2005, he and his family relocated to Great TorringtonGreat Torrington
Great Torrington is a small market town in the north of Devon, England. Parts of it are sited on high ground with steep drops down to the River Torridge below...
in North Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
.
In July 2009 he was diagnosed as having advanced multisite metastatic cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
with a bleak prognosis. He died on 21 September 2009.