Teresa Gorman
Encyclopedia
Teresa Ellen Gorman is a British
politician, and was Conservative
Member of Parliament
for Billericay
, in the county of Essex
in England
until 2001 when she stood down. She has worked in both education and business.
and was one of the Maastricht Rebels
, who nearly brought John Major
's government down over the Treaty of Maastricht.
In 1992, Gorman introduced an amendment to the Representation of the People Act under the Ten Minute Rule
to give two seats to each constituency, one for a male MP and one for a female. The amendment received only a first reading.
At the 1997 general election
, there was a massive swing towards her opponent, but she remained MP, with a much-reduced majority of 1,356. She tried to stand for the Conservative Mayor of London
candidacy for the election in 2000
, but was blocked.
In February 2000, she was suspended from the House of Commons for a month for failing to disclose on the Register of Interests between 1987 and 1994 three rented properties in south London and for her failure to register two rented-out Portuguese properties from 1987-99. The Commons' Standards and Privileges committee also found she should not have introduced a Ten Minute Rule
Bill in 1990 proposing the repeal of the Rent Acts without registering and declaring a financial interest.
Considered an able but maverick politician, Gorman was famous for her public endorsement of hormone replacement therapy
, her tattoo
ed eyebrows (she shaved them off as a teenager and they never grew back) and her belief that rapists
should be castrated
. Gorman disliked what she termed "middle-class idiots", chauvinists, the EU
, wet Tories, and the attitude of those in the Conservative Party who thought they were born to rule. Surprisingly, in the 1997 leadership election
, Gorman deserted right-winger John Redwood
because she believed that he was "a bad-mannered, insensitive snob whose remarks on single mothers were a disaster". She voted for Kenneth Clarke
, who was in favour of stronger ties with the EU as opposed to a right-wing eurosceptic
, William Hague
.
She is a council member of The Freedom Association
.
and the rise of Thatcherism
for the 2006 BBC
TV documentary series Tory! Tory! Tory!
.
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, and was 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...
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 Billericay
Billericay (UK Parliament constituency)
Billericay was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.It returned Conservative MPs at every election except 1966....
, in the county of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
until 2001 when she stood down. She has worked in both education and business.
Political career
Born Teresa Ellen Moore, she was elected to the House in the 1987 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
and was one of the Maastricht Rebels
Maastricht Rebels
The Maastricht Rebels were British Members of Parliament belonging to the then governing Conservative Party who refused to support the government of John Major in a series of votes in the House of Commons on the issue of the implementation of the Maastricht Treaty in British law.The Maastrict...
, who nearly brought 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 government down over the Treaty of Maastricht.
In 1992, Gorman introduced an amendment to the Representation of the People Act under the Ten Minute Rule
Ten Minute Rule
The Ten Minute Rule, also known as Standing Order No. 23, is a procedure in the British Parliament for the introduction of Private Member's Bills in addition to the 20 per session normally permissible. It is one of the ways in which a bill may receive its first reading.Any MP may introduce a bill...
to give two seats to each constituency, one for a male MP and one for a female. The amendment received only a first reading.
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...
, there was a massive swing towards her opponent, but she remained MP, with a much-reduced majority of 1,356. She tried to stand for the Conservative Mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
candidacy for the election in 2000
London mayoral election, 2000
The first election to the office of Mayor of London took place on 4 May 2000.-Results:¹Under the Supplementary Vote system, if no candidate receives 50% of 1st choice votes, 2nd choice votes are added to the result for the top two 1st choice candidates...
, but was blocked.
In February 2000, she was suspended from the House of Commons for a month for failing to disclose on the Register of Interests between 1987 and 1994 three rented properties in south London and for her failure to register two rented-out Portuguese properties from 1987-99. The Commons' Standards and Privileges committee also found she should not have introduced a Ten Minute Rule
Ten Minute Rule
The Ten Minute Rule, also known as Standing Order No. 23, is a procedure in the British Parliament for the introduction of Private Member's Bills in addition to the 20 per session normally permissible. It is one of the ways in which a bill may receive its first reading.Any MP may introduce a bill...
Bill in 1990 proposing the repeal of the Rent Acts without registering and declaring a financial interest.
Considered an able but maverick politician, Gorman was famous for her public endorsement of hormone replacement therapy
Hormone replacement therapy (menopause)
Hormone replacement therapy is a system of medical treatment for surgically menopausal, perimenopausal and to a lesser extent postmenopausal women...
, her tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
ed eyebrows (she shaved them off as a teenager and they never grew back) and her belief that rapists
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
should be castrated
Castration
Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testicles or a female loses the functions of the ovaries.-Humans:...
. Gorman disliked what she termed "middle-class idiots", chauvinists, the EU
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...
, wet Tories, and the attitude of those in the Conservative Party who thought they were born to rule. Surprisingly, in the 1997 leadership election
Conservative Party (UK) leadership election, 1997
A leadership election was triggered in the British Conservative Party when John Major resigned on 2 May 1997, following his party's defeat at the 1997 general election .-Announced:...
, Gorman deserted right-winger John Redwood
John Redwood
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...
because she believed that he was "a bad-mannered, insensitive snob whose remarks on single mothers were a disaster". She voted for Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Harry "Ken" Clarke, QC, MP is a British Conservative politician, currently Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. He was first elected to Parliament in 1970; and appointed a minister in Edward Heath's government, in 1972, and is one of...
, who was in favour of stronger ties with the EU as opposed to a right-wing 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...
, 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...
.
Personal life
When Gorman first sought the candidature for the Billericay seat before the 1987 election, she claimed to have been born in 1941 rather than 1931.She is a council member of The Freedom Association
The Freedom Association
The Freedom Association is a pressure group in the United Kingdom that describes itself as non-partisan, centre-right and libertarian, which has links to the Conservative Party. TFA was founded in 1975 as the National Association for Freedom and gained public prominence through its anti-trade...
.
In the media
Gorman was interviewed about her membership of The Freedom AssociationThe Freedom Association
The Freedom Association is a pressure group in the United Kingdom that describes itself as non-partisan, centre-right and libertarian, which has links to the Conservative Party. TFA was founded in 1975 as the National Association for Freedom and gained public prominence through its anti-trade...
and the rise of Thatcherism
Thatcherism
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:...
.
Publications
- Gorman, Teresa, MP, with Heather Kirby, The Bastards - Dirty Tricks and the Challenge to Europe, Pan Macmillan, London, 1993, (P/B), ISBN 0-330-33511-1
- Gorman, Teresa, No, Prime Minister!, Blake Publishing, London, 2001, (H/B), ISBN 1904034001