Jump to content

Peter Skinner: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
 
(30 intermediate revisions by 22 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Use British English|date=February 2014}}
{{short description|British Labour politician}}
⚫
{{Use British English|date=October 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox MEP
{{Infobox MEP
| honorific-prefix =
| honorific-prefix =
Line 5: Line 7:
| party = [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| party = [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| image = Skinner, Peter-9999.jpg
| image = Skinner, Peter-9999.jpg
| caption = Skinner in 2014
| constituency_MP = [[South_East_England_(European_Parliament_constituency)|South East England]]
| constituency_MP = [[South East England (European Parliament constituency)|South East England]]
| term_start = 10 June 1999
| term_start = 10 June 1999
| term_end = 2 July 2014
| term_end = 2 July 2014
Line 11: Line 14:
| predecessor = ''Position established''
| predecessor = ''Position established''
| successor = [[Anneliese Dodds]]
| successor = [[Anneliese Dodds]]
| office1 = [[Member of the European Parliament]] <br>for [[Kent_West_(European_Parliament_constituency)|Kent West]]
| office1 = [[Member of the European Parliament]] <br />for [[Kent West (European Parliament constituency)|Kent West]]
| term_start1 = 9 June 1994
| term_start1 = 9 June 1994
| term_end1 = 10 June 1999
| term_end1 = 10 June 1999
Line 25: Line 28:
| children =
| children =
| residence = [[United Kingdom]]
| residence = [[United Kingdom]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Bradford]]<br>[[University of Warwick]]<br>[[University of Greenwich]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Bradford]]<br />[[University of Warwick]]<br />[[University of Greenwich]]
| occupation =
| occupation =
| profession = Politician
| profession = Politician
| website =
| website =
}}'''Peter William Skinner''' (born 1 June 1959 in [[Oxford]]) is a former [[Member of the European Parliament]] for the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] for [[South East England (European Parliament constituency)|South East England]], and convicted fraudster. He was a member of the [[European Parliament]] from 1994 until 2014, representing the [[Kent West (European Parliament constituency)|Kent West]] constituency and then from 1999 South East England, after the reforms in European Elections created multi-member constituencies based on British regions. On 31 March 2016, Skinner was found guilty of fraudulently claiming almost £500,000 in expenses whilst an MEP,<ref name=BBC35934342/> and subsequently jailed for 4 years.<ref name=BBC36167299/>
}}'''Peter William Skinner''' (born 1 June 1959 in [[Oxford]]) is a British former [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] politician. He was a [[Member of the European Parliament]] (MEP) from 1994 until 2014, first for the [[Kent West (European Parliament constituency)|Kent West]] constituency from 1994 to 1999, and then from 1999 for [[South East England (European Parliament constituency)|South East England]], after the reforms in European Elections created multi-member constituencies based on British regions. On 31 March 2016, Skinner was found guilty of fraudulently claiming expenses whilst an MEP,<ref name=BBC35934342/> and subsequently jailed for 4 years.<ref name=BBC36167299/>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Line 37: Line 40:
| authorlink =
| authorlink =
| title = Peter Skinner MEP - Biography
| title = Peter Skinner MEP - Biography
| work =
| publisher =
| publisher =
| date =
| date =
Line 49: Line 51:


==Member of the European Parliament==
==Member of the European Parliament==
In 1994, Skinner was elected to the [[European Parliament]] as the [[Member of the European Parliament]] (MEP) for [[Kent West (European Parliament constituency)|Kent West]], a political constituency within England. In 1999, he was elected again to the European Parliament, as an MEP for the [[South East England (European Parliament constituency)|South East of England Region]].<ref name=PSMEP/> He was re-elected in 2004 and 2009, before standing down at the [[European Parliament election, 2014 (United Kingdom)|2014 European Parliament election]]. He was succeeded by [[Anneliese Dodds]].
In 1994, Skinner was elected to the [[European Parliament]] as the [[Member of the European Parliament]] (MEP) for [[Kent West (European Parliament constituency)|Kent West]], a political constituency within England. In 1999, he was elected again to the European Parliament, as an MEP for the [[South East England (European Parliament constituency)|South East of England Region]].<ref name=PSMEP/> He was re-elected in 2004 and 2009, before standing down at the [[2014 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|2014 European Parliament election]]. He was succeeded by [[Anneliese Dodds]].


==Expenses fraud and conviction==
==Expenses fraud and conviction==
In 2015, Skinner was charged with: two counts of making a false instrument; one count of fraud; and one count of false accounting between 2004 and 2009. In his subsequent trial at [[Southwark Crown Court]], the jury heard that he had claimed almost £500,000 for support staff over a five-year period, which actually funded visits to hotels and restaurants, and the purchase of jewellery. In evidence, it was claimed that Skinner had made payments of £10,000 a month to his wife from December 2007 until July 2009, which entitled him to claim secretarial or parliamentary assistance allowance. He also created a fake letter, claiming his father was working for him, to justify his payments of £5,000 every three months. In his defence, Skinner claimed he had been confused over the rules, and blamed a lack of information given to him by the European Parliament. On 31 March 2016, Skinner was found guilty of: one count of making a false instrument; one count of fraud; and one count of false accounting.<ref name=BBC35934342>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35934342</ref> Warned that he would face a prison sentence, on 29 April 2016 he was jailed for 4 years.<ref name=BBC36167299>{{cite web|title=Ex-MEP Peter Skinner jailed for expenses fraud|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-36167299|website=[[BBC News]]|accessdate=29 April 2016}}</ref>
In 2015, Skinner was charged with: two counts of making a false instrument; one count of fraud; and one count of false accounting between 2004 and 2009. In his subsequent trial at [[Southwark Crown Court]], the jury heard that he had claimed almost £500,000 for support staff over a five-year period. In evidence, it was alleged that Skinner had made payments of £10,000 a month to his wife from December 2007 until July 2009, which entitled him to claim secretarial or parliamentary assistance allowance. It is also alleged that he created a fake letter, for a payment of £5000 for work conducted by his father. In his defence, Skinner claimed he had been confused over the rules, and blamed a lack of information given to him by the European Parliament. On 31 March 2016, Skinner was found guilty of: one count of making a false instrument; one count of fraud; and one count of false accounting.<ref name=BBC35934342>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-35934342|title=Expenses fraud MEP facing jail sentence|work=BBC News |date=31 March 2016}}</ref> Warned that he would face a prison sentence, on 29 April 2016 he was jailed for 4 years.<ref name=BBC36167299>{{cite news|title=Ex-MEP Peter Skinner jailed for expenses fraud|work=BBC News |date=29 April 2016 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-36167299|accessdate=29 April 2016}}</ref>


==Footnotes==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


Line 60: Line 62:
*[http://www.peterskinnermep.eu/ Official website]
*[http://www.peterskinnermep.eu/ Official website]
*[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/members/public/yourMep/view.do?name=skinner&partNumber=1&language=EN&id=2081 European Parliament website entry]
*[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/members/public/yourMep/view.do?name=skinner&partNumber=1&language=EN&id=2081 European Parliament website entry]
* http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/skinner_-_mep.pdf
* [http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/skinner_-_mep.pdf ]

⚫
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2010}}


{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, Peter}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, Peter}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:1959 births]]
Line 70: Line 71:
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Warwick]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Warwick]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Greenwich]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Greenwich]]
[[Category:Labour Party (UK) politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the European Parliament for English constituencies]]
[[Category:Labour Party (UK) MEPs]]
[[Category:Labour Party (UK) MEPs]]
[[Category:MEPs for the United Kingdom 1999–2004]]
[[Category:MEPs for England 1999–2004]]
[[Category:MEPs for the United Kingdom 2004–09]]
[[Category:MEPs for England 2004–2009]]
[[Category:MEPs for the United Kingdom 2009–14]]
[[Category:MEPs for England 2009–2014]]
[[Category:Politicians from Oxford]]
[[Category:English fraudsters]]
[[Category:English fraudsters]]
[[Category:English prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:English prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:British politicians convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:British politicians convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:Alumni of Coventry University]]

Latest revision as of 04:43, 27 July 2023

Peter Skinner
Skinner in 2014
Member of the European Parliament
for South East England
In office
10 June 1999 – 2 July 2014
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAnneliese Dodds
Member of the European Parliament
for Kent West
In office
9 June 1994 – 10 June 1999
Preceded byBen Patterson
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born (1959-06-01) 1 June 1959 (age 65)
Oxford, England
Political partyLabour
ResidenceUnited Kingdom
Alma materUniversity of Bradford
University of Warwick
University of Greenwich
ProfessionPolitician

Peter William Skinner (born 1 June 1959 in Oxford) is a British former Labour Party politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1994 until 2014, first for the Kent West constituency from 1994 to 1999, and then from 1999 for South East England, after the reforms in European Elections created multi-member constituencies based on British regions. On 31 March 2016, Skinner was found guilty of fraudulently claiming expenses whilst an MEP,[1] and subsequently jailed for 4 years.[2]

Early life

[edit]

Peter Skinner was born in Oxford on 1 June 1959. Educated at St. Josephs R.C. Secondary Modern School in Orpington, Kent, he attended Bradford University between 1979 and 1982 where he attained a BSc in Economics and Politics. Between 1986-7 he undertook a post-graduate course in Industrial Relations at the University of Warwick, and in 1991 completed a post-graduate Diploma in Education at Coventry University. Skinner has also gained a professional qualification in Management from the University of Greenwich.[3]

Professional career

[edit]

Skinner was a press consultant and latterly a lecturer in Economics and Business at North West Kent College of Technology and University of Greenwich before being elected to the European Parliament.[3]

Member of the European Parliament

[edit]

In 1994, Skinner was elected to the European Parliament as the Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Kent West, a political constituency within England. In 1999, he was elected again to the European Parliament, as an MEP for the South East of England Region.[3] He was re-elected in 2004 and 2009, before standing down at the 2014 European Parliament election. He was succeeded by Anneliese Dodds.

Expenses fraud and conviction

[edit]

In 2015, Skinner was charged with: two counts of making a false instrument; one count of fraud; and one count of false accounting between 2004 and 2009. In his subsequent trial at Southwark Crown Court, the jury heard that he had claimed almost £500,000 for support staff over a five-year period. In evidence, it was alleged that Skinner had made payments of £10,000 a month to his wife from December 2007 until July 2009, which entitled him to claim secretarial or parliamentary assistance allowance. It is also alleged that he created a fake letter, for a payment of £5000 for work conducted by his father. In his defence, Skinner claimed he had been confused over the rules, and blamed a lack of information given to him by the European Parliament. On 31 March 2016, Skinner was found guilty of: one count of making a false instrument; one count of fraud; and one count of false accounting.[1] Warned that he would face a prison sentence, on 29 April 2016 he was jailed for 4 years.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Expenses fraud MEP facing jail sentence". BBC News. 31 March 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Ex-MEP Peter Skinner jailed for expenses fraud". BBC News. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Peter Skinner MEP - Biography".
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Peter_Skinner&oldid=1167338409"