Peter (Michael) AINSWORTH Conservative '92- SURREY EAST

Majority: 13,203 (28.1%) over LibDem 4-way; Description: Affluent, semi-rural, ultra-safe Tory seat with little towns like Oxted, Lingfield, Caterham and Warlingham, stretching to the Kent border; in '95 14,700 voters were added from Horley, near Gatwick Airport; Position: Chairman, Environmental Audit Committee '03-; ex: Shadow Environment Secretary '01-02, Shadow Culture Secretary '98-01; Deputy Chief Whip '97-98; Assistant Whip '96-97; PPS: to Virginia Bottomley '95-96, Jonathan Aitken '94-95; on the Select Committees: on Public Service '95-96, on the Environment '93-94; Secretary, all-party Conservation Group '94-96; Secretary: Conservative MPs' Arts and Heritage Committee '92-94, M25 Parliamentary Action Group '92-94; Wandsworth Borough Councillor (Chairman of Conservative Group '90-92, Deputy Chairman, Policy and Finance Committee) '86-94; on Council of Bow Group '84-86; Outlook: The frontbencher who abandoned politics in the limelight - where he was judged "one of the brighter and more talented members of the front bench" (George Jones, DAILY TELEGRAPH) - when his wife contracted cancer as he was just getting into his stride as shadow Environment Secretary; one of the small minority of Tories opposed to the Iraq war; not even Tory grassroots had warmed to his previous performances as shadow Culture Secretary, which he played as a `Dome-whinger' or `crony- basher', "one of the least effective members of the Tory frontbench" (GUARDIAN); a One Nation reformist Tory whose frontbench bite never lived up to his over-loud bark; a former merchant banker (S G Warburg) unexpectedly promoted to the front bench after quiet service as the Tories' Deputy Chief Whip; "that uniquely annoying combination: a [former] investment banker who thinks he is a man of the people" (Simon Hoggart, GUARDIAN); a pragmatic and functional politician with little interest in ideologies; after cutting his teeth in Wandsworth, he made his initial reputation by blocking the 14-lane highway to Heathrow Airport and his battle for a Hedgerows Bill, frustrated by his own party on behalf of commercial farmers; a low-profiled, cautious young successor in '92 to Sir Geoffrey (now Lord) Howe, without having to jump through the preliminary hoop of contesting a hopeless seat; he became the Greens' `Campaigning Politician of the Year' because he had shown himself "a remarkably adroit negotiator" (GREEN MAGAZINE) over hedgerow protection; an assiduous defender of the rural environment, as shown by his Hedgerows Bill and battles against the spreading M25; a careful young man who believes in "balance"; History: He became a Conservative as a schoolboy, joining the party in the early '70s; the three-day week was his "most important political influence" '73-74; began canvassing at 18 in Wokingham in '74; at Oxford became President of the Oxford University Monday Club, insisting on the right of National Front leader John Tyndall to speak to the Oxford Union Apr '78; on graduating, he became Research Assistant to Sir John Stewart- Clark MEP '79; became a committee member and ward Vice Chairman of Chelsea Conservatives '81; was elected to Bow Group Council '84. to the Editorial Committee of CROSSBOW, and to Chairmanship of Bow Educational Trust '85; moved to Battersea Conservative Association '85; was elected to Wandsworth Borough Council May '86; was elected Deputy Chairman of Wandsworth Borough Council's Policy and Finance Committee and Chairman of its Conservative Group May '90; on the announced retirement of Sir Barney Hayhoe, was shortlisted for Brentford and Isleworth Feb '91; after the announcement of Sir Geoffrey Howe's imminent retirement, was selected for East Surrey Apr '91; retained seat, despite a 2% swing to Liberal Democrats Apr '92; was one of 20 MPs who won ballot for a Private

Member's Bill May '92; decided to promote a Hedgerows Bill June '92; signed motion calling for "second thoughts" on Maastricht June '92; made his Maiden speech on the countryside, warning against threat of M25's expansion to 14 lanes June '92; defended the Government's Civil Service Bill against Labour fears that it proposed privatisation of the civil service Nov '92; backed the rents-to-mortgages scheme in Housing and Urban Development Bill as a "simple, cost-effective and relatively low-risk mechanism for council tenants to acquire part or all of their homes"; expressed doubts about the Bill's leasehold enfranchisement because it involved "Government intervention in freely-entered-into contracts", for the benefit of the leaseholder Nov '92; as Secretary of the M25 Parliamentary Action Group deplored "the ridiculous situation where it is extremely difficult to build a house extension in the Southeast, but very easy for the Transport Department to build huge highways in a completely uncoordinated way" Nov '92; in the Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Development Bill tabled an amendment stating that a head lessee could not be the qualifying tenant of more than one flat in a block for the purpose of leasehold enfranchisement; this was accepted Jan '93; on behalf of English Heritage and Historic Houses Association tabled an amendment to Housing and Urban Development Bill to ensure that the Bill did not lead to the forced sale and break-up of important properties of outstanding historic or architectural interest Feb '93; in adjournment speech strongly objected to expansion of M25 by six more lanes Feb '93; despite threats from fellow-Tory Christopher Gill to object, his Government-backed Hedgerows Bill received its 2nd Reading on the nod Feb '93; was named to Environment Select Committee Feb '93; insisted it was "most important that shareholders and corporate management should know and understand each other and should talk to each other regularly on a basis of confidence" Apr '93; denied that "insider trading" was a "victimless crime"; "insider dealing, put simply, is a form of cheating"; "larger and more active City institutions - for example, those handling large pension portfolios - are likely to suffer the most"; he feared that "the well-intentioned measures in Part IV could so impede the flow of reasonable information between companies...that they could reverse the trend to corporate glasnost" Apr '93; again protested widening of M25 and establishment of more link roads Apr '93; Labour MP Tam Dalyell complimented him for his "serious, competent and good-hearted attempt to introduce hedgerow legislation" which "will obviously not reach the statute book"; his Bill was talked out by fellow Tory MPs ("a motley crew of agri-farming apologists" - Robin Page, DAILY TELEGRAPH) because it would have forced landowners to notify their local council before destroying more than 60 feet of hedge May '93; urged "substantial aid" "to help the difficult process of economic transformation" in Yeltsin's Russia May '93; received GREEN MAGAZINE award for the `Campaigning Politician of the Year' because of his skilful Hedgerows Bill effort June '93; claimed that Tory MPs were divided on more road-building, with more deciding against excessive roadbuilding Dec '93; voted against restoring capital punishment Feb '94; voted to reduce age of homosexual consent to 18 or 16, Feb '94; credited the "lending institutions" with having reduced the "rate of repossessions" of homes in recent months Mar '94; introduced a Contaminated Land Bill to "require those who were responsible for polluting land to be responsible for its restoration and decontamination" Mar '94; was congratulated by Tory MP Peter Thurnham who said he "so ably represents [S G Warburg's] interests in the House" May '94; urged Labour to condemn rail strike as "unnecessary" and bringing "misery and inconvenience to millions of people" June '94; opposed national legislation on dog-fouling, insisting it could be prevented by local statute, properly enforced July '94; backed publicity for the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme to lower fuel bills and stabilise emissions of greenhouse gas Oct '94; was discharged from the Environmental Select Committee Nov '94; pointed out that "many people who report either zero or negative incomes have higher than average spending patterns", including cars, videos and washing machines July '95; was honoured as the `Country Parliamentarian of the Year' by COUNTRY LIFE for his campaign against the widening of the M25 Sep '95; urged protection of "the

2 Copyright © Parliamentary Profile Services Ltd. Peter (Michael) AINSWORTH Conservative '92- SURREY EAST green belt and particularly sites of special scientific interest" Oct '95; his consultancy with the Samuel Warburg Group was widely mentioned Nov '95; was named to the Public Service Select Committee Dec '95; described his constituency: "starts where Croydon stops and goes down to Gatwick, so the northern part is fairly densely populated and the southern part is rural, with the constant pressure on the local environment" Dec '95; welcomed privatisation of railways as improving the management and service while reducing the cost Jan '96; voted to curb MPs' mileage allowances, to keep a 3% cap on MPs' pay increases, and against basing pensions on an increased pay level of #43,000 July '96; entered the Government for the first time as an Assistant Government Whip July '96; was discharged from the Public Service Select Committee July '96; retained Surrey East - the third safest Tory seat although altered by the addition of Horley, near Gatwick, from Reigate - by a reduced majority of 15,093 over the Liberal Democrats, an anti-Tory notional swing of only 3.3% May '97; voted for William Hague as the new Tory Leader, whom he allegedly helped dissuade from standing as Michael Howard's No 2 and to go for the Leadership June '97; was named the Tories' Deputy Chief Whip by William Hague June '97; he listed no consultancies in the new Register of MPs' outside interests Nov '97; Hague promoted him Shadow Culture Secretary, to oppose Chris Smith June '98; although he had "nothing against Melvyn Bragg, who is an engaging and stimulating broadcaster", he wrote to [Sir Christopher Bland] the chairman of the BBC "asking whether, once [Lord] Bragg had taken the Labour Whip in Westminster, it would still be appropriate for him to present the [`Start the Week'] programme"; "It was the BBC's decision that Mr Bragg should move..." July '98; was considered to be one of the most adept at the new `Haguespeak' in new-style attacks on Labour: "he used the phrase `style over substance' four times in 80 seconds" (Zoe Brennan, SUNDAY TIMES) Aug '98; he protested the "scandalous" decision to allow Lord Sherfield to export a #60m collection of pre- Raphaelite paintings to the US Aug '98; in his Tory conference speeched, he criticised Bob Dylan's artistic merits but urged Tories not to demean the artistic community by describing them as "luvvies" Oct '98; he accused the Labour Government of "cronyism" for naming Gavyn Davies - whose wife, Susan Nye, worked for Chancellor Gordon Brown - to review the BBC's funding Nov '98; he attacked the BBC for its ban on mentioning Peter Mandelson's homosexuality Nov '98; his name was mentioned as an under- performer in a Conservative Central Office survey of grassroots Tories Nov '98; he claimed that some #3.5b of lottery funds could be siphoned out of the arts, sport, charities and heritage for pet, politically-correct Labour projects Nov '98; he hailed Mandelson's relinquishment of the Dome as "the best Christmas present" Dec '98; with others, he called on the BBC to continue its `One Man and His Dog' programmes Feb '99; he wrote mocking, imitation-Coleridge poetry about the Dome Apr '99; he protested the naming of Labour donor Greg Dyke as Director-General of the BBC May '99; he complained about the "lack of progress" in Wembley Stadium's redevelopment June '99; after William Hague's Shadow Cabinet reshuffle, Culture Secretary Chris Smith welcomed his survival and Peter Riddell judged in the TIMES that "Peter Ainsworth and Gary Streeter are fortunate to hold their places after failing to impress in the past year" June '99; his "intemperate" demand that Culture Secretary Chris Smith resign was judged by the DAILY TELEGRAPH's Quentin Letts to indicate "a certain brittleness of morale in his party" Dec '99; Greg Dyke sold his Granada shares after being accused by Ainsworth of a "conflict of interest" in his BBC role as Director-General Jan '00; while welcoming the end of government "dithering" on digital TV, he criticised its indecision on what the BBC should do in "multi- channel age" Feb '00; Rightwing Tory MPs complained that William Hague should not have sacked John Redwood and left Ainsworth and Theresa May in the Shadow Cabinet Feb '00; he complained of "brazen cronyism" when Lady Irvine, who had an MA in Arts History, was named an unpaid Trustee of the Wallace Collection Feb '00; he urged Chancellor Brown to unlock the #3.5b pile of lottery funds on which he was sitting "to offset the Public Sector Borrowing Requirement" Mar '00; he joined in praising Oscar-winning British stars but

3 Copyright © Parliamentary Profile Services Ltd. Peter (Michael) AINSWORTH Conservative '92- SURREY EAST deplored failure of 60 films so far funded by the National Lottery to come "anywhere near earning enough to cover their costs" Mar '00; he complained that the BBC's satirical comments on the Queen Mother's 99th birthday was "like sticking two fingers up to the Royal Family and to public opinion" May '00; he blamed "cronyism" for the inclusion of Labour donor Richard Bourne on the shortlist to purchase the Dome May '00; he mis-timed his assault on Culture Secretary Chris Smith as responsible for "the debt-ridden Dome, the closed Millennium Bridge, the U-turns on free admission to museums, the fiasco over Wembley, the failure of our World Cup bid" July '00; he tried to play down the #150m Chris Smith allocated as additional spending on the arts and sport July '00; he demanded Lord Falconer resign over financial mismanagement of the Dome in trading while insolvent Sep '00; he demanded the resignation of the board of the National Lottery Commission as "discredited" Oct '00; he joined in the Shadow Cabinet assault on Ann Widdecombe for her surprise "unrealistic" attempt to ban cannabis by confesssing, with six other top Tories, that he had tried cannabis and amyl nitrate while at university Oct '00; PM Tony Blair disclosed that Ainsworth had been PPS to Virginia Bottomley, the Tory Culture Secretary who had backed the Dome Nov '00; he backed regulated fox-hunting with dogs Jan '01; he defended the Tory policy of privatising Channel 4, Jan '01; he described as "sinister" the decrease of lottery funds for his constituency from #4m to #1m Feb '01; he urged spending #1b to give small rural businesses temporary relief from the business rate and VAT Mar '01; he demanded to know the "public service contribution of `Ibiza Uncovered', `Get Your Kit Off' and `Eurotrash' on Channel 4, Mar '01; he pointed out that his party had for months been advocating loans for farmers hard hit by foot- and-mouth Apr '01; his anti-Dome stunt crashed: "Ainsworth was to stride in to an on-site meeting with the chairmen and members of the Government's New Millennium Experience Company, tell 'em what for, stride out, and lambast the Government before a waiting crowd of newsmen"; "the company cancelled the meeting" May '01; he was re-elected for East Surrey by an almost 2,000 smaller numerical majority but a larger percentage majority June '01; he initially supported Michael Portillo for Tory Leader after William Hague's resignation; he then became the 8th member of the Shadow Cabinet to back Duncan Smith publicly June '01; with other leading Tory reformers and Portillistas, he signed a DAILY TELEGRAPH letter urging a party-broadening advisory forum for the new Leader Aug '01; he was named Shadow Environment Secretary by Iain Duncan Smith Sep '01; at the Tories' annual conference he deplored the wide damage done by livestock slaughter and urged producing and consuming more food locally, more organic crops and selling through farmers' markets Oct '01; he assailed the "fiasco" of the Government laboratory's mix-up of cows' brains for sheep brains, demanding of Margaret Beckett: "Will she confirm that British babies will be perfectly safe eating British lamb?" Oct '01; he deplored as inadequate the Government's #24m in aid to help businesses hit by the foot-and- mouth outbreak Oct '01; he introduced a Bill to annul earlier regulations which had resulted in the ploughing up of valuable sites Jan '02; he welcomed the EU's progress toward ratification of the Kyoto protocol Mar '02; he deplored the Government's "dithering" over refrigerator disposals Mar '02; he welcomed the Lords' defeat of the "illiberal" Animal Health Bill Mar '02; with two other Shadow Cabinetmembers he abstained against the three- line Whip ordering them to vote against giving same-sex couples equal rights to adopt children May '02; he resigned as shadow Environment Secretary to take care of his three children and cancer-afflicted wife Claire, being replaced by David Lidington June '02; in a SPECTATOR article he opposed war with Iraq, accusing Tony Blair of supporting it from a "personal interest in strutting the world stage" Sep '02; he did not vote on adoption by gays, despite pressure from IDS to vote against it Nov '02; he opposed plans to make war on Iraq Feb '03; he again voted against war on Iraq Mar '03; his Environmental Audit Committee urged an "emissions charge" on airlines passengers to compensate for their pollution; he said: "We need air fares which reflect the true cost of pollution" July '03;

Born: 16 November 1956 , Hampshire Family: Son, late Michael Ainsworth, retired RN Lieutenant Commander and Ludgrove schoolmaster, and Patricia Mary (Bedford); his father was an avid cricketer who played for Worcestershire and coached at Ludgrove; m '81 Claire Alison (Burnett), banker at Morgan Grenfell, where she specialised in debt and structured finance and then a managing director at Deutsche Bank; 1s Benedict '92; 2d Imogen '88, Olivia '90, who have been educated privately; Education: Ludgrove School, Wokingham (where he initially refused to go back after his first day, but later became Head Boy); Bradfield College; Lincoln College, Oxford University (where he was responsible for resurrecting `The Assassins' a centuries-old drinking club; BA Hons in English); Occupation: Consultant, S G Warburg Group Plc '92-97; Director, JLI Group (food processing group, a Warburg client) '93-97?; Director of Corporate Finance, S G Warburg Securities '89-92; Investment Analyst: Warburg Securities '85-89, Laing and Cruickshank (stockbrokers) '81-85; Research Assistant, Sir John Stewart-Clark, MEP '79-81; Traits: Curly bouffant brown hair; "an incredible hair-do, a massive curly confection like cream squeezed on to a rum baba by some gigantic baker"; "hunted vixens and their cubs could be hidden...for days" (Simon Hoggart, GUARDIAN); "Kevin Keegan look- alike" (Tony Banks MP); strong chin; dimpled smile; "amiable, decent, energetic, slightly gormless" (Mattthew Parris, TIMES); well-organised; politically obsessed; his political hero is William Pitt the Younger; "a very Phil Collins sort of person; I see him in a Mondeo heading round the M25, listening to Genesis tapes while shouting into his mobile and looking for a Harvester restaurant" (Simon Hoggart, GUARDIAN); Address: House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA; homes in South London and Lingfield; Telephone: 0207 219 3567/5078 (H of C);