Michael Spicer
Sir
Michael William Hardy Spicer (born
January 22,
1943,
Bath) is the
British Member of Parliament for
West Worcestershire. He is a
Conservative backbencher, and is chairman of the
1922 committee.
Spicer was educated at
Wellington College and has a degree in
economics from
Emmanuel College, Cambridge. After graduation, he worked as a financial journalist for the
Daily Mail, the
Sunday Times and
The Statist.
At the
1966 general election, he challenged
Manny Shinwell in the safe
Labour Easington constituency as the youngest Parliamentary candidate in the country against the oldest. He stood in Easington again at the
1970 general election before being elected at the
February 1974 general election for
South Worcestershire. He represented South Worcestershire until 1997 when boundary changes abolished the constituency and he moved to the West Worcestershire seat which he has represented since.
After the
1979 general election, which swept the Conservatives to power, he became
Parliamentary Private Secretary at the
Department of Trade. He was later made a Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party. He became a
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the
Department of Transport in 1984, serving until 1987, with specific responsibility for Aviation. In 1987, he moved to the
Department of Energy, again as a Parliament Under Secretary, this time with responsibility for Electricity and Coal. In January 1990, he was promoted to become a
Minister of State at the
Department of Environment, however, after the ousting of
Margaret Thatcher in November 1990, he left the government payroll.
On leaving the government he became Chairman of the
Parliamentary and Scientific Committee in the
House of Commons. In 1996, he was knighted. In the wake of the
1997 general election, he became a member of the
Treasury Select Committee. After the
2001 general election he was elected Chairman of the 1922 committee, a position he has served in since.
As chairman of the 1922 committee, he has the distinction of having presided over more
leadership elections than any of his predecessors as
Iain Duncan Smith,
Michael Howard and
David Cameron have all been elected in his tenure.
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Sir Michael Spicer MP official site
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Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Sir Michael Spicer MP*
TheyWorkForYou.com - Michael Spicer MP*
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