Rob Wilson

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For other persons named Robert Wilson, see Robert Wilson (disambiguation).
Robert Wilson MP
Rob Wilson
Member of Parliament
for Reading East
Incumbent
Assumed office 
5 May 2005
Preceded by Jane Griffiths
Majority 475 (0.9%)
Born 4 January 1965 (1965-01-04) (age 43)
Oxfordshire
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Alma mater University of Reading
Profession Politician

Robert Wilson (born 4 January 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.

Contents

[edit] 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 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 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.

[edit] 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%.

General Election 2005
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rob Wilson 15,557 35.4 +3.4
Labour Tony Page 15,082 34.3 -10.5
Liberal Democrat Prof John Howson 10,619 24.2 +5.7
Green Rob White 1,548 3.5 +1.1
UK Independence 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 was successfully sued by Martin Salter MP, along with the then Conservative Party Chairman Liam Fox, for publishing a letter from the then Labour MP for Reading east, Jane Griffiths.libel.[1]

[edit] Related Pages

Conservative Party (UK)
Reading, Berkshire
Reading East (UK Parliament constituency)

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4368399.stm(retrieved 17 March 2008)

[edit] External links

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