David Lidington

Education

Lidington was educated at the Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, Elstree, Hertfordshire, followed by Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he took a degree in history and a PhD in 1988 entitled "The enforcement of the penal statutes at the court of the Exchequer c.1558-c.1576" on Elizabethan history. His interest in history is shared by his brother, Peter Lidington, a history teacher at Clifton College. Bristol.

While at Cambridge, he was chairman of Cambridge University Conservative Association and Deputy President of the Cambridge University Students' Union.

Life and career

Lidington's early jobs involved work for BP and Rio Tinto Group before being appointed in 1987 as special adviser to the then Home Secretary Douglas Hurd. He moved to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1989 when Mr Hurd was appointed Foreign Secretary.

Lidington and his wife Helen have four sons. He was brought up as a Congregationalist but is now an Anglican. He was the Captain of the Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge team that won the 1979 series of University Challenge. The team also won the 2002 University Challenge – Reunited "champion of champions" series for the show's 40th anniversary.

Political career

In the 1987 general election, Lidington stood unsuccessfully in the Vauxhall constituency. He was then selected as the Conservative candidate for the safe seat of Aylesbury in December 1990. He was successful at the 1992 general election, and held his seat ever since.

At Westminster, Lidington previously participated in the Education Select Committee and Conservative Backbench Home Affairs Committee. In 1994, he successfully promoted a Private Members Bill which became the Chiropractors Act 1994.

Lidington first joined the Conservative front bench team in August 1994, when he became Parliamentary Private Secretary to Home Secretary Michael Howard. In June 1997, with the Conservatives in opposition, he became Parliamentary Private Secretary to Leader of the Opposition William Hague. Two years later, in June 1999, he was promoted to become Shadow Home Affairs Minister (deputy to Ann Widdecombe). In September 2001, Lidington was promoted to become Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury.

Lidington became a member of the Shadow Cabinet in May 2002, replacing Ann Winterton as Shadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (later Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) after she resigned. When Michael Howard was elected Conservative Party leader in November 2003, Lidington became Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, but was not included as a member of the Shadow Cabinet.

In May 2005, Howard enlarged the Shadow Cabinet, granting Lidington the right to attend it again. He was one of the few Shadow Cabinet ministers left in his old post by David Cameron when the latter became leader in December 2005. But on 2 July 2007, Lidington was demoted to be a junior Foreign Affairs spokesman.

Following the 2010 general election, Lidington was appointed Minister for Europe. In August 2016 following the resignation of David Cameron, Lidington was awarded a CBE in the 2016 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours for his services to the government as European minister.

In November 2013 Lidington was criticised in an editorial of the local newspaper the Bucks Herald for his repeated failure to vote against the HS2 rail project which is set to affect large areas of his constituency.

Under prime minister Theresa May, Lidington was appointed Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council. This was a position he held till 11 June 2017, when he was promoted to Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor.

Expenses

In May 2009, the Daily Telegraph revealed Lidington had claimed nearly £1,300 for his dry cleaning and had also claimed for toothpaste, shower gel, body spray and vitamin supplements on his second home allowance. Lidington decided to repay the claims for the toiletries, saying: "I accept that many people would see them as over-generous."

Lidington was also criticised by local newspaper the Bucks Herald for claiming £115,891 in expenses in one year, almost double his salary.