David Curry

For other people of the same name, see David Currie (disambiguation).

The Right Honourable David Curry MP
Member of Parliament for Skipton and Ripon
In office 11 June 1987 – 6 May 2010
Preceded by	John Watson
Succeeded by	Julian Smith
Personal details
Born	13 June 1944 (1944-06-13) (age 67) Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Anne Helene Maud Roullet
Alma mater	Corpus Christi College, Oxford Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
Occupation	Journalist

David Maurice Curry (born 13 June 1944) is a British Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Skipton and Ripon from 1987 to 2010.

Early life

Curry, the son of a teacher, was educated at the Ripon Grammar School where he was head boy in 1962, and then at Corpus Christi College, Oxford where he received a BA degree in Modern History in 1966. He also attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University as a Kennedy Scholar. He began his career as a reporter on the Newcastle Journal in 1966. In 1970, he became the world trade editor at The Financial Times where he remained until he was elected to the European Parliament. In 1977, he founded the Paris Conservative Association. He contested the safe Labour seat at Morpeth at the February 1974 general election, but was soundly beaten by the sitting Labour MP George Grant by 13,034 votes. The two met again at the October 1974 general election, when on this occasion Grant won by 14,687. Curry was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 1979 for Essex North East, he served in Strasbourg (and Brussels) until 1989.

Political career

Curry was elected to the House of Commons for the very safe Conservative seat of Skipton and Ripon at the 1987 general election on the retirement of the sitting Conservative MP John Watson. Curry held the seat with a strong majority of 17,174 and has held the seat safely since. On his election he became a member of the Agriculture Select Committee until he was promoted to the government of Margaret Thatcher in 1989 as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and was promoted within the same department to Minister of State after the 1992 general election by John Major, a year later he moved sideways to the Department for the Environment where he remained until the Major government fell at the 1997 general election. He became a Member of the Privy Council in 1996. In opposition he became the Shadow Agriculture Secretary, but resigned from the Shadow Cabinet in December 1997 in protest at the policy of ruling out Britain joining the single European currency for the next ten years. In 1998, he became the chairman of the Agriculture Select Committee, and after the 2001 general election, its successor the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee until 2003 when he promoted again to the Shadow Cabinet by Michael Howard as the Shadow Local and Devolved Government Secretary until he resigned again, this time citing 'family reasons' in 2004 [1], he was replaced by Caroline Spelman. He was a member of the Public Accounts Select Committee from 2004.

On 5 February 2009, Curry announced that he would not stand again at the 2010 election.^[1]

On 19 November 2009 Curry stood down from his position as chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Standards and Privileges after claims from the Telegraph newspaper regarding his expenses and has reportedly referred himself to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority for investigation.^[2]

Personal life

His wife is a sculptor who was asked to sculpt Roy Jenkins by the Works of Art Committee.^{[citation needed]} He is a patron of the Tory Reform Group.^{[citation needed]} He writes a monthly column for the Local Government Chronicle.^{[citation needed]} He enjoys growing vegetables and dinghy sailing.^{[citation needed]}

Publications

• The Food War: US-EU Food Politics by David Curry, 1982, EDG
• The Conservative Tradition in Europe Edited by David Curry, 1998, Mainstream
• Lobbying Government: A practical Guide for the Housing Industry and Lobby by Davud Curry, 1999, Chartered Institute of Housing, ISBN 1-900396-48-3
• The Sorcerers Apprentice: Government and Globalisation by David Curry, 2000, Local Government Association, ISBN 1-84049-161-2

References

1. ^ "MP to stand down at next election". BBC News. 2009-02-05. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/north_yorkshire/7871811.stm. Retrieved 2009-02-05. 
2. ^ Prince, Rosa; Winnett, Robert; Watt, Holly (19 November 2009). "MPs' expenses: David Curry quits as standards chief over new Telegraph disclosures". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/6609018/MPs-expenses-David-Curry-quits-as-standards-chief-over-new-Telegraph-disclosures.html. Retrieved 19 November 2009. 

External links

• ePolitix.com - David Curry MP
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: David Curry MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - David Curry MP
• The Public Whip - David Curry MP voting record
• BBC News - David Curry MP profile 30 March 2006
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by David Curry

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by John Watson	Member of Parliament for Skipton and Ripon 1987–2010	Succeeded by Julian Smith
Political offices
Preceded by David Davis as Shadow Deputy Prime Minister	Shadow Secretary of State for Local and Devolved Government 2003–2004	Succeeded by Caroline Spelman

Persondata
Name	Curry, David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	13 June 1944
Place of birth	Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Date of death
Place of death