- Nicholas Soames
-
The Right Honourable
Nicholas Soames
MPShadow Secretary of State for Defence In office
6 November 2003 – 10 May 2005Leader Michael Howard Preceded by Bernard Jenkin Succeeded by Michael Ancram Minister of State for the Armed Forces In office
14 June 1994 – 2 May 1997Prime Minister John Major Preceded by Jeremy Hanley Succeeded by John Reid Member of Parliament
for Mid SussexIncumbent Assumed office
1 May 1997Preceded by Tim Renton Majority 7,402 (13.3%) Member of Parliament
for CrawleyIn office
9 June 1983 – 1 May 1997Preceded by Peter Hordern
(Horhsam and Crawley)Succeeded by Laura Moffatt Personal details Born 12 February 1948
Croydon, Surrey, EnglandNationality British Political party Conservative Spouse(s) Catherine Weatherall (1981-1988)
Serena Smith (married 1993)Relations Lord and Lady Soames (parents) Arthur Nicholas Winston Soames MP (born 12 February 1948), known as Nicholas Soames, is a British Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the constituency of Mid Sussex.
Soames is a former Defence minister having served in the government of Sir John Major, 1994–97. His main political interests are defence, international relations, rural affairs and industry.
Contents
Personal life
He was born in Croydon and is a grandson of British wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, the son of Lord and Lady Soames, a nephew of the former Defence Secretary Duncan Sandys and Diana Churchill; the journalist Randolph Churchill and the actress and dancer Sarah Churchill and a great nephew of the founders of the Scout movement, Robert Baden-Powell and Olave Baden-Powell. His brother is the industrialist Rupert Soames.
He has been married twice. His first marriage (1981–1988) was to Catherine Weatherall (the sister of Isobel Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne), by whom he has one son, Harry Soames. He married, secondly, Serena Smith (a niece of the Duchess of Grafton) in 1993. They have one son, and a daughter called Isabella Soames.
On 15 May 2008 Soames was disqualified from driving for two months, fined £200 and was ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge and costs of £35 by Crawley magistrates after he pleaded guilty to riding a quad bike on a public road without insurance. A photograph of Soames driving with passengers who included three children and a pregnant woman, was taken from footage filmed by hunt saboteurs in Slaugham, West Sussex, on New Year's Day. It was given to the police and published by the Daily Mirror.[1]
Career
Education and military career
After attending St. Aubyns Preparatory School in Sussex, he received his secondary education at Eton College. Later, he studied at Mons Officer Cadet School. He served in the 11th Hussars in West Germany and Britain.
Early career
In 1970 he was named Equerry to HRH The Prince of Wales, he has remained a close friend of the Prince ever since and publicly criticised Diana, Princess of Wales, during the couple's estrangement. When Diana first accused the Prince of Wales of adultery with Camilla Parker Bowles, Soames told the BBC that the accusation, and Diana's fear of being slandered by her husband's courtiers, stemmed merely from Diana's mental illness, and "the advanced stages of paranoia".[2] Charles later admitted his adultery, and Soames apologised. When questioned by the inquest into the death of Diana, Soames said that he saw his job as "to speak up for the Prince of Wales". He also denied threatening Diana, and warning her, "accidents happen" in the months before she died.[3]
In 1972 he left to work as a stock broker. In 1974, he became a personal assistant; first to Sir James Goldsmith and then in 1976 to United States Senator Mark Hatfield, whose service he left in 1978 to become a director of Bland Welch, Lloyd's Brokers. Between 1979 and 1981, he was an assistant director of the Sedgwick Group.[citation needed]
Parliamentary career
Soames has been an MP since the 1983 general election. He represented Crawley from 1983 up until the 1997 general election (when Labour replaced Conservatives in Crawley and in government). In the election he won the constituency of Mid Sussex and has remained its MP since.
He has served as a Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food between 1992 and 1994, Minister of State for the Armed Forces at the Ministry of Defence under John Major between 1994 and 1997 and as the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence 2003-2005. He is also the chairman of Framlington Second Dual Trust PLC and a non-executive director of Aegis Defence Services.
During the rebellion by eurosceptic Conservative MPs against the Maastricht Treaty, Soames threatened to close down a meat-processing company owned by rebel Conservative MP Christopher Gill. Soames, Minister for Food at the time, reportedly told Gill "I will close every abattoir you own".[4]
On 9 May 2005, shortly after Michael Howard announced his intention to resign as leader of the Conservative Party, Soames resigned from the shadow cabinet. He immediately ended speculation that he intended to stand for the post of leader, saying that he merely wanted to be free to think about and influence the future of the party. He added that he was interested in joining the executive of the 1922 Committee. He later announced his support for David Cameron.[5]
According to the book Women in Parliament published in 2005, Soames has been named as the 'most sexist' MP, with several female MPs stating that he has made vulgar comments to them. One says they retaliated by shouting "click" at him — a reference to a claim that having sex with the famously fat[6] Soames was "like having a wardrobe fall on you with the key still in it".[7] In other accusations of sexual harassment it has been alleged that Soames makes repeated cupping gestures with his hands, suggestive of female breasts, when women are trying to speak in parliament, in order to distract them.[8] He allegedly harassed Alastair Campbell by telephoning him and saying "you sex god, you Adonis, you the greatest of all great men". Unknown to Soames, he was actually speaking to Campbell's young son.[9]
In November 2010, Soames told the Mail on Sunday newspaper that remarks about a royal wedding made by the Bishop of Willesden, the Rt Rev Pete Broadbent, were "extremely rude, not what one expects from a bishop."[10]
On 13 July 2011, Soames was sworn of the Privy Council.[11]
See also
- MPs elected in the UK general election, 1983
- MPs elected in the UK general election, 1987
- MPs elected in the UK general election, 1992
- MPs elected in the UK general election, 1997
- MPs elected in the UK general election, 2001
- MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005
References
- ^ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/illegal-ride-on-a-quad-bike-lands-soames-with-a-driving-ban-828292.html
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=rqbcZOgGHjoC
- ^ http://www.scottbaker-inquests.gov.uk/hearing_transcripts/121207pm.htm
- ^ http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/christopher-gill
- ^ Brogan, Benedict (29 August 2005). "Top Tories back Clarke as party's leader-in-waiting". Daily Mail.
- ^ "Ferocious fight for fat toff who has heard it all before"
- ^ http://www.paulflynnmp.co.uk/soames.htm
- ^ Observer article on Nicholas Soames
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6284062.stm Alastair Campbell
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11809053
- ^ Privy Council Office — Orders for 13 July 2011
External links
- Nicholas Soames MP official constituency website
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
- Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Electoral history and profile at The Guardian
- Voting record at PublicWhip.org
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
- Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
- Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
- Articles authored at Journalisted
- ThePeerage.com - Person Page 10627 family details
Parliament of the United Kingdom New constituency Member of Parliament for Crawley
1983–1997Succeeded by
Laura MoffattPreceded by
Tim RentonMember of Parliament for Mid Sussex
1997–presentIncumbent Categories:- 1948 births
- 11th Hussars officers
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs
- Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies
- Living people
- Old Etonians
- UK MPs 1983–1987
- UK MPs 1987–1992
- UK MPs 1992–1997
- UK MPs 1997–2001
- UK MPs 2001–2005
- UK MPs 2005–2010
- Spencer-Churchill family
- UK MPs 2010–
- People educated at St. Aubyns Preparatory School
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