Trevor Skeet
Trevor Skeet | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for North Bedfordshire | |
| In office 1983-1997 | |
| Member of Parliament for Bedford | |
| In office 1970-1983 | |
| Member of Parliament for Willesden East | |
| In office 1959-1964 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 January 1918 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Died | 14 August 2004 (aged 86) |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Gilling (m. 1958; died 1973)Valerie Benson (m. 1985) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | King's College, Auckland University of Auckland |
| Military career | |
| Service | New Zealand Army New Zealand Navy |
| Wars | World War II |
Sir Trevor Herbert Harry Skeet (28 January 1918 – 14 August 2004) was a New Zealand-born lawyer and a British Conservative Party politician.
Early life
[edit]Skeet was born in Auckland, New Zealand and was educated at King's College, Auckland and the University of Auckland. He served with the New Zealand Army and Navy during World War II. He was a barrister and solicitor at the Supreme Court of New Zealand and was called to the English Bar in 1947 by Inner Temple. He was a member of the Council of the Royal Empire Society.
Political career
[edit]Skeet first stood for Parliament in Stoke Newington and Hackney North in 1951 and Llanelli in 1955. He was elected Member of Parliament for Willesden East in 1959, losing the seat in 1964. He was then MP for Bedford 1970-83 and North Bedfordshire 1983–97. Ahead of the 1992 election, he survived a deselection attempt by his constituency party. In the 1992-1997 Parliament, Skeet rebelled frequently against John Major's ailing government, on issues such as the Maastricht Treaty; Skeet was a staunch Eurosceptic.[1] Indeed, Skeet was one of only eight Conservative MPs who voted against Major's government more than 50 times.[2]
Personal life
[edit]Skeet was first married to Elizabeth Gilling from 1958 to her death in 1973, and had two sons with her. He then married Valerie Benson in 1985 (later Lady Valerie Skeet),[3] with whom he resided in Milton Ernest, Bedfordshire until his death. He was knighted in 1986.
References
[edit]- ^ https://www.academia.edu/10809077/Rebels_and_rebellions_Conservative_MPs_in_the_1992_Parliament,p.88. Retrieved 26 March 2019; https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1469555/Sir-Trevor-Skeet.html. Retrieved 26 March 2019
- ^ Cowley, Philip; Norton, Philip (1999). "Rebels and rebellions: Conservative MPS in the 1992 Parliament". The British Journal of Politics and International Relations. 1 (1): 84–105. doi:10.1111/1467-856X.00005. S2CID 145515253. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
- ^ "Sir Trevor Skeet". The Independent. 18 August 2004. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- Lambert, Max (1991). Who's Who in New Zealand (12th ed.). Reed, Auckland. p. 583. ISBN 0-7900-01306.
External links
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