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Revision as of 11:12, 29 January 2008 by 163.1.214.243 (talk) (→2005 Election)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) For other people named Robert Wilson, see Robert Wilson (disambiguation).| Robert WilsonMP | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Reading East | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office May 5 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Jane Griffiths |
| Majority | 475 (0.9%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1965-01-04) January 4, 1965 (age 60) Oxfordshire |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | University of Reading |
| Profession | Politician |
Robert Wilson (born January 4, 1965 in south Oxfordshire) is a United Kingdom politician and entrepreneur. He was elected Conservative Member of Parliament for the Reading East parliamentary constituency in the 2005 general election.
Biography
Wilson was born and brought up in south Oxfordshire and moved to Reading in 1984. Between 1984 and 1988 he attended Reading University, the final year of which he spent as the President of the Reading University Students' Union. After leaving university he unsuccessfully stood as an SDP candidate for election in Redlands Ward/Electoral Division to Reading Borough Council in 1988 and Berkshire County Council in 1989.
He had more success after he joined the Conservatives, and was elected for Thames Ward of Reading Borough Council in 1992, serving until 1996. In 2003 he was elected to serve in Caversham Ward, and in June 2004 was again elected for Thames. Following his successful election as Member of Parliament for Reading East, he stood down from Reading Borough Council in May 2006.
Wilson was selected as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Reading East using a pioneering primary system, which opened the selection to non-party members for the first time. At the May 2005 General Election he faced the Labour candidate and Councillor, Tony Page. Page had replaced sitting MP, Labour's Jane Griffiths, who had been de-selected by her party.
2005 Election
Wilson won 15,557 votes (35.4%) of the vote against Page's 15,082 votes (34.3%). The Conservative share of the vote increased by 3.4%.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Rob Wilson | 15,557 | 35.4 | +3.4 | |
| Labour | Tony Page | 15,082 | 34.3 | −10.5 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Prof John Howson | 10,619 | 24.2 | +5.7 | |
| Green | Rob White | 1,548 | 3.5 | +1.1 | |
| UKIP | David Lamb | 849 | 1.9 | +0.7 | |
| Independent | Jan Lloyd | 135 | 0.3 | +0.3 | |
| Independent | Rex Hora | 122 | 0.3 | +0.3 | |
| Majority | 475 | 1.1 | |||
| Turnout | 43,912 | 60.3 | +1.9 | ||
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | 6.9 | |||
| Source BBC (2005) | |||||
Since his election Wilson has been appointed to the Education and Skills Select Committee and played a role in the Education and Inspections Bill and issues such as Special Educational Needs.
In July 2007 Wilson was promoted to the Conservative frontbench as Shadow Higher Education Minister replacing Boris Johnson.
Wilson is currently running a campaign against the carrying of knives in conjunction with the local daily paper and victims families and he has been very active in campaigning on local Transport issues, including the upgrading of Reading railway station and the extension of the Crossrail project to Reading.
He has also run into controversy after being being successfully sued by Martin Salter MP for libel.
Related Pages
Conservative Party (UK)
Reading, Berkshire
Reading East (UK Parliament constituency)
External links
- Rob Wilson MP
- Reading East Conservatives - Rob Wilson MP
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Rob Wilson MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Robert Wilson MP
- BBC MP Profile
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