Gregory Barker

Infobox MP


honorific-prefix =
name = Gregory Barker
honorific-suffix = MP
caption =
constituency_MP = Bexhill and Battle
parliament =
term_start = 7 June 2001
term_end =
majority = 13,449 (28.7%)
predecessor = Charles Wardle
successor =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1966|3|8|df=yes
birth_place = Worthing, West Sussex
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = British
spouse = Celeste Harrison
party = Conservative
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater = London Business School, University of London
occupation =
profession =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

Gregory Leonard George Barker (born March 8, 1966) is a British politician who currently serves as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Bexhill and Battle and Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Early life

Born in Sussex, he was educated at Steyning Grammar School, Lancing College, Royal Holloway, University of London, gaining a BA (Hons) in Modern History and Politics, and the London Business School.

He was a researcher at the Centre for Policy Studies in 1987, before joining [http://www.gerrard.com Gerard Vivian Gray] as an Equity Analyst in 1988. In 1990, he became the Director for International Pacific Securities. He was the Deputy Chairman of the Hammersmith Conservative Association in 1993. He was Head of Communications at the Anglo Siberian Oil Company from 1998-2000. From 1998, he was a Director of Daric plc, an advertising company.

Parliamentary career

He contested the very safe Labour seat of Eccles, where he was roundly defeated by Ian Stewart. Barker then became the Deputy Chairman of the Tooting Conservative Association and an advisor to Conservative MP David Willetts.

Until shortly before entering Parliament at the 2001 election as the Member for Bexhill and Battle after the retirement of the sitting Conservative MP, Charles Wardle, Barker worked in Russia for the Sibneft oil group. It is somewhat unusual to see the seat of Bexhill and Battle in the political headlines, but in 2001 it was a lively affair involving Nigel Farage (now the leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party), who had the support of the previous MP, but Barker won by over 10,500 votes from Stephen Hardy of the Liberal Democrats.

Close to Conservative leader David Cameron, as Shadow Environment Secretary Barker accompanied Cameron on his trip to the Arctic Circle in April 2006, during a fact-finding mission on global warming.

Personal life

Barker confirmed his split from wife Celeste (Harrison) in July 2006, after a diary report in "The Observer". [ [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/7days/story/0,,1884960,00.html "The Observer", 1 October 2006] ] The couple married in September 1992 in Bedford, and have one daughter and two sons.

On 26 October, 2006, British tabloid the "Daily Mirror" revealed that he had left his wife and children for another man, William Banks-Blaney. The paper confirmed the story by quoting his mother-in-law. [ [http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_headline=it-s-such-a-shock---but-men-think-they-can-get-away-with-it-these-days---mother-in-law-georgina-&method=full&objectid=17992356&siteid=94762-name_page.html "Daily Mirror", 26 October 2006] ] "The Sun" reported that the man was the painter and decorator employed to oversee renovations on the Barkers' Peasmarsh family home. [ [http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006490561,00.html "The Sun", 26 October 2006] ] It was later revealed that Barker was divorcing his wife.

The "Independent on Sunday" has since reported that Barker has confirmed that he is gay. [ [http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2516664.ece "Independent on Sunday", 6 May 2007] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.gregorybarker.com Gregory Barker MP] official site
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-5764,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Gregory Barker MP]
* [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/gregory_barker/bexhill_and_battle TheyWorkForYou.com - Gregory Barker MP]
* [http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Gregory_Barker&mpc=Bexhill+%26amp%3B+Battle The Public Whip - Gregory Barker MP] voting record
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/49.stm BBC News - Gregory Barker] BBC profile

News items

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/6229348.stm Working as a hospital cleaner at Conquest Hospital, Hastings in June 2007]