WHO'S WHO
Norman Baker MP
Lib Dem majority: 8,474 (18%)
Constituency: Lewes
Region: South East
PA Number: 357
Address:
204 High Street
Lewes
East Sussex
BN7 2NS
Tel: 01273 480 281
Fax: 01273 480 287
Email: normanbaker@cix.co.uk
Web: http://www.normanbaker.org.uk
Date of Birth: 26/07/1957
Occupation: MP
Education: Royal Liberty School, Gidea Park, London, Royal Holloway College, London
Experience: Regional Executive Director of Our Price Records, clerk at Hornsey Railway Station, manager of a wine shop, teacher of English as a foreign language
Council Experience: Elected to Lewes District and Beddingham Parish in 1987, elected to the County Council 1989, Leader of Lewes District Council 1991-97, Chair of Economic Development and Public Transport sub-committees on East Sussex County Council 1993-97
Parliamentary Experience: 2007 - present Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, 2007 Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 2002-06 Shadow Environment Secretary. Member of the Joint Committee on Human Rights in the 2001-2005 Parliament
Marital status/children: Married
Interests: Music, collecting records and occasionally singing in a 60's rock band
Seat:Lewes |
Liberal Democrats24,376 (52%) |
|
||||||||
Turnout:46,552 (69%) |
Conservative15,902 (34%) |
|||||||||
Swing1.6% Lib Dem to Con |
Labour4,169 (9%) |
|||||||||
Other2,105 (5%) |
BIOGRAPHY
Norman Baker has been MP for Lewes since 1997 and has established a
reputation as one of the most dogged and persistent parliamentary interrogators
the modern House of Commons has known.
Born in Aberdeen, Norman
moved to Hornchurch in Essex in 1968 and was educated at the Royal Liberty
School, Gidea Park, in London before taking a degree in German (and running one
of the college bars) at Royal Holloway College, University of
London.
After leaving university Norman held a variety of jobs and was
executive regional director for Our Price Records for five years from 1978. From
1985 he taught English as a second language for two years.
He was elected
to his local councils - Lewes District and Beddingham Parish - in 1987, and two
years later was elected to East Sussex County Council to represent Telscombe. In
1991 he led the Liberal Democrats to victory on Lewes District Council, becoming
that council’s first ever Liberal Democrat leader. He contested the Lewes
parliamentary constituency in 1992, and at his second attempt in 1997 succeeded
in becoming the seat’s first non-Conservative MP since 1874.
As an MP
Norman made his reputation for uncovering scandal and exposing conflicts of
interest and uncomfortable facts, criticising the Millennium Dome project and
largely contributing to Peter Mandelson’s second resignation over his
relations with the Hinduja brothers. Norman was appointed Liberal Democrat
spokesman on animal welfare in 1999, and won an award as “best newcomer MP” for
his campaigning on environmental issues. In 2001 Norman was named “Inquisitor of
the Year” in the Zurich/Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year awards, and in
February 2002 Channel 4 named him “Opposition MP of the Year”. In 2003 he
received the RSPCA’s Lord Erskine Award in recognition of his campaigning for
animal welfare.
He was promoted to the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet in
October 2002 as Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment and Transport, and
from 2005 as Shadow Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Secretary. In May 2006
he stepped down from the Shadow Cabinet, announcing that he intended to
concentrate on further investigation of unanswered questions about the death of
Dr David Kelly, the scientist found dead in 2003 after being named as the
possible source of a BBC story on the Government’s dossier justifying the
invasion of Iraq. In 2007 Norman was appointed Shadow Minister for the Cabinet
Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. In December 2007 after Nick
Clegg was elected leader he was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for
Transport.
