Sir George Young, 6th Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir George Samuel Knatchbull Young, 6th Baronet (born 16 July 1941) is a British
politician
. He is currently the Leader of the House of Commons
and Lord Privy Seal
, and has served as a Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
since 1974, having represented North West Hampshire since 1997, and Ealing Acton
before that.
Young served in the Cabinet
from 1995 to 1997 as Secretary of State for Transport
. He later served in the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Defence Secretary, Shadow Constitutional Affairs Spokesman and Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
, before assuming his current role following the 2010 general election.
in 1941, the first son of Sir George Peregrine "Gerry" Young, 5th Baronet, and Elizabeth Knatchbull-Hugessen. His father was a diplomat who met Elizabeth while serving in Beijing
(where her father, Sir Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen
, was the British Ambassador). They married in 1939. On the death of his father in 1960, George inherited the Baronet
cy which had been created in 1813 when Sir Samuel Young's services as an Admiral
in the Royal Navy
were recognised.
Young was educated at Eton
, and then Christ Church, Oxford
, where he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics, graduating in 1963. He was active in student politics while at Oxford, holding various offices in the Oxford University Conservative Association
and being elected to the Standing Committee of the Oxford Union
. After graduating from Oxford, he worked for a period at the merchant bank Hill Samuel
, and then at the National Economic Development Office from 1966 to 1967. He then spent two years as Kobler Research Fellow at the University of Surrey
, where he completed an M.Phil.
From 1969 to 1974, Young was an economic adviser to the Post Office Corporation.
Young served as a Councillor in the London Borough of Lambeth
from 1968 to 1971, alongside his wife and John Major
. He represented Clapham
Town ward, and served on the Housing Committee. He and other councillors worked as refuse collectors at weekends during a strike. He lost his council seat in 1971.
In 1970, Young was elected to the Greater London Council
(GLC) as one of four Members for the London Borough of Ealing
. He served on the GLC from 1970 to 1973, where he was vice-chairman of the Strategic Planning Authority. He did not contest his seat on the GLC in 1973, having been selected as a candidate for Parliament. (He was later one of the local government ministers who abolished the GLC in 1986.)
as the MP for Acton
with a majority of 1,300, defeating the sitting Labour Party
MP, Nigel Spearing
. (Spearing returned to parliament a few weeks later after winning a by-election
in Newham South
, and the two remained good friends until Spearing retired in 1997.) Young was re-elected as MP for Ealing Acton at the October 1974 general election
with a majority of 808. He continued to represent Acton (renamed Ealing Acton in 1983) for the next 23 years, when the seat was abolished owing to boundary changes.
From 1976 to 1979, Young served as an opposition whip
. When the Conservative Party won the 1979 General Election
, he was made a Junior Health Minister. From 1981 to 1986, Young served as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of the Environment.
In 1982, Young and his children appeared on a British Rail
poster alongside Jimmy Savile
to promote new measures to allow people to take their bicycles on trains more easily. Young had made a critical speech in parliament about the provisions for cyclists to take their bikes on trains, and when British Rail implemented new measures they invited Young to appear on the publicity poster. His enthusiasm for cycling has earned Young the nickname of the "Bicycling Baronet".
In 1992 when asked during parliamentary discussions of the Armley Asbestos Disaster in Armley for financial assistance in surveying local housing in the Armley area for residual asbestos, the then Minister for Housing and Planning, Sir George Young, responded that the government would not provide financial assistance to the home owners or the council to pay for decontamination, as this "would not be a justifiable use of public funds."
On the backbenches from 1986 to 1990, Young was among the leaders of the rebellion within the Conservative Party against the implementation of the Poll Tax
. Shortly before leaving office in 1990, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
brought Young back into her government as a Whip (Comptroller of the Household
) as part of her attempts to reunite the party.
When John Major became Prime Minister in November 1990, he gave Young to the role of Minister for Housing and Planning. Young then served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury
from 1994 to 1995, and in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Transport from 1995 to 1997. He was made a Privy Councillor
in 1993.
When Young's Ealing Acton constituency was abolished because of boundary changes, he was parachuted into the safe Conservative seat of North West Hampshire at the 1997 general election
to replace the retiring MP Sir David Mitchell
. Young was elected with a majority of 11,551, and has continued to serve as the MP for North West Hampshire since then.
Following the Conservative Party's defeat in 1997, Young was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet
as Shadow Defence Secretary by the party's new leader, William Hague
. In 1998, Young became Shadow Leader of the House of Commons. In 1999, he was given additional responsibilities as Spokesman on Constitutional Affairs. He was a member of the Modernisation Select Committee and of the House of Commons Commission
from 1998 to 2000.
Young resigned from the Shadow Cabinet in September 2000 in order to stand for the position of Speaker of the House of Commons. Fourteen MPs put their names forward to succeed the retiring Betty Boothroyd
, and many observers considered Young to be the favourite to be elected to the role. He had support from both the Conservative and Labour leadership, however many backbench MPs, particularly those from the Labour Party (who held a large majority in the House at the time), viewed Young as someone who had too recently been a member of his party's front bench team and was thus not sufficiently in touch with ordinary MPs. In the end, Young was not elected as Speaker, with the House instead choosing Labour MP Michael Martin
for the role.
From 2000 to 2009, Young remained on the backbenches. He was elected Chairman of the House of Commons Committee on Standards and Privileges
in 2001, and was re-elected to that role in 2005.
Young stood for the position of Speaker of the House again in 2009, finishing second in the ballot of MPs to fellow Conservative MP John Bercow
. In the first ever secret ballot of MPs to choose the new Speaker, Bercow defeated Young in the final round of voting by a margin of 322 to 271.
On 8 September 2009, Conservative Party Leader David Cameron
appointed Young as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
, replacing Alan Duncan
who held the post since January 2009. He became the Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal
on 12 May 2010 after the Conservative Party formed a coalition government
with the Liberal Democrats
following the 2010 general election. In this role, he attends the meetings of the Cabinet but is not a full member.
Young is a patron of the Tory Reform Group
and the All-Party Parliamentary Group
on cycling.
, on 11 July 1964. They have two sons and two daughters, and live in Penton Mewsey
, Hampshire
.
He is a supporter of West London football club Queens Park Rangers
.
In 1987 Young was banned from driving after being caught drink driving. It was reported that he smashed into a motorway barrier and continued on until stopped by police.
His wealth is estimated to be at least £1m.
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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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He is currently the Leader of the House of Commons
Leader of the House of Commons
The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons...
and Lord Privy Seal
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
, and has served as a 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...
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,...
since 1974, having represented North West Hampshire since 1997, and Ealing Acton
Ealing Acton (UK Parliament constituency)
Ealing Acton was a parliamentary constituency in West London, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1983 until it was abolished for the 1997 general election.-History:...
before that.
Young served in the Cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
from 1995 to 1997 as Secretary of State for Transport
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
. He later served in the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Defence Secretary, Shadow Constitutional Affairs Spokesman and Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Shadow Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet responsible for working with the Leader of the House in arranging Commons business and holding the Government to account in its overall management of the House...
, before assuming his current role following the 2010 general election.
Early life
Young was born in OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
in 1941, the first son of Sir George Peregrine "Gerry" Young, 5th Baronet, and Elizabeth Knatchbull-Hugessen. His father was a diplomat who met Elizabeth while serving in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
(where her father, Sir Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen
Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen
Sir Hughe Montgomery Knatchbull-Hugessen KCMG was a British diplomat, civil servant and author.-Background and education:...
, was the British Ambassador). They married in 1939. On the death of his father in 1960, George inherited the Baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
cy which had been created in 1813 when Sir Samuel Young's services as an Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
were recognised.
Young was educated at Eton
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"....
, and then Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, where he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics, graduating in 1963. He was active in student politics while at Oxford, holding various offices in the Oxford University Conservative Association
Oxford University Conservative Association
The Oxford University Conservative Association, or OUCA is a student political organisation founded in 1924 whose members are drawn from the University of Oxford...
and being elected to the Standing Committee of the Oxford Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
. After graduating from Oxford, he worked for a period at the merchant bank Hill Samuel
Hill Samuel
Hill Samuel is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lloyds TSB's Offshore Private Banking unit. It was formerly a leading British merchant bank and financial services firm before the takeover by TSB Group Plc. in 1987, which itself merged with Lloyds Bank to become Lloyds TSB in 1995.-History:In 1832,...
, and then at the National Economic Development Office from 1966 to 1967. He then spent two years as Kobler Research Fellow at the University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
, where he completed an M.Phil.
Master of Philosophy
The Master of Philosophy is a postgraduate research degree.An M.Phil. is a lesser degree than a Doctor of Philosophy , but in many cases it is considered to be a more senior degree than a taught Master's degree, as it is often a thesis-only degree. In some instances, an M.Phil...
From 1969 to 1974, Young was an economic adviser to the Post Office Corporation.
Young served as a Councillor in the London Borough of Lambeth
London Borough of Lambeth
The London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in south London, England and forms part of Inner London. The local authority is Lambeth London Borough Council.-Origins:...
from 1968 to 1971, alongside his wife and 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...
. He represented Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
Town ward, and served on the Housing Committee. He and other councillors worked as refuse collectors at weekends during a strike. He lost his council seat in 1971.
In 1970, Young was elected to the Greater London Council
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
(GLC) as one of four Members for the London Borough of Ealing
London Borough of Ealing
The London Borough of Ealing is a borough in west London.-Location:The London Borough of Ealing borders the London Borough of Hillingdon to the west, the London Borough of Harrow and the London Borough of Brent to the north, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to the east and the London...
. He served on the GLC from 1970 to 1973, where he was vice-chairman of the Strategic Planning Authority. He did not contest his seat on the GLC in 1973, having been selected as a candidate for Parliament. (He was later one of the local government ministers who abolished the GLC in 1986.)
Parliamentary career
Young was elected to Parliament at the February 1974 general electionUnited 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,...
as the MP for Acton
Acton (UK Parliament constituency)
- Elections in the 1940s :- Elections in the 1960s :-References:...
with a majority of 1,300, defeating the sitting Labour Party
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, Nigel Spearing
Nigel Spearing
Nigel John Spearing is a British Labour Party politician.Nigel Spearing was born in London, and educated at Latymer Upper School, Hammersmith, and St Catharine's College, Cambridge. After graduating in 1956, he worked as a tutor and teacher, firstly at Wandsworth School and then at Elliot School,...
. (Spearing returned to parliament a few weeks later after winning 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....
in Newham South
Newham South (UK Parliament constituency)
Newham South was a parliamentary constituency in the London Borough of Newham, in east London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
, and the two remained good friends until Spearing retired in 1997.) Young was re-elected as MP for Ealing Acton at the October 1974 general 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...
with a majority of 808. He continued to represent Acton (renamed Ealing Acton in 1983) for the next 23 years, when the seat was abolished owing to boundary changes.
From 1976 to 1979, Young served as an opposition whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
. When the Conservative Party won the 1979 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
, he was made a Junior Health Minister. From 1981 to 1986, Young served as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of the Environment.
In 1982, Young and his children appeared on a British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
poster alongside Jimmy Savile
Jimmy Savile
Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile, OBE, KCSG was an English disc jockey, television presenter and media personality, best known for his BBC television show Jim'll Fix It, and for being the first and last presenter of the long-running BBC music chart show Top of the Pops...
to promote new measures to allow people to take their bicycles on trains more easily. Young had made a critical speech in parliament about the provisions for cyclists to take their bikes on trains, and when British Rail implemented new measures they invited Young to appear on the publicity poster. His enthusiasm for cycling has earned Young the nickname of the "Bicycling Baronet".
In 1992 when asked during parliamentary discussions of the Armley Asbestos Disaster in Armley for financial assistance in surveying local housing in the Armley area for residual asbestos, the then Minister for Housing and Planning, Sir George Young, responded that the government would not provide financial assistance to the home owners or the council to pay for decontamination, as this "would not be a justifiable use of public funds."
On the backbenches from 1986 to 1990, Young was among the leaders of the rebellion within the Conservative Party against the implementation of the Poll Tax
Community Charge
The Community Charge, popularly known as the "poll tax", was a system of taxation introduced in replacement of the rates to part fund local government in Scotland from 1989, and England and Wales from 1990. It provided for a single flat-rate per-capita tax on every adult, at a rate set by the...
. Shortly before leaving office in 1990, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
brought Young back into her government as a Whip (Comptroller of the Household
Comptroller of the Household
The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a cabinet member. He was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local...
) as part of her attempts to reunite the party.
When John Major became Prime Minister in November 1990, he gave Young to the role of Minister for Housing and Planning. Young then served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Financial Secretary to the Treasury is a junior Ministerial post in the British Treasury. It is the 4th most significant Ministerial role within the Treasury after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and the Paymaster General...
from 1994 to 1995, and in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Transport from 1995 to 1997. He was made a Privy Councillor
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...
in 1993.
When Young's Ealing Acton constituency was abolished because of boundary changes, he was parachuted into the safe Conservative seat of North West Hampshire 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...
to replace the retiring MP Sir David Mitchell
David Mitchell (politician)
Sir David Bower Mitchell is a British Conservative politician who served as a Member of Parliament for over 30 years.-Education:...
. Young was elected with a majority of 11,551, and has continued to serve as the MP for North West Hampshire since then.
Following the Conservative Party's defeat in 1997, Young was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
as Shadow Defence Secretary by the party's new leader, William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
. In 1998, Young became Shadow Leader of the House of Commons. In 1999, he was given additional responsibilities as Spokesman on Constitutional Affairs. He was a member of the Modernisation Select Committee and of the House of Commons Commission
House of Commons Commission
The House of Commons Commission is the overall supervisory body of the House of Commons Administration in the United Kingdom. The Commission is a corporate body established by the House of Commons Act 1978...
from 1998 to 2000.
Young resigned from the Shadow Cabinet in September 2000 in order to stand for the position of Speaker of the House of Commons. Fourteen MPs put their names forward to succeed the retiring Betty Boothroyd
Betty Boothroyd
Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd, OM, PC is a British politician, who served as Member of Parliament for West Bromwich and West Bromwich West from 1973 to 2000, initially for the Labour Party and, from 1992 to 2000, as Speaker of the House of Commons...
, and many observers considered Young to be the favourite to be elected to the role. He had support from both the Conservative and Labour leadership, however many backbench MPs, particularly those from the Labour Party (who held a large majority in the House at the time), viewed Young as someone who had too recently been a member of his party's front bench team and was thus not sufficiently in touch with ordinary MPs. In the end, Young was not elected as Speaker, with the House instead choosing Labour MP Michael Martin
Michael Martin (politician)
Michael John Martin, Baron Martin of Springburn, PC is a British politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Glasgow Springburn from 1979 to 2005, and then for Glasgow North East until 2009...
for the role.
From 2000 to 2009, Young remained on the backbenches. He was elected Chairman of the House of Commons Committee on Standards and Privileges
Committee on Standards and Privileges
The Standards and Privileges Committee of the United Kingdom House of Commons was established in 1995 to replace the earlier Committee of Privileges...
in 2001, and was re-elected to that role in 2005.
Young stood for the position of Speaker of the House again in 2009, finishing second in the ballot of MPs to fellow Conservative MP John Bercow
John Bercow
John Simon Bercow is a British politician who has been the Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom since June 2009. Prior to his election to Speaker he was a member of the Conservative party....
. In the first ever secret ballot of MPs to choose the new Speaker, Bercow defeated Young in the final round of voting by a margin of 322 to 271.
On 8 September 2009, Conservative Party Leader 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 ....
appointed Young as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Leader of the House of Commons
The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons...
, replacing Alan Duncan
Alan Duncan
Alan James Carter Duncan is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton, and a Minister of State in the Department for International Development....
who held the post since January 2009. He became the Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
on 12 May 2010 after the Conservative Party formed a coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
with the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
following the 2010 general election. In this role, he attends the meetings of the Cabinet but is not a full member.
Young is a patron of the Tory Reform Group
Tory Reform Group
The Tory Reform Group is a group aligned to, but independent of, the British Conservative Party, that works to promote the values of the One Nation Tory vision...
and the All-Party Parliamentary Group
All-Party Parliamentary Group
An all-party parliamentary group is a grouping in the UK parliament that is composed of politicians from all political parties.-All-party parliamentary groups:...
on cycling.
Expenses claims
In the last two years Young claimed the maximum second home allowance of £23,000 a year on his London home, which is within walking distance of the House of Commons. He also used taxpayer-funded expenses to employ his daughter Camilla as his office manager. Her salary was not declared. Last year Young paid his staff a total of £86,682.Personal and family life
Young married Aurelia Nemon-Stuart, daughter of sculptor Oscar NemonOscar Nemon
Oscar Nemon was a Croatian sculptor who was born in Osijek, Croatia, but eventually settled in England. He is best known for his series of more than a dozen public statues of Sir Winston Churchill.-Biography:...
, on 11 July 1964. They have two sons and two daughters, and live in Penton Mewsey
Penton Mewsey
Penton Mewsey is a village in Hampshire, England. It is located 3 miles north-west of Andover at grid reference .The village is home to approximately 400 people and has about 110 houses. The name Penton derives from the word Penitone, which is a word for a farm held at penny rent...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
.
He is a supporter of West London football club Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
.
In 1987 Young was banned from driving after being caught drink driving. It was reported that he smashed into a motorway barrier and continued on until stopped by police.
His wealth is estimated to be at least £1m.
External links
- Sir George Young Bt MP Official constituency website
- George Young on YouTube
- Profile: George Young, BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, 30 March 2006 - The All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group on SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...
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