Keith Simpson
Encyclopedia
Keith Robert Simpson is a British
politician
and military historian
. A member of the Conservative Party
, he has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Broadland
since the 2010 general election, having previously served as the MP for Mid Norfolk from 1997
to 2010. He is currently Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Foreign Secretary
, William Hague
.
), in Thorpe St Andrew
, Norfolk
. He went on earn a BA
in History at the University of Hull
, and undertook postgraduate research in War Studies at King's College London
.
from 1972-3.
He was Head of Foreign Affairs and Defence at Conservative Central Office
from 1986-8. From 1988-90, he was a Political Adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence
(first to George Younger
, and then to Tom King
).
Simpson was the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Plymouth Devonport at the 1992 General Election
, where he lost to the Labour
candidate David Jamieson
.
At the 1997 General Election
, Simpson was elected as the Member of Parliament for Mid Norfolk with a majority of 1,336.
In July 1997, Simpson was appointed to the Conservative Parliamentary Defence Committee. In June 1998, he was appointed a frontbench defence spokesman. From June 1999 - June 2001, he was an Opposition Whip responsible for Treasury, Home Affairs and Health. He was subsequently appointed Shadow Agriculture Spokesman in October 2001. From 2002-5, he was Shadow Minister for Defence, and from 2005-10 he has served as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Within his Mid Norfolk constituency, Simpson was particularly well known for his campaigning for the widening of particular main roads in response to high road fatalities.
Prior to the 2010 general election, Simpson's constituency of Mid Norfolk was redrawn following parliamentary boundary changes. He was selected to stand for the newly created seat of Broadland, which was made up of parts of Mid Norfolk and parts of the Norfolk North
and Norwich North constituencies. Simpson won the seat with a majority of 7,292.
Following the 2010 general election, Simpson was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.
Simpson is well known in his party for his summer reading lists. Each year he puts together recommended reading for his party's members.
Simpson often stands out in the House of Commons because of his distinctive moustache and round glasses.
, The Daily Telegraph
published the story that Simpson had claimed £185 for light bulbs over a period of four years.
from 1991-7, and as a Senior Lecturer in War Studies and International Affairs at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
from 1973-86. He is the author of five books on military history. It was also in this capacity that he was invited to debate masculine violence with a drunken Oliver Reed
on an infamous edition of the late night Channel 4
television programme After Dark, broadcast on 22 January 1991.
, and have one son, George.
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...
and military historian
Military history
Military history is a humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing intra and international relationships....
. A member of the 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...
, he has been the Member of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
(MP) for Broadland
Broadland (UK Parliament constituency)
Broadland 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....
since the 2010 general election, having previously served as the MP for Mid Norfolk from 1997
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 2010. He is currently Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to the Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
, 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...
.
Early life
The son of Harry Simpson and Jean Day, Keith was educated at Thorpe Grammar School (now known as Thorpe St Andrew High SchoolThorpe St Andrew High School
Thorpe St. Andrew High School is a UK high school in Thorpe St. Andrew, Norwich.Thorpe St. Andrew High School is a co-educational state day school and has approximately 1700 pupils...
), in Thorpe St Andrew
Thorpe St Andrew
Thorpe St Andrew is a small town and suburb of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk.It is situated about two miles east of the city centre, outside the city boundary in the district of Broadland...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. He went on earn a 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 History at the University of Hull
University of Hull
The University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire...
, and undertook postgraduate research in War Studies at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
.
Political career
Simpson served as the National Vice-Chairman of the Federation of Conservative StudentsFederation of Conservative Students
The Federation of Conservative Students was the student organisation of the British Conservative Party from the late 1940s to 1986. It was created to act as a bridge between the student movement and the Conservative Party....
from 1972-3.
He was Head of Foreign Affairs and Defence at Conservative Central Office
Conservative Campaign Headquarters
Conservative Campaign Headquarters , formerly known as Conservative Central Office is the headquarters of the British Conservative Party, housing its central staff and committee members....
from 1986-8. From 1988-90, he was a Political Adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence
Secretary of State for Defence
The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...
(first to George Younger
George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie
George Kenneth Hotson Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie KT KCVO TD PC was a British politician and banker....
, and then to Tom King
Tom King, Baron King of Bridgwater
Thomas Jeremy King, Baron King of Bridgwater, CH, PC , is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet from 1983–92, and was the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bridgwater in Somerset from 1970-2001...
).
Simpson was the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Plymouth Devonport at the 1992 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
, where he lost to the Labour
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...
candidate David Jamieson
David Jamieson
David Charles Jamieson is a British politician, formerly the Labour Party Member of Parliament for the Plymouth Devonport constituency. He stood for Plymouth Drake in 1987, gaining 24% of the vote and losing to a Conservative candidate who received 41% of the vote. He was first elected in the...
.
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...
, Simpson was elected as the Member of Parliament for Mid Norfolk with a majority of 1,336.
In July 1997, Simpson was appointed to the Conservative Parliamentary Defence Committee. In June 1998, he was appointed a frontbench defence spokesman. From June 1999 - June 2001, he was an Opposition Whip responsible for Treasury, Home Affairs and Health. He was subsequently appointed Shadow Agriculture Spokesman in October 2001. From 2002-5, he was Shadow Minister for Defence, and from 2005-10 he has served as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Within his Mid Norfolk constituency, Simpson was particularly well known for his campaigning for the widening of particular main roads in response to high road fatalities.
Prior to the 2010 general election, Simpson's constituency of Mid Norfolk was redrawn following parliamentary boundary changes. He was selected to stand for the newly created seat of Broadland, which was made up of parts of Mid Norfolk and parts of the Norfolk North
North Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)
North Norfolk 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....
and Norwich North constituencies. Simpson won the seat with a majority of 7,292.
Following the 2010 general election, Simpson was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.
Simpson is well known in his party for his summer reading lists. Each year he puts together recommended reading for his party's members.
Simpson often stands out in the House of Commons because of his distinctive moustache and round glasses.
Expenses
During its extensive coverage of the United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandalUnited Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal triggered by the leak and subsequent publication by the Telegraph Group in 2009 of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament over several years...
, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
published the story that Simpson had claimed £185 for light bulbs over a period of four years.
Career outside politics
As a military historian, Simpson has served as Director of the Cranfield Security Studies Institute at Cranfield UniversityCranfield University
Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
from 1991-7, and as a Senior Lecturer in War Studies and International Affairs at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
from 1973-86. He is the author of five books on military history. It was also in this capacity that he was invited to debate masculine violence with a drunken Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
on an infamous edition of the late night Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
television programme After Dark, broadcast on 22 January 1991.
Personal life
Simpson married Pepita, the daughter of Norman Hollingsworth, on 4 August 1984 at the Royal Memorial Chapel, Sandhurst. The couple currently live in Reepham, NorfolkNorfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, and have one son, George.