Philip Bushill-Matthews
Encyclopedia
Philip Bushill-Matthews
was a British politician
and was a Conservative Member of the European Parliament
for the West Midlands
.
manufacturing
businesses which culminated in an appointment as Managing Director of Red Mill Snack Foods Ltd in the Black Country and Red Mill Company BV, the Netherlands, he was first elected to the European Parliament
in 1999. In addition to his position as MEP, he was a former leader of the Conservative group in Brussels a substitute for the Committee on Environment and Public Health and also a member of the Delegation for relations with India, China and South Asia.
Having been elected Deputy Leader of the Conservative MEPs in November 2007, on 5 June 2008, Bushill-Matthews was elected Leader after Giles Chichester
chose to step down in order to clear his name following allegations of withdrawing parliamentary funds for private use. During his leadership he put in place a 'Right to Know' system whereby Conservative MEPs openly declared their expenses on line. Conservative Central Office described him as "a safe pair of hands".
He was appointed Conservative Spokesman for Employment & Social Affairs following his first election as an MEP, and held this position for ten years in office. In 2007 he was also elected by fellow MEPs from across the EU to become Co-ordinator for Employment and Social Affairs for the Group of the European Peoples' Party and European Democrats. His aim was always to ensure that EU legislation was proportionate and realistic, and that employment opportunites were helped rather than hindered in the process.
In 2008 he did not submit his name for reselection as Conservative candidate at the 2009 European elections and stood down as MEP in June 2009.
Bushill-Matthews is the author of 'The Gravy Train' published in 2003 and 'Who Rules Britannia?' in 2005. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors
.
was a British politician
Politics of the United Kingdom
The politics of the United Kingdom takes place within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is the head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government...
and was a Conservative 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,...
for the West Midlands
West Midlands (European Parliament constituency)
West Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elected 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation. The constituency will also elect a "virtual MEP" who will be able to sit in the Parliament if the Treaty of Lisbon comes into effect...
.
Biography
After a management career with several foodFood
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
businesses which culminated in an appointment as Managing Director of Red Mill Snack Foods Ltd in the Black Country and Red Mill Company BV, the Netherlands, he was first elected to the European Parliament
European 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. In addition to his position as MEP, he was a former leader of the Conservative group in Brussels a substitute for the Committee on Environment and Public Health and also a member of the Delegation for relations with India, China and South Asia.
Having been elected Deputy Leader of the Conservative MEPs in November 2007, on 5 June 2008, Bushill-Matthews was elected Leader after 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...
chose to step down in order to clear his name following allegations of withdrawing parliamentary funds for private use. During his leadership he put in place a 'Right to Know' system whereby Conservative MEPs openly declared their expenses on line. Conservative Central Office described him as "a safe pair of hands".
He was appointed Conservative Spokesman for Employment & Social Affairs following his first election as an MEP, and held this position for ten years in office. In 2007 he was also elected by fellow MEPs from across the EU to become Co-ordinator for Employment and Social Affairs for the Group of the European Peoples' Party and European Democrats. His aim was always to ensure that EU legislation was proportionate and realistic, and that employment opportunites were helped rather than hindered in the process.
In 2008 he did not submit his name for reselection as Conservative candidate at the 2009 European elections and stood down as MEP in June 2009.
Bushill-Matthews is the author of 'The Gravy Train' published in 2003 and 'Who Rules Britannia?' in 2005. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors
Institute of Directors
The Institute of Directors is a UK-based organisation, established in 1903 and incorporated by royal charter in 1906 to support, represent and set standards for company directors...
.
Education
- 1956–1962: Attended Malvern CollegeMalvern CollegeMalvern College is a coeducational independent school located on a 250 acre campus near the town centre of Malvern, Worcestershire in England. Founded on 25 January 1865, until 1992, the College was a secondary school for boys aged 13 to 18...
- 1962–1965: MA (English LanguageEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Literature), University College, OxfordUniversity College, Oxford.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m... - 1987: Harvard Business School
Career
- 1965: Joined UnileverUnileverUnilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
- 1976: Seconded to Thomas LiptonLiptonLipton is a brand of tea currently owned by Unilever.-History of Lipton Tea:Lipton was created at the end of the 19th century by a grocer, Sir Thomas Lipton, in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1893, he established the Thomas J. Lipton Co., a tea packing company with its headquarters and factory in Hobo ken,...
Inc., U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 1977: National Accounts Director, Birds Eye Sales LtdLTD- Business and finance :*Ltd. or Ltd, denotes a business incorporated under the laws of England, Wales, Scotland, Canada, other Commonwealth countries, the Republic of Ireland, Cyprus, Israel and some Anglophone countries in Africa, like Ghana or Nigeria....
- 1980: Managing Director, IgloIgloIglo is one of the Umbrella Brands of the frozen-foods business of Unilever, used mainly in Europe. In the UK, it is known as Birds Eye , and in Italy as Findus....
Indústrias de Gelados, Lisbon - 1981: Sales Director, Birds Eye Wall's Ltd
- 1988: Managing Director, Craigmillar Ltd, and Director, Van den Bergh and Jurgens Ltd
- 1991: Managing Director, Red Mill Snack Foods Ltd, Wednesbury, West Midlands, and Managing Director, Red Mill Company BV, Netherlands
- 1999: Conservative MEP, European Parliament ; and Conservative Spokesman for Employment & Social Affairs, European Parliament
- 2003: Author of 'The Gravy Train'
- 2005: Author of 'Who Rules Britannia?'
- 2007: Deputy Leader of Conservative MEPs, European Parliament
- 2007: Co-ordinator for Employment and Social Affairs for European Peoples' Party and European Democrats
- 2008: Leader of Conservative MEPs