Liberal Democrat '97-

Majority: 21,556 (39.6%) over Tory 8-way Description: One of the most affluent constituencies, with its sumptuous cathedral, prestigious Winchester College and well-heeled and almost fully-employed inhabitants; it was safely Tory until the splits caused by the controversial MP John Browne; in '95 its geographic epicentre shifted to the south, with the loss of 20,000 voters from its northeast, around Alton, to redrawn Hampshire East; in compensation it gained 15,000 voters on its southern flank from Fareham; this was nothing compared to the shift in its political epicentre to midway between the Tories and the LibDems, according to the challenged, hairsbreath-close ballot of May '97; it then produced a collosal LibDem majority at the Nov '97 by-election insisted on by the High Court; Position: PPS, to '99-; Assistant Spokesman on Foreign Affairs '99-; Chairman, all-party Prisoners of War Group '97-; ex: Spokesman for the Disabled on the LibDem Social Security team '97-99; Borough Councillor (Leader its LibDem Group) '86-94; Outlook: The young former lobbyist, whose massive by-election victory showed the superiority of a local-issues constituency man over a high-profiled "carpetbagger", gaining the biggest LibDem majority of any of their 46 MPs; History: He joined the Social Democrats '83; was elected to Watford Borough Council as a Social Democrat at 22, one of the country's youngest councillors May '86; joined the merged Liberal Democrats '88; became the Leader of the LibDems on Watford Council '90; selected to contest Watford against incumbent Tristan Garel-Jones, came 3rd with 17.2% (3,000 less votes than the SDP had registered in '87, which had gone back to Labour) Apr '92; was selected for Winchester June '95; at the annual LibDem conference claimed William Beveridge had "set up the Health Service" Sep '96; after a count and two recounts lasting 19 hours - making it the last result to be declared - was proclaimed to have won Winchester by 2 votes over incumbent, Health Minister Gerald Malone, the smallest margin in any seat postwar; there was also a rogue candidate Richard Huggett, the '94 Devon Euro election "Literal Democrat", who polled 640 votes at Winchester as the "Liberal Democrat Top Choice" May '97; expressed himself as "astonished" that Gerald Malone had mounted a legal challenge to overturn the result, saying "this is a touch of sour grapes; he should have accepted defeat honourably" May '97; asked about suicides in Winchester Prison May '97; voted with rural seat LibDem MPs against Labour's complete handgun ban June '97; claimed that three of the ten people who had signed the nomination papers of the rogue "Liberal Democrat Top Choice" candidate Richard Huggett said they were misled and tricked into doing so June '97; in his Maiden urged a radical reform of the Commons and a ban on copycat candidates; led motion calling on MPs to deliver an annual report to every constituent July '97; asked about responsibility for pupils' safety on buses July '97; as a LibDem Social Security Spokesman asked about movement of Benefits Agency staff from Uxbridge to Harrow July '97; asked Arts Minister about funding for theatres outside London July '97; for the first time since 1910, the High Court annulled the Winchester result on the grounds of ballot paper irregularities - claiming that 55 unstamped and therefore rejected ballot papers would have given him a majority - and ordered a repeat poll Oct '97; in by- election campaign he countered Tory claims that he had made only one Commons intervention since his Maiden and had voted in only 52% of Commons divisions, by stressing his local activity as the MP, sending over 100 letters to Ministers on behalf of Winchester;

1 Copyright © Parliamentary Profile Services Ltd. Mark OATEN Liberal Democrat WINCHESTER '97- dubbed Malone an unpopular carpetbagger; of Richard Huggett standing as a "Literal Democrat Mark Here To Win" candidate, he said "if I get elected I shall make sure he's not able to do it again"; despite support for Malone by Tory heavyweights like Parkinson, Portillo and Heseltine, the by-election result was a humiliating defeat for Malone with the LibDem majority soaring from 2 to 21,556 on a big 70% turnout and a 20% swing from the May general election Nov '97; urged electoral law reform in his `second Maiden', alleging copycat candidate Huggett had tricked people into signing his nomination papers; he also queried the practice of franking ballot papers, criticised out-of-date electoral registers and the short deadlines for postal and proxy voting, raising too the issue of personation Dec '97; preferred use of term "non- resident" to "absent" parent in CSA cases Feb '98; called for reversal of freeze on lone-parent benefits, defended disability benefits and called for up-rating of pensions for over-80s Feb '98; was given the role of co-ordinating policy reports for the LibDem Federal Policy Committee Feb '98; criticised Labour Government's Benefit Integrity Project on tackling fraud and reviewing benefits Mar '98; co-urged defence of disabled people's Mobility Allowance Mar '98; opposed use of HFC greenhouse gasses in Millennium Dome air conditioning Mar '98; co-urged accurate advice to bereaved relatives of road accident victims about organ donations, inquests, police investigations and legal prosecutions Apr '98; criticised funding for helping disabled back into work Apr '98; published annual report of his work as MP for Winchester Apr '98; as Co-Chairman of all-party Veterans Group urged Japanese compensation for British ex-POWs Apr '98; urged scrapping of Benefit Integrity Project, inherited by Labour from the Conservative Government, which he claimed was launched without consultation with disablility groups June '98; urged increased training of new doctors July '98; again criticised measures for helping disabled back to work July '98; welcomed the Snowdon Survey on disabled students July '98; called on Government to stick with policy of swipe-card automation of benefit payments in post offices Sep '98; opposed cutting incapacity benefit for claimants with private pensions as "punishing savers" Oct '98; urged speediest possible amends for deductions made from pay of ex-POWs whilst in German or Italian camps Nov '98; urged compensation for people killed by CJD from being given human growth hormone Nov '98; following publicity about Foreign Secretary Ribin Cook's broken marriage, admitted an MP's job was "the hardest ever for keeping a marriage together" Jan '99; raised issue of war veterans' noise-induced hearing loss Mar '99; queried savings achieved in Benefit Integrity Project Mar '99; his Adoption (Intercountry Aspects) Bill, making it illegal to bring a child into the country for adoption without prior approval of the authorities, received a 2nd Reading (and later became law) Apr '99; was named PPS to new Leader, Charles Kennedy, and Assistant Spokesman on Foreign Affairs Oct '99; Born: 8 March 1964 , Watford Family: Son, of Condell Oaten, teacher, and Audrey (Matthews), computer firm Director; m '92. Belinda (Fordham); 2d: Alice '96, Milly '99; Education: Queen's Secondary Modern, Watford; Hatfield Polytechnic (BA); Herfordshire College of FE (Diploma in International Public Relations); Occupation: Receives a £5,000-a-year Researcher from the Association of Suppliers for Special Physical Needs '97-; ex: Managing Director '95-97, Consultant '92-95, of Westminster Public Relations (public relations consultancy, with the Audit Commission as one of its main clients); Director, Oasis Radio '95-96; Consultant, Shandwick Public Affairs '90-92; Traits: Parted blond retreating hair; longish face; youthful looks; "sharp-suited" (Stephen Castle, INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY); enjoys swimming and gardening; confessed to TODAY in '86 that he had been "a love rat", leaving a girl stranded in a pub while he left her for another, saying "I'm a local councillor...I had been called out at the last minute"; Address: House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA; 13 Little Hayes Lane, Itchen Abbas, Winchester SO21 1XA; Telephone: 0171 219 6232 (H of C); 01962 779997 (home);

2 Copyright © Parliamentary Profile Services Ltd.