Chris Davies (Liberal Democrat politician)

For the Conservative politician elected in the 2015 UK General Election, see Christopher Davies (Conservative politician).
For other people named Chris Davies, see Chris Davies (disambiguation).
Chris Davies
Member of the European Parliament
for North West England
In office
10 June 1999 – 2 July 2014
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Julie Ward
Member of Parliament
for Littleborough and Saddleworth
In office
27 July 1995 – 1 May 1997
Preceded by Geoffrey Dickens
Succeeded by Position abolished
Personal details
Born (1954-07-07) 7 July 1954
Lytham St Annes, Lancashire
Nationality British
Political party Liberal Democrat
Residence Greenfield, Greater Manchester
Alma mater Cheadle Hulme School
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge

Christopher Graham Davies (born 7 July 1954) is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. He is a former Member of Parliament, and from 1999 until 2014 he was a Member of the European Parliament.

Biography

Davies was born in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire. His father was a doctor, and his mother a nurse. He was educated at the independent Cheadle Hulme School (1965–72), at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge (1972–75, reading history) and from 1975 to 1977 at the University of Kent, Canterbury.

Davies was a member of Liverpool City Council from 1980 to 1984, representing Abercromby ward and serving as Chairman of the Housing Committee. From 1994 to 1998 he was a councillor for Lees ward on Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council.[1]

He contested Liverpool Scotland Exchange in 1979, and then Littleborough and Saddleworth in 1987 and 1992. He became the MP for that seat after a by-election in 1995, but the seat was abolished by the time of the 1997 General Election. Davies contested Oldham East and Saddleworth at this election but lost to Phil Woolas of Labour.

He was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for the North West England constituency in 1999. He lost his seat in the 2014 European Elections.

In March 2014 he won a parliamentarian of the year award for his work to secure sustainable fishing through Fish for the Future.

Davies is a resident of Greenfield, in Saddleworth, Greater Manchester.[2][3]

Controversies

Due to controversy over the tone of a series of emails he exchanged with a pro-Israeli constituent, Davies was forced to resign as leader of the Liberal Democrats group in the European Parliament.[4] Davies served as the Liberal Democrat spokesman on the environment and public health in the European Parliament.

In 2008, Davies made some widely publicised comments on an unpublished report which, he claimed, contained evidence of "embezzlement and fraud" among EU parliament members.[5]

At the autumn 2009 Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth, Davies made a speech in a debate about the MP expenses scandal, where he appeared to become very angry, exclaiming "I hate, I hate the dirty cheating bastards who have taken every opportunity to fill their private pockets with public money.. .. they should play no part in public life". He went on the implore his Liberal Democrat colleagues to "Publish everything, reveal all, hide nothing.[6]

In December 2009 Davies appeared on The Politics Show North West alongside Nick Griffin on a debate regarding climate change and the then forthcoming 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, which both men were attending as part of the EU Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "About Chris". Chris Davies MEP. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "TV damages health, literally". The Oldham Advertiser. 2009-02-05: 11
  3. ↑ "Chris Davies". libdemmeps.eu. 2007. Retrieved 2009-02-05
  4. ↑ Hirsh, David. "Revenge of the Jewish lobby?", The Guardian, May 5, 2006.
  5. ↑ "MEP fraud claims to face scrutiny". BBC News. 2008-02-21. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
  6. ↑ “” (2009-09-21). "Lib Dem expenses rant". YouTube. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
  7. ↑ Video on YouTube

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Geoffrey Dickens		 Member of Parliament for Littleborough and Saddleworth
1995–1997 		Constituency abolished
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