[Stoat]

Ann Widdecombe MP

 

Ann was born on 4th October 1947 in Bath, Somerset. The daughter of James Murray Widdecombe CB/OBE and Mrs. Rita Widdecombe. Her father's occupation was Head of Naval Supplies & Transport, Ministry of Defence.

She was educated at the Royal Naval School Singapore, La Sainte Union Convent Bath, Birmingham University (BA Hons Latin) and Oxford University (BA Hons Politics, Philosophy and Economics) LMH MA 1976.

She worked in marketing at Unilever from 1973 to 1975 and was Senior Administrator at London University from 1975 to 1987.

From 1987 to date she has been member of Parliament for Maidstone which became Maidstone and The Weald in 1997

Political Biography
Secretary (1971) and Treasurer (1972) of The Oxford Union
Committee Member of Oxford University Conservative Association
Runnymeade District Councillor 1976-1978
Candidate for Burnley 1979, she halved Labour majority
Candidate for Plymouth Devonport 1983 against Dr. David Owen.
Elected Member of Parliament for Maidstone 1987.
1990 Appointed PPS to Tristan Garroll-Jones Minister at the Foreign Office
November 1990 appointed Under Secretary of State for Social Security in John Major's first administration where she specialised in pensions
Under Secretary of State Department of Employment 1993.
Minister of State Department of Employment 1994.
Minister of State Home Office 1995 with responsibility for prisons and immigration.
1997 Member of Standards and Privileges Committee of the House of Commons.
1998 Shadow Health Secretary.
1999 Shadow Home Secretary.
2001 Announced intention to retire from Shadow Front Bench at the same time as deciding not to stand for the Leadership of the Party.

Writing Career
2000 The Clematis Tree (rose to number 8 in the Times Best Seller List)
2002 An Act of Treachery published on 11th July
 

   Now engaged in writing third novel "The Idealists"

 

[Shalom Israel]

Thanks for that--I'm astonished in a good way! Some common sense from our cousins across the pond!

[Stoat]

If a member of Congress here in the USA were to say something like that, they would be prodecuted for Hate Crimes and their home would be instantly surrounded by a mob and burned to the ground.

Full Steam Ahead, Ann!

[ken5050]

Coudl we have a new Maggie in the making....The power vacuum in the Tory party is staggering..

[Pukin Dog]

Aint it interesting how the prospect of getting one's ass blown up can have a positive impact on one's common sense.

I think they should still stop ugly people, though. I'll go first.

[RightWhale]

Don't let Tancredo suggest that! He is getting enough attention from CAIR already.

[Unam Sanctam]

I don't mind the profiling in general, but there should be random searches of other ethnic groups -- there may be a Timothy McVeigh or a self-hating white kid like the American Taliban.

[pau1f0rd]

I wonder how hard it is to slip a bomb into an old white lady's bag...