Peter Atkinson (politician)
| Peter Atkinson MP |
|
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Hexham |
|
| In office 10 April 1992 – 12 April 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Alan Amos |
| Succeeded by | Guy Opperman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 January 1943 Corbridge, Northumberland England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Brione Darley |
| Children | 2 daughters |
| Website | http://www.peteratkinson.com/ |
Peter Landreth Atkinson (born 19 January 1943) is a British Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Hexham from 1992 until 2010.
Early life
Atkinson was educated at Cheltenham College and after leaving school he became a journalist and joined the Newcastle Journal in November 1968. He moved to London to work on the Evening Standard as a reporter, eventually becoming News Editor.
In 1982 he left to join a free newspaper company which grew to fifteen titles. He left to become Deputy Director of the British Field Sports Society with responsibility for political and public affairs.
His political career began in 1978 when he was elected to Wandsworth Council. He left the Council in 1982 and became a member of Wandsworth Health Authority (1982–88) and later a Suffolk County Councillor (1989–1992), until his election as MP for Hexham.
Parliamentary career
Atkinson was elected at the 1992 general election for the seat of Hexham with a majority of 13,438. At the 1997 election he was narrowly re-elected with a majority of just 222, but at the 2001 and 2005 elections his majority increased again, to 2,529 and 5,020 respectively.
From 1994-1997 Atkinson was a Parliamentary Private Secretary to a number of ministers in the Conservative government. Since 1997 he has alternated between serving on the Chairmen's Panel and working in the Conservative whips office.
In 1995 Atkinson blocked a Private Members Bill on the live export of veal calves by reading from the London telephone directory in Parliament to use up all the debating time, a technique known as filibustering.[1][2]
Atkinson is one of the 98 MPs who voted to keep their expense details secret.[3]
On 19 June 2008, Atkinson announced he would not stand at the next general election.[4]
Personal life
Atkinson married Brione Darley in 1976 and they have two grown-up daughters.[5]
References
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External links
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Peter Atkinson MP
- The Public Whip - Peter Atkinson MP voting record
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Peter Atkinson
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Hexham 1992 - 2010 |
Succeeded by Guy Opperman |
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs
- UK MPs 1992–97
- UK MPs 1997–2001
- UK MPs 2001–05
- UK MPs 2005–10
- English male journalists
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
- People educated at Cheltenham College
- People from Corbridge
- Politics of Northumberland
- 1943 births
- Living people
- Councillors in Wandsworth
- Councillors in Suffolk
- English male writers
