Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith (born 1954) is the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.[1] He is the Conservative MP for Chingford and Woodford Green.[2]
He was leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to November 2003. He lost a vote of confidence in October 2003 year and stepped down eight days later, with Michael Howard taking up the post.
CV Inaccuracies
A Newsnight investigation in December 2002 found that Iain Duncan Smith's CV contained 'inaccurate and misleading' claims about his education. The investigation found that Iain Duncan Smith's biography on the Conservative Party website, his entry in Who's Who, and various other places, stated that he went to the Universita di Perugia in Italy. It transpired instead that he had attended the Universita per Stranieri, which is also in Perugia, however the University did not award degrees when Duncan Smith attended in 1973. When challenged by Newsnight, Duncan Smith's office confirmed that he 'didn't get any qualifications in Perugia or even finish his exams'.[3]
The first line of Ian Duncan Smith's biography on the Conservative Party website claimed that he was 'educated at Dunchurch College of Management'. Dunchurch was the former staff college for GEC Marconi, where he worked in the 1980's, again Duncan Smith's office confirmed to Newsnight that 'he did not get any qualifications there either, but that he completed six separate courses lasting a few days each, adding up to about a month in total'. John Garside, a former Dunchurch tutor, told the Newsnight investigation team 'I'm puzzled, flattered, but puzzled. What we did was offer short courses... it was not a continuous form of education by any means.'[4]
Iraq
Iain Duncan Smith supported the launching of a pre-emptive attack on Iraq, prior to the 2003 invasion, because he argued 'It is now time for the prime minister to explain to the British people what he already knows - that Iraq is a clear and growing danger to Britain.'[5]
Personal Wealth
The Liberal/Conservative coalition government of 2010 has been described as a 'coalition of millionaires' because 23 of its 29 MP's who are entitled to attend Cabinet meetings have assets and investments estimated to be worth more than £1million. Iain Duncan Smith is one of the 23 millionaires[6]
Affiliations
Centre for Social Justice - chairman, Social Justice Scotland - says it is inspired by Iain Duncan Smith's work[7], GEC Marconi - Former Employee, Conservative Party
Resources
- Chris Blackhurst, The contradictory world of Iain Duncan Smith, Independent, 9 October 2001.
- BBC News, Tory leader's education under scrutiny, BBC News, 19 December 2002, Accessed 13-May-2010
- BBC News, Newsnight reveals inaccuracies in Iain Duncan Smith's CV, BBC Press Office, 19 December 2002, Accessed 13-May-2010
- Andrew Sparrow and Benedict Brogan, Aide's email warning of risk to IDS triggered investigation, Daily Telegraph 13 October 2003, Accessed 13-May-2010
- Paul Lewis, Ministers consider scheme to hand out food vouchers to unemployed, The Guardian, 2-July-2010, Accessed 3-July-2010</ref>
- Melissa Kite, Coalition to tell unemployed to 'get on your bike', The Telegraph, 26-June-2010, Accessed 03-July-2010
- James Meikle and Patrick Wintour, Iain Duncan Smith issues stark benefits system warning, The Guardian, 30-July-2010
Notes
- ↑ Her Majesty’s Government, Number10.gov.uk, accessed 12 May 2010.
- ↑ Local News, Iain Duncan Smith website, accessed 19 Nov 2009
- ↑ BBC Newsnight, Newsnight reveals inaccuracies in Iain Duncan Smith's CV, BBC News, Accessed 10-January-2010
- ↑ BBC Newsnight, Newsnight reveals inaccuracies in Iain Duncan Smith's CV, BBC News, Accessed 10-January-2010
- ↑ BBC News, Iraq 'growing threat to Britain', BBC News, 1-September-2002
- ↑ Glen Owen, The coalition of millionaires: 23 of the 29 member of the new cabinet are worth more than £1m... and the Lib Dems are just as wealthy as the Tories, The Daily Mail, 23-May-2010, Accessed 03-July-2010
- ↑ Home page, Social Justice Scotland website, accessed 19 Nov 2009
