John Wilkinson (British politician)
John Arbuthnot Du Cane Wilkinson (23 September 1940 – 1 March 2014) was a British Conservative politician. He was educated at Eton College and Churchill College, Cambridge.[1]
John Wilkinson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament for Ruislip-Northwood | |
| In office 3 May 1979 – 11 April 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Petre Crowder |
| Succeeded by | Nick Hurd |
| Member of Parliament for Bradford West | |
| In office 18 June 1970 – 8 February 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Norman Haseldine |
| Succeeded by | Edward Lyons |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Arbuthnot Du Cane Wilkinson 23 September 1940 Windsor, Berkshire, England |
| Died | 1 March 2014 (aged 73) Isle of Man |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouses | Paula Adey
(m. 1987, divorced)M. Cecilia Cienfuegos
(m. 1987) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | Churchill College, Cambridge |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch/service |  Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | before 1970 |
Electoral history
He was the member of parliament (MP) for Bradford West from 1970 until February 1974, when he was defeated by the Labour candidate Edward Lyons. He failed to regain the seat against Lyons in the following general election that same year.
In the 1979 general election he was elected as MP for Ruislip-Northwood, succeeding Petre Crowder, where he was re-elected in the successive general elections in 1983, 1987, 1992, 1997 and 2001.
Wilkinson did not stand in the May 2005 general election, and the succeeding MP for Ruislip-Northwood was fellow Conservative, Nick Hurd. By the time of his retirement, Wilkinson was one of the longest-serving Conservative MPs, having served 30 years in Parliament.[2]
Parliamentary career
Wilkinson remained on the backbenches for most of his parliamentary career, apart from two brief periods as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS): to the Minister of State for Industry from 1979 to 1980 and to the Secretary of State for Defence from 1981 to 1982.[3]
A former member of the Royal Air Force (RAF), he spoke frequently in debates on defence and from 1979 to 1990 he was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of The Western European Union (WEU). He also served as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Wilkinson was one of the Maastricht Rebels, from whom the Conservative whip was withdrawn when they voted against legislation to ratify the Maastricht Treaty on European Union. Wilkinson and the other rebels continued to oppose the European policy of Conservative Prime Minister John Major for much of the 1992–97 parliament.
In popular culture
Wilkinson was portrayed by Jasper Jacob in the 2002 BBC production of Ian Curteis's controversial The Falklands Play.
References
- Drewett, Zoe (13 March 2014). "Former Ruislip and Northwood MP John Wilkinson has died at the age of 73". Get West London. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- "BBC News, Find Your MP: John Wilkinson". Archived from the original on 25 August 2007. Retrieved 14 February 2006.
- Guardian Unlimited Politics – Aristotle