Sir Edward Leigh | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2020 | |
| Father of the House | |
| Assumed office 5 July 2024 | |
| Speaker | Sir Lindsay Hoyle |
| Preceded by | Sir Peter Bottomley |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | |
| In office 2 November 1990 – 27 May 1993 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher John Major |
| Preceded by | John Redwood |
| Succeeded by | Neil Hamilton The Baroness Denton |
| Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee | |
| In office 7 June 2001 – 9 June 2010 | |
| Preceded by | David Davis |
| Succeeded by | Dame Margaret Hodge |
| Member of Parliament for Gainsborough Gainsborough and Horncastle (1983–1997) | |
| Assumed office 9 June 1983 | |
| Preceded by | Marcus Kimball |
| Majority | 3,532 (7.5%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Julian Egerton Leigh 20 July 1950 London, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse |
Mary Goodman (m. 1984) |
| Children | 6 |
| Residence(s) | Westminster, London Lincolnshire, England |
| Alma mater | University College, Durham |
| Profession | Barrister |
| Website | www.edwardleigh.org.uk |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Rank | Trooper |
| Unit | HAC |
Sir Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (born 20 July 1950) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gainsborough, previously Gainsborough and Horncastle, since 1983.[1] As the longest serving MP in Parliament, since 2024 Leigh is the incumbent Father of the House.[2]
Leigh has a reputation at Westminster for his independence of mind as a "serial rebeller",[3] who is prepared to vote against his own political party if it conflicts with his own principles.[4] He was one of the original Maastricht Rebels and was reportedly sacked for organising Euro-rebels among ministers.[4] In 2003 Leigh opposed military intervention in Iraq;[5] he has since called for those who voted for the Iraq War, and are still seeking to justify their support for it, to be held to account.[6]
He served as the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee from 2001 to 2010, investigating government waste and seeking value for money in public expenditure. Leigh stepped down at the end of the parliamentary session in 2010, it being customary for an opposition MP to hold this post.[7] Leigh was knighted in the Queen's 2013 Birthday Honours for "public and political service" and has been honoured by the French and Italian governments.
Leigh is a prominent Roman Catholic politician and a former[8] president of the Catholic Union of Great Britain. He has edited and authored three books: Right Thinking (1988); The Nation That Forgot God (2008);[9] and Monastery of the Mind (2012).[10]
- ^ "Rt Hon Sir Edward Leigh MP". Gainsborough Conservatives. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ www.sky.com
- ^ "David Cameron sparks MPs' protests in the Commons by sacking three 'serial' Tory rebels from Europe body". The Telegraph. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Sir Edward Leigh MP: After a weak Queen's Speech, we could lose the next election – unless we change course".
- ^ "Did your MP support the rebels?". The BBC. London, UK. 19 March 2003.
- ^ "On the Chilcot Report". Cornerstone. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ^ "Leigh to step down as head of PAC". FM World. 26 October 2009.
- ^ "Former Presidents". The Catholic Union of Great Britain. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Leigh, Edward (31 March 2008). Haydon, Alex (ed.). The Nation That Forgot God: A Book of Essays. London: Social Affairs Unit. ISBN 9781904863410.
- ^ Leigh, Sir Edward (31 July 2012). Monastery of the Mind: A Pilgrimage with St Ignatius. St Pauls Publishing. ISBN 9780854398133.