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Jacqui (Jacqueline Anne) LAIT Conservative BECKENHAM Nov '97

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Jacqui (Jacqueline Anne) LAIT Conservative BECKENHAM Nov '97- Majority: 1,227 (3.8%) over Labour 8-way Description: The most compact of Bromley's three seats in southeast Greater London, on the Kent border; it contains Crystal Palace Park; its inner edge has more Labour and LibDem voters, while Tories are more numerous as it moves out toward suburbia and Kent; in '95 it acquired 15,000 Tory- leaning voters in the West Wickham wards from abolished Ravensbourne; neither as Beckenham nor as pre-'48 Bromley has it ever been out of Tory hands; Position: Social Security Spokesman '00-; ex: Whip '99, Assistant Whip '96-97; PPS, to William Hague '95-96; on Select Committees: on Science and Technology '98-99, Deregulation '98- 99, Catering '98-99; Secretary, Positive Europe Group '93-97; Chairman, British Section, European Union of Women '90-92; Chairman, City of London Conservatives '86-89; on: FHSA '89-91, City and East London Family Practitioners Committee '86-89; Outlook: Vigorous and personable lady politician and former lobbyist who retained Beckenham in the difficult by-election after scandal-blighted Piers Merchant stepped down; was John Major's first female Whip; rooted, realistic and commonsensical; a "conspicuous loyalist" and "ardent pro-European" (INDEPENDENT) sceptical about the Euro; one of the crusaders for independent taxation for married women and for an overhaul of the pension industry, partly from her own bad experiences on pension transfers; a longtime seat-chaser, she was "a first-class candidate" in Tyne Bridge in '85 who "put up a gallant fight" (John Hunt, FINANCIAL TIMES); she finally overcame Tory chauvinists and found what she thought a safeish seat in Hastings and Rye; "highly competent" (Anthony Bevins, TIMES); "she relishes an argument" (Robin Oakley, DAILY MAIL); and "fairly bubbles with enthusiasm for Tory achievements" (Michael Toner, SUNDAY EXPRESS); has been in the Tory Reform Group; History: She joined the Conservative Party in Paisley at 16, '64; "cut her political teeth campaigning in Glasgow's infamous Gorbals"; published `Seizing Our Opportunities - a Woman's Guide to Public Life' '82; failed to secure selection even for hopeless Newcastle North - where the selected Tory ran third - because of the local Tory squirearchy's aversion for women candidates '83; adopted for Strathclyde West, contested it in Euro-election June '84; was selected for Tynebridge by-election Oct '85; said "people have been brainwashed into thinking they are deprived"; complained that Labour's council's "high rates are driving businesses away from Newcastle"; "let's stop the socialists' whingeing; they are the ones who are destroying the northeast"; urged tougher sentences for rapists and child batterers; urged an increase in Metro fares Nov '85; predicted "a big fright" for Labour; came third with ll%, down from second place with a drop of 14% Dec '85; gave up trying to be selected for a northeastern constituency after losing out to Alan Amos in Hexham May-June '86; advocated independent taxation for married women at annual conference Oct '87; was appointed Chairman of the British Section of the European Union of Women July '90; was selected for Hastings and Rye, defeating Peter Bruinvels Apr '91; at annual conference urged more spending on roads - "the lifeblood of this country" Oct '91; retained the seat by 6,634 votes on a fractional swing to LibDems; she was was seen as "the most talented" (DAILY TELEGRAPH) of six new women Tories Apr '92; urged privatisation of railways Oct '92; offered PM John Major the "total support" of backbenchers in resisting pressure to give ground on the Euro-rebate Dec '92; was on campaign team of new Positive Europe Group, becoming its Secretary Jan '93; boasted of timely completion of Sizewell B and urged further 1 Copyright © Parliamentary Profile Services Ltd. Jacqui (Jacqueline Anne) LAIT Conservative BECKENHAM Nov '97- expansion of nuclear projects Apr '93; urged a more modern and flexible role for local postoffices May '93; urged more regional infrastructure development for the Hastings area June '93; complained that over- regulation of British vineyards made it difficult for them to compete on price July '93; preferred deregulation to help tourism July '93; some of her local fishermen fitted an unflattering effigy of her to the prow of a trawler for her refusal to back them over the Fish Conservation Bill; she estimated there were 1,000 local voters linked to the industry July '93; again urging Assisted Area status, complained "Hastings has pockets of deprivation that are as bad as in the inner cities; we have a high proportion of single mums; we have high levels of child abuse and drug and alcohol abuse" July '93; complained about local roads Dec '93; was accused of helping to talk out Dr Roger Berry's disability Bill May '94; exposed the high charges of local English-as-a-foreign-language schools which helped sustain the Hastings economy May '94; claimed Lib-Lab-controlled East Sussex County Council was "referring all respite care cases to county council homes at a cost to the council taxpayer of £100 per week more than the cost in the private sector" May '94; the Government dropped plans to build her economy-reviving A259 for fear of an environmental uproar June '94; made an adjournment speech on need for UK to remain competitive June '94; urged replacement of outdated plants by modern, more productive factories Jan '95; made fourth speech on tobacco and alcohol smuggling Jan '95; disclosed that her father had been a Japanese POW Feb '95; as a born Clydesider, urged "free and fair competition" in shipbuilding May '95; was named to the campaign team of party chairman Dr Brian Mawhinney July '95; her opponent, Dr Alan Sked, claimed unhappy local fishermen, had put up posters: "Ejacqiilait!" Sep '95; her Private Member's Bill wanted further reform of the law on leaseholds Dec '95; enthused about the Private Finance Initiative Dec '95; was named PPS to the Welsh Secretary William Hague '95; criticised new regulations for local rest homes as unrealistic Jan '96; complained about the "monopolistic" beef rendering industry May '96; urged tougher Customs and Excise action against smuggling Mar '96; boasted of ability of her university (Strathclyde) to earn money from industry July '96; for two weeks in succcession managed to work into questions to PM John Major, the new Tory slogan, "New Labour means new danger" July '96; was named an Assistant Whip, the first woman in the Tory Whips Office; she said, "the Tory Party is ruthless; it doesn't go in for tokenism and it appointed me because they thought I could do the job" July '96; damaged by a pre-election OBSERVER poll, lost Hastings and Rye to Michael Jabez Foster by 2,560 votes on a record 18.5% swing to Labour May '97; was selected for by-election caused by resignation of Piers Merchant, after his repeated sex scandals; "she is the soothing figure this constituency association needs after Mr Merchant: more school-mistress than mistress, it would be hard to imagine her in a leopard-skin suit of any kind" (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH) Oct '97; said, "I'm a Euro- enthusiast, but I have always been sceptical about the single currency" Nov '97; retained Beckenham by a narrowed majority of 1,227 over Labour, a swing to Labour of 2.7% on top of its 15% swing in May, Nov '97; in her second Maiden, feared that the economic slowdown would inhibit youth employment; urged regeneration of her local Crystal Palace Park Dec '97; was named to the Deregulation Committee ??? '98; said she was particularly proud of Tory record on independent married women's taxation, for which she had long fought Feb '98; insisted that the tax allowances for child care would cost much more than the Government admitted, also insisted that the cost of smuggled cigarettes and alcohol were under- estimated Mar '98; accused the Labour Government of under- estimating the cost of taking back into the state system students who had had assisted places Mar '98; visited David West's Belgian warehouse as guest of Tobacco Alliance Mar '98; was named to Catering Committee and Science and Technology Committee June '98; had an adjournment debate on `information warfare', or enemies' attacks on Defence computer systems Nov '98; urged more Labour Government sympathy for efforts of pension mis-sellers in their arduous Phase 2, Nov '98; backed first-past-the-post voting Jan '99; backed the survival of Health Service Accreditation, 2 Copyright © Parliamentary Profile Services Ltd. Jacqui (Jacqueline Anne) LAIT Conservative BECKENHAM Nov '97- which set standards for NHS employees Jan '99; said Home Secretary Jack Straw's plan to detain dangerous psychotics "reeked of incarceration" Feb '99; was again named a Whip, leaving her select committees June '99; she became Social Security Spokesman Jan '00; Born: 16 December 1947 , Giffnock, Renfrewshire Family: Daughter, Graham Harkness Lait, textile agent and company director and former Japanese POW, and Margaret Stewart (Knight), textile agent and company director; god- daughter of late Dame Patricia Hornsby-Smith MP; m '74 Peter Jones, stockbroker, East Sussex Councillor and former candidate- aspirant; no children: "we both decided we preferred to do other things" (JL); Education: Paisley Grammar School '51-64; Strathclyde University (BA in Business Administration); Occupation: Ex: Parliamentary Consultant, with own company ("basically I advise[d] my industrial and commercial clients on their relations with MPS and MEPs")'97, '85-92; Lloyds Name (in
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