Iain Stewart (politician)
Encyclopedia
Iain Aitken Stewart is the Conservative
Member of Parliament
for Milton Keynes South.
Stewart was born in Scotland and grew up in Hamilton
. He went to Hutchesons' Grammar School
. He studied politics at the University of Exeter
before training as an accountant with Coopers & Lybrand in Milton Keynes.
He first ran for public office in the Scottish Parliament election, 1999
, for the Glasgow Rutherglen
constituency, finishing fourth. Returning to Milton Keynes, he was selected to fight Milton Keynes South West at the 2001 general election
, losing to incumbent Phyllis Starkey
by 6,978 votes. Running again at the 2005 election
, he lost to Starkey by 4,010 votes. His third candidacy, in the redrawn Milton Keynes South constituency, saw him defeat Starkey by 5,201 votes.
Stewart was a member of Shenley Brook End
parish council between 2005 and 2011 and is a keen runner. He is openly gay and was formerly Deputy Chairman (Political) of LGBTory
, the Conservative
LGBT
Group. He is now a Patron of the group. In his maiden speech
to the house, on 25 June 2010, he paid tribute to Alan Turing
, and Gordon Brown
's official apology for the state's persecution of Turing.
Transport (especially rail transport), constitutional affairs and education are among his main political interests. He is a member of the Transport Select Committee of the House of Commons. In 2011 Mr Stewart has travelled with various members of the transport committee around Europe studying various rail links and rail systems.
Until 2010, Stewart was a director of Security Futures, a consultancy firm established by Adam Werritty
in 2006.
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,...
for Milton Keynes South.
Stewart was born in Scotland and grew up in Hamilton
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...
. He went to Hutchesons' Grammar School
Hutchesons' Grammar School
Hutchesons' Grammar School is a co-educational independent school in the southside of Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded by the brothers George Hutcheson and Thomas Hutcheson in 1641 and was opened originally to teach orphans, starting with "twelve male children, indigent orphans".In 1876 a girls'...
. He studied politics at the University of Exeter
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
before training as an accountant with Coopers & Lybrand in Milton Keynes.
He first ran for public office in the Scottish Parliament election, 1999
Scottish Parliament election, 1999
The Scottish Parliament election, 1999 was the first general election of the Scottish Parliament, with voting taking place on 6 May 1999 to elect 129 members...
, for the Glasgow Rutherglen
Glasgow Rutherglen (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Rutherglen was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election....
constituency, finishing fourth. Returning to Milton Keynes, he was selected to fight Milton Keynes South West at the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
, losing to incumbent Phyllis Starkey
Phyllis Starkey
Phyllis Margaret Starkey is a British Labour party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Milton Keynes South West from 1997 to 2010. She had previously served as Leader of Oxford City Council....
by 6,978 votes. Running again at the 2005 election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
, he lost to Starkey by 4,010 votes. His third candidacy, in the redrawn Milton Keynes South constituency, saw him defeat Starkey by 5,201 votes.
Stewart was a member of Shenley Brook End
Shenley Brook End
Shenley Brook End is a village, district and civil parish in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. Together with its neighbouring parish, Shenley Church End and the districts of Shenley Wood and Shenley Lodge, the districts are collectively known as "The Shenleys".The name 'Shenley' is an Old...
parish council between 2005 and 2011 and is a keen runner. He is openly gay and was formerly Deputy Chairman (Political) of LGBTory
LGBTory
LGBTory is a LGBT and Conservative Group linked to, but not run, directed or funded by the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom. The first LGBT Conservative group was called CGHE LGBTory is a LGBT and Conservative Group linked to, but not run, directed or funded by the Conservative Party of the...
, the 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...
LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
Group. He is now a Patron of the group. In his maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
to the house, on 25 June 2010, he paid tribute to Alan Turing
Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which played a...
, and Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
's official apology for the state's persecution of Turing.
Transport (especially rail transport), constitutional affairs and education are among his main political interests. He is a member of the Transport Select Committee of the House of Commons. In 2011 Mr Stewart has travelled with various members of the transport committee around Europe studying various rail links and rail systems.
Until 2010, Stewart was a director of Security Futures, a consultancy firm established by Adam Werritty
Adam Werritty
Adam Werritty is a Scottish businessman. Werritty is a close friend of the former UK Secretary of State for Defence Liam Fox: he resided for a period in 2002 and 2003 at Fox's London apartment and was best man at his wedding in 2005. The two were also business associates who once held joint...
in 2006.