Den Dover
Encyclopedia
Densmore Ronald Dover, known as Den Dover, (born 4 April 1938 in Stockton Heath
, Cheshire
) is a British
politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament
(MEP) for the North West England
region from 1999 to 2009.
Elected as a Conservative
, he was forced to resign the position of Chief Whip, before being expelled from the party over investigation into his expenses. Dover stood down from the European Parliament at the 2009 European Elections
.
, Cheshire
. Educated at King George V School, Southport until transferring to Manchester Grammar School
where he won the bowling prize at cricket
. Dover gained a First Class Honours degree in Civil Engineering
at Manchester University.
industry across Europe, working for John Laing plc, George Wimpey
, and as Chief Executive for the National Building Agency. Dover was latterly Director of Housing Construction with the Greater London Council
, before entering politics on a full time basis when he became an MP.
and hockey
.
Council, and was a Member of its Education, Finance and Public Works Committees.
for Chorley
, from 1979 to 1997.
in 1999 and was re-elected in 2004.
in the European Parliament on 6 June 2008. The revelation that forced the resignation was that over nine years he had paid his wife and daughter £750,000 from public funds. (This came after the Conservatives
' Leader in Europe, Giles Chichester
, resigned because he put large sums of money for secretarial and office work through the account of a company of which he was a paid director). Dover was forced to resign by acting Conservative MEP leader, Philip Bushill-Matthews
who was appointed only a day prior. Dover was replaced as Conservative Chief Whip by Richard Ashworth
MEP
.
An inquiry by the European Parliament found him guilty of a conflict of interest
, and he was ordered to repay £500,000 of the expenses. The Parliament's ruling lead to Dover being expelled from the Conservative Party. Dover's case has been passed to the European Anti-Fraud Office for investigation.
Dover stood down from the European Parliament at the 2009 European Election
s.
Stockton Heath
Stockton Heath is a civil parish and suburban area of the Borough of Warrington in Cheshire, England. It is located to the north of the Bridgewater Canal and to the south of the Manchester Ship Canal, which divides Stockton Heath from Latchford and north Warrington...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
) 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...
politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
(MEP) for the North West England
North West England (European Parliament constituency)
North West England is a constituency of the European Parliament. For the 2009 elections it elects 8 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.-Boundaries:...
region from 1999 to 2009.
Elected as a Conservative
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...
, he was forced to resign the position of Chief Whip, before being expelled from the party over investigation into his expenses. Dover stood down from the European Parliament at the 2009 European Elections
European Parliament election, 2009 (United Kingdom)
The European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's component of the 2009 European Parliament election, the voting for which was held on Thursday 4 June 2009, coinciding with the 2009 local elections in England. Most of the results of the election were announced on Sunday 7 June, after...
.
Biography
Dover was born in Stockton HeathStockton Heath
Stockton Heath is a civil parish and suburban area of the Borough of Warrington in Cheshire, England. It is located to the north of the Bridgewater Canal and to the south of the Manchester Ship Canal, which divides Stockton Heath from Latchford and north Warrington...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. Educated at King George V School, Southport until transferring to Manchester Grammar School
Manchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...
where he won the bowling prize at cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. Dover gained a First Class Honours degree in Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
at Manchester University.
Career
Dover worked in the constructionConstruction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
industry across Europe, working for John Laing plc, George Wimpey
George Wimpey
George Wimpey was formed in 1880 and, based in Hammersmith, operated largely as a road surfacing contractor. The business was acquired by Godfrey Mitchell in 1919 and he developed it into the UK’s pre-eminent construction and housebuilding firm. In 2007, Wimpey merged with Taylor Woodrow to create...
, and as Chief Executive for the National Building Agency. Dover was latterly Director of Housing Construction with 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...
, before entering politics on a full time basis when he became an MP.
Personal life
Dover is married to Kathleen, with a son and a daughter, Amanda. He plays cricket, golfGolf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
and hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
.
Political career
Dover served on the London Borough of BarnetLondon Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 331,500 and covers . It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the...
Council, and was a Member of its Education, Finance and Public Works Committees.
MP for Chorley
Dover served as the Conservative Member of ParliamentMember 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 Chorley
Chorley (UK Parliament constituency)
Chorley is a county 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 1979 to 1997.
MEP for North West England
Dover was first elected to the European ParliamentEuropean Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in 1999 and was re-elected in 2004.
Resignation
Dover resigned as Conservative Chief WhipChief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
in the European Parliament on 6 June 2008. The revelation that forced the resignation was that over nine years he had paid his wife and daughter £750,000 from public funds. (This came after the Conservatives
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...
' Leader in Europe, Giles Chichester
Giles Chichester
Giles Chichester is a British Conservative Party politician, and a Member of the European Parliament for South West England and Gibraltar. He was elected as a temporary Vice President of the European Parliament on 6 July 2011 to replace Silvana Koch-Mehrin who had resigned over plagiarism...
, resigned because he put large sums of money for secretarial and office work through the account of a company of which he was a paid director). Dover was forced to resign by acting Conservative MEP leader, Philip Bushill-Matthews
Philip Bushill-Matthews
Philip Bushill-Matthews was a British politician and was a Conservative Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands.-Biography:...
who was appointed only a day prior. Dover was replaced as Conservative Chief Whip by Richard Ashworth
Richard Ashworth
Richard James Ashworth is a Member of the European Parliament for South East England for the Conservative Party. He is married with three daughters...
MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
.
An inquiry by the European Parliament found him guilty of a conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
, and he was ordered to repay £500,000 of the expenses. The Parliament's ruling lead to Dover being expelled from the Conservative Party. Dover's case has been passed to the European Anti-Fraud Office for investigation.
Dover stood down from the European Parliament at the 2009 European Election
European Parliament election, 2009 (United Kingdom)
The European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's component of the 2009 European Parliament election, the voting for which was held on Thursday 4 June 2009, coinciding with the 2009 local elections in England. Most of the results of the election were announced on Sunday 7 June, after...
s.