Young, George
Sir George Young MP is a member of parliament for the constituency of North West Hampshire, he is a member of the Conservative Party and has been in office since 1997.
Biography
George Young was born in 1941. He was educated at Eton; at Christ Church, Oxford, where he won an Open Exhibition; and at the University of Surrey where he got a postgraduate degree. After Oxford, George's first experience in politics was as a Councillor on the London Borough of Lambeth from 1968 to 1971 - along with Councillor John Major and Councillor Lady Young. In a landslide result, the Conservatibes won 57 out of the 60 seats on the council. George represented Clapham Town ward, and served on the Housing Committee. The previous policy of wide-scale clearance and subsequent construction of tower blocks was stopped, and the emphasis placed on rehabilitation. George also served on the Council for Community Relations.
While serving on that Council, the refuse collectors went on strike. Sir George and other Councillors worked as refuse collectors at week-ends, clearing the backlog, until the strikers went back to work on the terms on offer at the beginning of the strike and gave up the unhygienic practice of "totting". He and John Major lost their seats on the Council in 1971, when the newly elected Conservative Government was going through a difficult time. They were to meet again over the river at Westminster. By 1971, George had been elected to the Greater London Council as one of four Members for the London Borough of Ealing, and served on the GLC from 1970 and 1973. During that time he was Vice-Chairman of the Strategic Planning Authority, under Sir Desomnd Plummer's leadership, and worked on the Greater London Development Plan. He was later to become one of the local Government Ministers who abolished the GLC.
He did not contest his seat on the GLC in 1973, having been selected in October 1971 as the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the newly created constituency of Ealing Acton - comprising all the then Labour held seat of Acton, and part of the Conservative seat of Ealing South, which was abolished.
In 1972, George visited Acton's first Member of Parliament, Sir Harry Brittain, who represented the seat from 1918 to 1929.
Sir George was elected to Parliament in February 1974 with a majority of 1300, defeating the sitting Labour MP, Nigel Spearing. Nigel returned in a by-election a few weeks later in Newham, and the two remained good friends until Nigel retired in 1992. Sir George held the seat against the swing in the following election in October 1974 with a majority of 808. He was the sixth MP for Acton - then a key marginal - in 15 years, but held the seat for 23 years until it was abolished.
Political Career
Sir George was first elected Member of Parliament for North West Hampshire on 1st May 1997. First elected to Parliament in 1974, he had previously served as MP for Ealing Acton, a constituency that disappeared as a result of boundary changes in 1997, which reduced by 10 the numbers of MP's in London.
As Member for North West Hampshire, he became Shadow Leader of the House of Commons in William Hague's Shadow Cabinet, having been Shadow Defence Secretary from May 1997 until June 1998. In the June 1999 reshuffle, Sir George was given additional responsibilities as Spokesman on Constitutional Affairs. His earlier Ministerial career under Margaret Thatcher and John Major included spells at Health, Environment and Housing. He served as Financial Secretary to HM Treasury, 1994-1995 and as Secretary of State for Transport, 1995-1997. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in the June 1993 Birthday Honours.
In September 2000, Sir George resigned from the Shadow Cabinet to allow his name to go forward as a candidate for Speaker. In the new Parliament following the General Election of 2001, he was elected Chairman of the Select Committee on Standards and Privileges, a post to which he was again returned following the 2005 Election. Following the General Election in May 2010, Sir George was appointed Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal. In the September 2012 reshuffle, Sir George returned to the backbenches, from whence he was recalled in October 2012, to succeed Andrew Mitchell as Chief Whip.
Roles
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip (2012-)
- Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal (2010-12)
- Shadow Leader of the House of Commons (2009-10)
- Shadow Secretary of State (1999-00)
- Shadow Leader of the House of Commons (1998-00)
- Shadow Secretary of State for Defence (1997-98)
- Secretary of State for Transport (1995-97)
- Financial Secretary (HM Treasury) (1994-95)
- Minister (Department of Environment) (Housing) (1990-94)
- Comptroller (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons) (1990-90)
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Environment) (1981-86)
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Security) (1979-81)
