John Redwood
Encyclopedia
John Alan Redwood is a British Conservative Party
politician
and Member of Parliament
for Wokingham
. He was formerly Secretary of State for Wales
in Prime Minister
John Major
's Cabinet
and was an unsuccessful challenger for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 1995. He is currently Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party's Policy Review Group on Economic Competitiveness
, and a leading Tory thinker.
, Kent
. His parents lived in a council house in Canterbury
until Redwood was four years' old. Redwood was educated locally, attending Kent College, Canterbury
on a scholarship before going up to Magdalen College, Oxford
where he obtained the degree of BA
in Modern History in 1971. He later studied at St Antony's College, Oxford
, taking the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1975.
From 1974 to 1977, he was an investment analyst
at Robert Fleming & Co. From 1977 to 1978, he was a Bank Clerk at N M Rothschild & Sons
, becoming a Manager in 1978, Assistant Director in 1979 and a Director of the Overseas Division from 1980 to 1983. From 1986 to 1987, he was Overseas Corporate Finance Director and Head of International (non-UK) Privatisation.
, since 1972 where he was a Tutor and Lecturer from 1972 to 1973 and has been a Visiting Professor at Middlesex University
since 2000.
County Council
lor between 1973 and 1977, the youngest ever at the age of 21, and contested Southwark, Peckham
in October 1982 at the Peckham by-election, 1982
which also brought Harriet Harman
into public view.
Redwood became MP for Wokingham
in 1987. He was selected two years earlier, when he joked to the selection committee, "I understand you have a California estate. Would you allow yourself to plant four Redwoods among you?". Previously had been the head of Margaret Thatcher
's Policy Unit in the early to mid 1980s. He was a backbencher for his first two years in Parliament. Thatcher wanted to make Redwood a Junior Minister straight away after the election, but David Waddington
, then Chief Whip, told her that he needed experience as an MP and backbencher first, where he remained for the next two years. Redwood was made a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
in July 1989 for Corporate Affairs at the Department of Trade and Industry. In November 1990, he was promoted to Minister of State
. He oversaw the privatisation of the telecoms industry. Redwood has been labelled the "Pol Pot" of privatisation by the Yorkshire Post
.
Redwood became Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities after the 1992 General Election where he successfully saw through the abolition of the Community Charge
, known as the "Poll Tax
", and its replacement, the Council Tax
. Like Nigel Lawson
, Redwood opposed the poll tax on the grounds that it was unworkable. He also opposed capping of local authorities, believing that it undermined local accountability.
Redwood has campaigned for wider share ownership among workers, so as to prevent them going on strike, because he believed that "Why would people go on strike if they were striking against themselves?".
Redwood holds conservative views on social matters, being opposed to attempts to reduce the age of consent for homosexuality
in both 1994 and 1999. He voted for the reintroduction of capital punishment
in 1988, 1990 and 1994, and voted in favour of keeping Section 28
(along with almost every other Conservative MP in a whipped vote) in November 2003.
as Secretary of State for Wales
.
Redwood was an energetic although somewhat controversial Secretary of State
for Wales. He deferred several road widening schemes which would have endangered the environment of rural areas in Wales. In 1995 he was at loggerheads with the Countryside Council for Wales because he had decided to cut its grant by 16%. He also launched a scheme to provide more funding for popular schools with high numbers of applicants and concentrated extra expenditure on health and education services away from administrative overheads. Redwood consequently gained a somewhat haughty reputation with apparent disregard for national feeling; this did not endear him further to some of the population, most memorably when in 1995 he returned £100,000,000 of Wales's block grant to the UK Treasury unspent, and when he made a speech in Cardiff in July 1993 stating that before State Aid be granted to single mothers, the father should first be contacted to help financially.
Redwood's most famous gaffe was his attempt in 1993 to mime to the Welsh national anthem
at a rugby match when on an off-day he clearly did not know the words. Redwood of course subsequently learned the anthem but, in August 2007, when an unconnected news story on Redwood was illustrated with the same clip, Tory activists complained and the BBC apologised to him. Redwood's tenure as Secretary of State for Wales was summarised humorously by Adam Price
, an MP for Plaid Cymru, as "The most bizarre political appointment since Caligula
made his horse a Senator
."
tendered his resignation as Conservative leader in 1995, Redwood resigned from the Cabinet and stood against Major in the subsequent party leadership election
on 26 June. It was on the question of the European Union
that Redwood took issue with the party leadership, taking a Eurosceptic
stance. Redwood's policies were tax cuts, reduced public spending, opposing the closure of popular local hospitals, Britain's non-participation in a Single Currency
, extended right-to-buy public housing schemes, keeping the Royal Yacht Britannia, and carrying on with the Northern Ireland peace process
.
In the ballot held on 4 July, Redwood received 89 votes, around a quarter of the then Parliamentary Party. Major received 218 votes, or two-thirds of the parliamentary party vote. There were eight abstentions and twelve spoiled papers.
The Sun newspaper had declared its support for Redwood in the run-up to the leadership contest, running the front page headline "Redwood versus Deadwood".
and Michael Howard
.
Redwood served in the Shadow Cabinet
of eventual winner William Hague
, shadowing first the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
, leading the Shadow Cabinet's opposition to the National Minimum Wage.
Redwood was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
, but was dropped in a mini-reshuffle in February 2000. In 2001 Hague's successor, Iain Duncan Smith
offered Redwood the Shadow Trade and Industry portfolio once again, but he declined on principle. He remained a potent presence on the backbenches, making useful attacks on the Government and writing books and pamphlets denouncing the European Union
and praising Newt Gingrich
and US capitalism. Among the many groups he has published pamphlets for are the Bruges Group
, Research Centre Free Europe and the Selsdon Group
.
On 8 September 2004, Michael Howard
(by now Leader of the Opposition) added Redwood to the Shadow Cabinet as Spokesman on Deregulation (a post without a direct counterpart in the current government).
During the 2005 Conservative leadership campaign, Redwood supported first Liam Fox
and then David Cameron
. He was appointed Chairman of the Conservative Party's new Policy Review Group on Economic Competitiveness by Cameron in December 2005.
As his local party office had been the subject of numerous donations from Mabey Group
, Redwood became chairman of a Mabey family trust for six years until 2007. He resigned 12 months before a Serious Fraud Office investigation into bribe payments made by Mabey Group to the regime of Saddam Hussein
.
and Just Say No: 100 Arguments Against The Euro. His latest book, I Want to Make a Difference - But I Don't Like Politics, examines the reasons for the decline in turnout at UK elections and was published in October 2006. Redwood is also a regular contributor to The Times
newspaper and contributes to Freedom Today, the journal of the Freedom Association, and The Business and appeared on 18 Doughty Street
Talk TV in December 2006.
, noting similarities between him and Star Trek
s Spock
and so Redwood is often called a Vulcan
. The name stuck, and in line with this, political cartoonists often draw him with pointed ears. It is a comparison which Redwood has (apparently) taken in good humour.
for the 2006 BBC
TV documentary series Tory! Tory! Tory!
, and continues to appear regularly on TV, such BBC's Question Time
.
Rumour has it that Redwood is a fan of Stoke City Football Club, although his presence at the Britannia Stadium has yet to be authenticated. Redwood and Stoke City are a far from natural fit.
|-
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
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and 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 Wokingham
Wokingham (UK Parliament constituency)
Wokingham 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.-Boundaries:...
. He was formerly Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
in Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party 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...
's 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....
and was an unsuccessful challenger for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 1995. He is currently Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party's Policy Review Group on Economic Competitiveness
Competitiveness
Competitiveness is a comparative concept of the ability and performance of a firm, sub-sector or country to sell and supply goods and/or services in a given market...
, and a leading Tory thinker.
Early life
Redwood was born in DoverDover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. His parents lived in a council house in Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
until Redwood was four years' old. Redwood was educated locally, attending Kent College, Canterbury
Kent College
Kent College, Canterbury is a co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils between the ages of 11 and 18. It was founded in 1885, and is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
on a scholarship before going up to Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
where he obtained the degree of 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 Modern History in 1971. He later studied at St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.St Antony's is the most international of the seven all-graduate colleges of the University of Oxford, specialising in international relations, economics, politics, and history of particular parts of the...
, taking the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1975.
From 1974 to 1977, he was an investment analyst
Analyst
Analyst generally is a term for an individual of whom or which the primary function is a deep examination of a specific, limited area and may mean:* Accounting analyst, an accounting analyst evaluates and interprets public company financial statements...
at Robert Fleming & Co. From 1977 to 1978, he was a Bank Clerk at N M Rothschild & Sons
N M Rothschild & Sons
N M Rothschild & Sons is a private investment banking company, belonging to the Rothschild family...
, becoming a Manager in 1978, Assistant Director in 1979 and a Director of the Overseas Division from 1980 to 1983. From 1986 to 1987, he was Overseas Corporate Finance Director and Head of International (non-UK) Privatisation.
Academic career
Redwood has been a Fellow of All Souls College, OxfordAll Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
, since 1972 where he was a Tutor and Lecturer from 1972 to 1973 and has been a Visiting Professor at Middlesex University
Middlesex University
Middlesex University is a university in north London, England. It is located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex from which it takes its name. It is one of the post-1992 universities and is a member of Million+ working group...
since 2000.
Member of Parliament
He was an OxfordshireOxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
County Council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
lor between 1973 and 1977, the youngest ever at the age of 21, and contested Southwark, Peckham
Peckham (UK Parliament constituency)
Peckham was a borough constituency in South London which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
in October 1982 at the Peckham by-election, 1982
Peckham by-election, 1982
The Peckham by-election of 28 October 1982 was held after the death of Labour Member of Parliament Harry Lamborn on 21 August 1982. The seat was retained for Labour by Harriet Harman.-Results:...
which also brought Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
into public view.
Redwood became MP for Wokingham
Wokingham
Wokingham is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire in South East England about west of central London. It is about east-southeast of Reading and west of Bracknell. It spans an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 30,403...
in 1987. He was selected two years earlier, when he joked to the selection committee, "I understand you have a California estate. Would you allow yourself to plant four Redwoods among you?". Previously had been the head of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's Policy Unit in the early to mid 1980s. He was a backbencher for his first two years in Parliament. Thatcher wanted to make Redwood a Junior Minister straight away after the election, but David Waddington
David Waddington, Baron Waddington
David Charles Waddington, Baron Waddington, GCVO, DL, QC, PC , is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons from 1968 to 1990, and was then made a life peer...
, then Chief Whip, told her that he needed experience as an MP and backbencher first, where he remained for the next two years. Redwood was made a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
in July 1989 for Corporate Affairs at the Department of Trade and Industry. In November 1990, he was promoted to Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
. He oversaw the privatisation of the telecoms industry. Redwood has been labelled the "Pol Pot" of privatisation by the Yorkshire Post
Yorkshire Post
The Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company owned by Johnston Press...
.
Redwood became Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities after the 1992 General Election where he successfully saw through the abolition of the Community Charge
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...
, known as the "Poll Tax
Poll tax
A poll tax is a tax of a portioned, fixed amount per individual in accordance with the census . When a corvée is commuted for cash payment, in effect it becomes a poll tax...
", and its replacement, the Council Tax
Council tax
Council Tax is the system of local taxation used in England, Scotland and Wales to part fund the services provided by local government in each country. It was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as a successor to the unpopular Community Charge...
. Like Nigel Lawson
Nigel Lawson
Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby, PC , is a British Conservative politician and journalist. He was a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Blaby from 1974–92, and served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the government of Margaret Thatcher from June 1983 to October 1989...
, Redwood opposed the poll tax on the grounds that it was unworkable. He also opposed capping of local authorities, believing that it undermined local accountability.
Redwood has campaigned for wider share ownership among workers, so as to prevent them going on strike, because he believed that "Why would people go on strike if they were striking against themselves?".
Redwood holds conservative views on social matters, being opposed to attempts to reduce the age of consent for homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
in both 1994 and 1999. He voted for the reintroduction of capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
in 1988, 1990 and 1994, and voted in favour of keeping Section 28
Section 28
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
(along with almost every other Conservative MP in a whipped vote) in November 2003.
In Government
In the May 1993 Government reshuffle, Redwood was appointed to the cabinetCabinet 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....
as Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Wales
The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
.
Redwood was an energetic although somewhat controversial Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
for Wales. He deferred several road widening schemes which would have endangered the environment of rural areas in Wales. In 1995 he was at loggerheads with the Countryside Council for Wales because he had decided to cut its grant by 16%. He also launched a scheme to provide more funding for popular schools with high numbers of applicants and concentrated extra expenditure on health and education services away from administrative overheads. Redwood consequently gained a somewhat haughty reputation with apparent disregard for national feeling; this did not endear him further to some of the population, most memorably when in 1995 he returned £100,000,000 of Wales's block grant to the UK Treasury unspent, and when he made a speech in Cardiff in July 1993 stating that before State Aid be granted to single mothers, the father should first be contacted to help financially.
Redwood's most famous gaffe was his attempt in 1993 to mime to the Welsh national anthem
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is the national anthem of Wales. The title – taken from the first words of the song – means "Old Land of My Fathers", usually rendered in English as simply "Land of My Fathers". The words were written by Evan James and the tune composed by his son, James James, both residents...
at a rugby match when on an off-day he clearly did not know the words. Redwood of course subsequently learned the anthem but, in August 2007, when an unconnected news story on Redwood was illustrated with the same clip, Tory activists complained and the BBC apologised to him. Redwood's tenure as Secretary of State for Wales was summarised humorously by Adam Price
Adam Price
Adam Price is a politician in Wales, and former Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr. He was elected to Parliament in the 2001 general election and re-elected in 2005 but stood down at the 2010 election...
, an MP for Plaid Cymru, as "The most bizarre political appointment since Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
made his horse a Senator
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
."
1995 leadership contest
When John MajorJohn 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...
tendered his resignation as Conservative leader in 1995, Redwood resigned from the Cabinet and stood against Major in the subsequent party leadership election
Conservative Party (UK) leadership election, 1995
The 1995 Conservative leadership election was initiated when incumbent leader and Prime Minister John Major resigned as leader on 22 June 1995, in order to face down critics within his party...
on 26 June. It was on the question of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
that Redwood took issue with the party leadership, taking a Eurosceptic
EuroSceptic
EuroSceptic is the second album of British singer Jack Lucien. It was released in October 2009.Due to being an album influenced by Europop, it features songs with parts in different languages...
stance. Redwood's policies were tax cuts, reduced public spending, opposing the closure of popular local hospitals, Britain's non-participation in a Single Currency
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
, extended right-to-buy public housing schemes, keeping the Royal Yacht Britannia, and carrying on with the Northern Ireland peace process
Northern Ireland peace process
The peace process, when discussing the history of Northern Ireland, is often considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican Army ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of the Troubles, the Belfast Agreement, and subsequent political developments.-Towards a...
.
In the ballot held on 4 July, Redwood received 89 votes, around a quarter of the then Parliamentary Party. Major received 218 votes, or two-thirds of the parliamentary party vote. There were eight abstentions and twelve spoiled papers.
The Sun newspaper had declared its support for Redwood in the run-up to the leadership contest, running the front page headline "Redwood versus Deadwood".
After the 1997 general election defeat
When Major resigned after the 1997 General Election defeat, Redwood stood for the leadership, and was again defeated, though he secured more support than rival candidates Peter LilleyPeter Lilley
Peter Bruce Lilley MP is a British Conservative Party politician who has been a Member of Parliament MP since 1983. He currently represents the constituency of Hitchin and Harpenden and, prior to boundary changes, represented St Albans...
and Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
.
Redwood served in the Shadow Cabinet
Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (UK)
The Official Loyal Opposition Shadow Cabinet are, in British parliamentary practice, senior members of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition who scrutinise their corresponding office holders in the Government, develop alternative policies, and hold the Government to account for its actions and responses...
of eventual winner 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...
, shadowing first 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...
, leading the Shadow Cabinet's opposition to the National Minimum Wage.
Redwood was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
The Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions was a UK Cabinet position created in 1997, with responsibility for the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions ....
, but was dropped in a mini-reshuffle in February 2000. In 2001 Hague's successor, Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
offered Redwood the Shadow Trade and Industry portfolio once again, but he declined on principle. He remained a potent presence on the backbenches, making useful attacks on the Government and writing books and pamphlets denouncing the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and praising Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
and US capitalism. Among the many groups he has published pamphlets for are the Bruges Group
Bruges Group
The Bruges Group is a think tank based in the United Kingdom.The group is often associated with the Conservative Party, though it is independent of it and remains an all-party organisation...
, Research Centre Free Europe and the Selsdon Group
Selsdon Group
The Selsdon Group is a British free-market economics pressure group, closely associated with the Conservative Party. Selsdon Group members believe that economic freedom is the indispensable condition for political and social freedom. The group's President is the Rt. Hon...
.
On 8 September 2004, Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
(by now Leader of the Opposition) added Redwood to the Shadow Cabinet as Spokesman on Deregulation (a post without a direct counterpart in the current government).
During the 2005 Conservative leadership campaign, Redwood supported first Liam Fox
Liam Fox
Liam Fox MP is a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for North Somerset, and former Secretary of State for Defence....
and then 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 ....
. He was appointed Chairman of the Conservative Party's new Policy Review Group on Economic Competitiveness by Cameron in December 2005.
As his local party office had been the subject of numerous donations from Mabey Group
Mabey Group
The Mabey Group is a British-based group of engineering companies, which specialises in bridging, steel fabrication, plant hire and construction products...
, Redwood became chairman of a Mabey family trust for six years until 2007. He resigned 12 months before a Serious Fraud Office investigation into bribe payments made by Mabey Group to the regime of Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
.
Author
Redwood has also been an active writer of books, including: Stars and Strife, Superpower Struggles, Singing the Blues, The Death of Britain, Our Currency Our CountryOur Currency Our Country
Our Currency, Our Country is a 1996 book by British Conservative politician John Redwood. In the book, he argues that the European single currency would be a bad idea for the United Kingdom for political, economic and legal reasons....
and Just Say No: 100 Arguments Against The Euro. His latest book, I Want to Make a Difference - But I Don't Like Politics, examines the reasons for the decline in turnout at UK elections and was published in October 2006. Redwood is also a regular contributor to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper and contributes to Freedom Today, the journal of the Freedom Association, and The Business and appeared on 18 Doughty Street
18 Doughty Street
18 Doughty Street was a British political internet-based broadcaster that hosted a webcast as its chief product. It began broadcasting at 18:55 on 10 October 2006, from its studio at 18 Doughty Street in the Bloomsbury area of London, and ceased broadcasting at 23:00 on Thursday 8 November 2007...
Talk TV in December 2006.
Satirised
Redwood's appearance has led to some commentators, originally former Conservative MP turned political sketch-writer, Matthew ParrisMatthew Parris
Matthew Francis Parris is a UK-based journalist and former Conservative politician.-Early life and family:...
, noting similarities between him and Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
s Spock
Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
and so Redwood is often called a Vulcan
Vulcan (Star Trek)
Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...
. The name stuck, and in line with this, political cartoonists often draw him with pointed ears. It is a comparison which Redwood has (apparently) taken in good humour.
In the media
Redwood was interviewed about the rise of ThatcherismThatcherism
Thatcherism describes the conviction politics, economic and social policy, and political style of the British Conservative politician Margaret Thatcher, who was leader of her party from 1975 to 1990...
for the 2006 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV documentary series Tory! Tory! Tory!
Tory! Tory! Tory!
Tory! Tory! Tory! is a 2006 BBC television documentary series on the history of the people and ideas that formed Thatcherism told through the eyes of those on the New Right.-Production:...
, and continues to appear regularly on TV, such BBC's Question Time
Question Time
Question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers , which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be cancelled in exceptional circumstances...
.
Personal life
He married Gail Felicity Chippington, a barrister, on April 20, 1974 in Chipping Norton; they had two children, Catherine (born 1978) and Richard (born 1982). They divorced acrimoniously in 2003. Redwood entered into a relationship with former Vogue model and Conservative councillor Nikki Page, which ended amicably after five years, before embarking on a relationship with Chartered Accountant Susan Precious.Rumour has it that Redwood is a fan of Stoke City Football Club, although his presence at the Britannia Stadium has yet to be authenticated. Redwood and Stoke City are a far from natural fit.
External links
- John Redwood MP official site
- Debrett's People of Today
- John Redwood's Diary official blog
- Profile at the Conservative Party
- Profile: John Redwood, 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...
, 16 October 2002 - BBC Interview 2004
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