William Banks-Blaney

William Patrick Thomas Banks-Blaney was born on 20 December 1973, in Westminster, London. He was educated at the Aylesbury Grammar School, the University of East Anglia and the University of Buckingham.

Following his graduation from the University of Buckingham in 2000 he was an online researcher for antique dealer John Bly, before joining David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley in 2001 in his furniture business. Having been successfully head-hunted in 2004 by Andrew Lamberty, a leading antique dealer in London, he was again approached by Linley where he returned to take position as Senior Associate in 2005, specialising in bespoke furniture for the company’s international clientele.

Personal life

He was brought into the public eye in October 2006 [cite web | year= | title=The 'other man' at the centre of the Tory sex scandal | format=HTML | work= | author= | url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=412848&in_page_id=1770&in_page_id=1770] after details of his relationship with the Conservative M.P. Gregory Barker became public, several months after the announcement that Barker and his wife Celeste had separated amicably. In the fevered press coverage that followed, many false accusations were levelled at Banks-Blaney. However it was announced in early 2007 that Banks-Blaney, advised by solicitors Carter Ruck, had received damages from various national newspapers for false reporting. [cite web | year= | title=Recent Work @ Carter-Ruck | format=HTML | work= | author= | url=http://www.carter-ruck.com/recentwork/index.html] [cite web | year= | title=Wheeler taken to task over Ukip 'dithering' | format=HTML | work= | author= | url=http://news.independent.co.uk/people/pandora/article2274454.ece]

The Daily Mail has since reported that Banks-Blaney and Barker remain close and that Banks-Blaney is on good terms with the Barker family as a whole. [cite web | year= | title=The pink list 2007: The IoS annual celebration of the great and the gay | format=HTML | work= | author= | url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2516664.ece]

References