Nicholas Winterton

Sir Nicholas Winterton MP
Nicholas Winterton (third from right) in 1990.
Member of Parliament for Macclesfield
Incumbent
Assumed office 30 September 1971
Preceded by	Arthur Vere Harvey
Majority	9,401 (20.6%)
Personal details
Born	(1938-03-31) 31 March 1938 Rugeley, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Ann Winterton
Military service
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1957–1959
Rank	Second Lieutenant
Unit	14th/20th King's Hussars

Sir Nicholas Raymond Winterton (born 31 March 1938) is a British politician. He is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Macclesfield, a position he has held since 1971. His wife, Ann, is also a MP, for the neighbouring Congleton constituency.

Early life

Winterton was born in Rugeley, Staffordshire and was educated at Bilton Grange, a prep school in Rugby, then Rugby School. He undertook his National Service from 1957–59 and was commissioned into the 14th/20th King's Hussars serving in Germany before leaving to work as a trainee sales executive with Shell-Mex and BP. In 1960, he became a Sales and General Manager of a construction machinery company, a job he retained until he was elected to Parliament. He served as a member of the West Midlands Conservative Council from 1967 to 1971 and was a Warwickshire County Councillor representing a coal mining and industrial division in North Warwickshire from 1967–72. In 1969 he contested a by-election in Newcastle-under-Lyme but was unsuccessful; he stood again for the same seat at the 1970 general election but again was unsuccessful.

Member of Parliament

Winterton was elected to the House of Commons at the third attempt, winning a by-election in Macclesfield in September 1971. He is considered a right-wing Tory, opposing the reduction of the age of consent for same-sex sexual relations to 16, the ban on fox hunting and supported Section 28. For some years he was a member of the Conservative Monday Club and as far back as 26 January 1981, he was the Guest-of-Honour at the Club's Africa Group Dinner at St Stephen's Club, Westminster, where Harold Soref was in the chair. He is also a signatory to the Freedom Association's Better Off Out campaign, opposing Britain's membership of the European Union. He wears a small badge in the design of the pound sterling symbol to signify his opposition to any plans for the Euro being adopted as the UK's national currency. He has never been promoted to a ministerial or shadow role.

He served as a member of the Social Services Select Committee between 1979 and 1990 and was then chairman of the Health Select Committee (1990–92). Winterton is currently the senior member of the Speaker's Panel of Chairmen. He is also currently a member of the Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons and a vice-chairman of the 1922 Committee. Winterton was one of the few MPs to ask a question[1] at Tony Blair's last Prime Minister's Questions, he demanded a referendum on the EU Reform Treaty to the groans, roars, and chuckles of the House. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in June 2002 for services to Parliament.

Expense Controversy

The Wintertons have been investigated by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner and he concluded that they misused their MPs' expenses to pay rent for a flat that they had already bought outright. Once the mortgage had been fully repaid, the Wintertons transferred the ownership of the flat into a family trust. Since 2002 they had paid the rent to their trust for living in the flat from their MPs' expenditure. The Wintertons had declared their intentions to the Commons' Fees Office.[2]

Interests

Winterton is involved in a wide range of organisations and interests. In his constituency he works with a number of musical, theatrical and charitable clubs as well as being President for several youth groups. Local charities he supports include the Macclesfield Access Group, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Riding for the Disabled, Macclesfield Handicapped Social Club and the Rossendale Trust. He is a vice president of the East Cheshire Hospice and a patron of the local branch of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. For 30 years he has been a patron of the Macclesfield & District Sheep Dog Trials Association. He also helps local organisations such as Age Concern and Macmillan Cancer Care and is an honorary member of the Macclesfield & District Lions Club. He is a supporter of Macclesfield Town F.C. and Macclesfield R.U.F.C..

Winterton is also actively involved with local Scouting and Guiding. He is a vice president of Cheshire Scout County and Macclesfield and Congleton District Scout Council. He is an ambassador for Guiding by Girlguiding UK. In recognition of his contribution to Scouting he has been awarded the Medal of Merit for Outstanding Services to the Scout Movement.

For 26 years he was on the The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme National Advisory Committee. He is an honorary Vice-President of the Royal College of Midwives and a freeman of the City of London. He is also a Past Upper Bailiff and Member of Court of the Worshipful Company of Weavers. As a result of many years supporting St John Ambulance Winterton is a Serving Brother of the Venerable Order of Saint John. He is also Patron, and Chairman, of The Zimbabwe-Rhodesia Relief Fund, a registered charity.

Personal life

Winterton married Ann Hodgson in 1960 in Sutton Coldfield. In the 1983 general election she became the Member of Parliament for Congleton, adjacent to Sir Nicholas' Macclesfield constituency. They have two sons, one daughter and seven grandchildren. In May 2002, Ann was sacked from her position as Shadow Rural Affairs Minister for telling a racist joke at a dinner at Congleton Rugby Club. Speaking to reporters about the incident, Winterton said: "Would you condemn your wife? I will not condemn my wife. Am I a racist? No. Is my wife a racist? No. If she offended anybody, she has apologised. I hope you will leave it at that."[3]

External links

• Conservative Party - Sir Nicholas Winterton MP official site
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Nicholas Winterton MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Nicholas Winterton MP
• IMDb
• Macclesfield Conservatives
• BBC Politics page