David Laws
David Laws is the former UK chief secretary to the treasury.[1] Laws was appointed minister of state for schools in the Department for Education and minister of state in the Cabinet Office in September 2012. He is also the Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil, Somerset.[2]
Contents
Background
Laws was born in 1965 in Surrey. He was educated at St. George’s College, Weybridge before attending Kings College Cambridge where he received a double first in economics.[3]
He was a vice-president of J.P Morgan & Co from 1987 to 1994, and a Managing Director of Barclays de Zoete Wedd from 1992 to 1994.[4]
He was an economic adviser to the Liberal Democrats from 1994 to 1997, and director of policy and research from 1997 to 1999.[5]
He was elected MP for Yeovil in 2001, succeeding Paddy Ashdown. Laws was appointed Lib Dem Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2002.[6]
In 2004, Laws co-edited The Orange Book with Paul Marshall.[7]
On 7 September 2004, Laws hosted a dinner for PR company Edelman at the House of Commons.[8]
Following his re-election in 2005, Laws was promoted to Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. In June 2007 he was appointed Lib Dem Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.[9]
At the General Election in May 2010, David became Chief Secretary to the Treasury as part of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition Government.[10]
On 28 May 2010, the Daily Telegraph revealed that he had been claiming expenses on rent paid to his partner, James Lundie in a possible breach of expenses rules.[11] Laws resigned the following day.[12]
Some Liberal Democrat bloggers suggested that the Telegraph had outed Laws because of its campaign against a proposed increase in Capital Gains Tax.[13]
Special Advisers
- Julian Astle -July 2014. Julian Astle is best known for his work with the Centre Forum think tank, which he ran from 2005-2011. He worked as Paddy Ashdown political advisor in his last two years as party leader and during his time in Bosnia (2002 - 2005) alongside David Cameron's Chief of Staff Ed Llewellyn. [14]
Affiliations
- JP Morgan & Co - former vice-president
- Barclays de Zoete Wedd - former managing director
- CentreForum - Management Board
- Stanhope Capital LLP - Member of the Investment Committee
Connections
- James Lundie - partner
External Resources
- George Parker, Not above the law, FT.com, 17 June 2011.
Notes
- ↑ Her Majesty’s Government, Number10.gov.uk, accessed 12 May 2010.
- ↑ The Rt Hon David Laws MP, GOV.UK, accessed 17 September 2014.
- ↑ Biography, Yeovil Liberal Democrats, 16 May 2010.
- ↑ The Rt Hon David Laws, MP , Debretts.com, 16 May 2010.
- ↑ The Rt Hon David Laws, MP , Debretts.com, 16 May 2010.
- ↑ Chief Secretary to the Treasury: Rt Hon David Laws MP, HM Treasury, 16 May 2010.
- ↑ George Osborne's Treasury team - the power behind the coalition government, telegraph.co.uk, 13 May 2010.
- ↑ House of Commons Banqueting Office Function List 1 April 2004 to 30 September 2009 (pdf), accessed 29 May 2010.
- ↑ Chief Secretary to the Treasury: Rt Hon David Laws MP, HM Treasury, 16 May 2010.
- ↑ Chief Secretary to the Treasury: Rt Hon David Laws MP, HM Treasury, 16 May 2010.
- ↑ Holly Watt and Robert Winnett, MPs' Expenses: Treasury chief David Laws, his secret lover and a £40,000 claim, telegraph.co.uk, 28 May 2010.
- ↑ Treasury Minister David Laws resigns over expenses, BBC News, 29 May 2010.
- ↑ Sara Bedford, Sexuality, sickening hypocrisy and CGT, Always win when you're singing, 29 May 2010.
- ↑ Top 50 most influential Liberal Democrats 2011: 26-50 The Telegraph, 18.09.2011, accessed 2 October 2014
