Who's on the new Lib Dem front bench?

Friday, 9 January 2009 12:01 AM

By Laura Miller

Simon Hughes (energy and climate change spokesman)

Hughes has significant experience with environmental issues. From 1983 to 1988 he was environment spokesman for the SDP-Liberal Alliance, and then again in 1994 for the newly formed Liberal Democrats.

A former candidate for the 2006 Lib Dem leadership, Hughes' entry into parliament in 1983 as MP for North Southwark and Bermondsey was mired by mudslinging by opposition parties at Labour candidate and prominent gay rights activist Peter Tatchell.

Hughes revealed his own bi-sexuality in 2006.

An outspoken campaigner for human rights, Hughes describes his proudest achievement in parliament: "A young man called Jamie Robe was kicked to death in Rotherhithe in August 1998. Using my community links I helped break the wall of silence, encourage witnesses to give evidence, and secure convictions."

Outside politics, Hughes is a supporter of Millwall football club, which is based in his constituency, is an active Christian and once appeared in a dance troupe on Top of the Pops.

Steve Webb (work and pensions spokesman)

Webb is tried and tested in the area of work and pensions. He was lead spokesman for the Liberal Democrats on the subject from 2001 to 2005, having worked there since 1999.

A technophile, Webb runs an award-winning website, for which has enjoyed the added honour of being commended by the New Statesmen.

He voted strongly for the introduction of the nationwide smoking ban, and is fervently opposed to Labour's anti-terrorism laws and ID cards.

Previous jobs have included working at the Institute for Fiscal Studies in London, where he specialised in researching into poverty, taxes and benefits. In 1995, he became a professor of social policy at the University of Bath.

Webb, who is also a member of the cross-party Christians in parliament and vice-president of the Liberal Democrat christian forum, is married to Helen Edwards, previously a curate at his local church in Clapham.

David Heath (Lib Dem leader of the House)

Heath was a practising optician for seventeen years from 1979, before becoming a parliamentary consultant to the World Wide Fund for Nature in 1990, and joining Age Concern in the same capacity in 1991.

His claim to fame is that at 31 he was the youngest ever leader of a county council, in Somerset, from 1985 to 1989.

Lack of experience will not be an issue for Heath; there are few parliamentary committees or departments he hasn't worked on.

He is also not afraid to follow his own judgment. In March 2008 he was one of three Liberal Democrat spokesmen to defy the party whip and vote in favour of a referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon, for which he rewarded by being sacked from his frontbench role.

Jenny Willott (Lib Dem chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

A graduate of the London School of Economics (LSE), Willott has since dedicated much of her time to working in various charitable fields, including working for OXFAM, for a women's organisation in Northern India, and until recently as the Head of Victim Support South Wales, based in Cardiff.

After achieving a small triumph for her party in the 2001 general election when she stood in Cardiff Central and reduced the Labour majority from nearly 8,000 to 659, she went on to break a history of male dominance over the seat by becoming its first ever female MP in 2005.

In parliament she has worked on a swathe of local issues including campaigning against the Council Tax and tuition fees and for fair pensions for former Allied Steel and Wire workers.
She has also campaigned hard for the government to invest more in improved energy efficiency and renewable sources of energy.

Willott lists her interests as crime, music, human rights, reading, social justice, the Third World, acting and traveling.

David Howarth (justice spokesman)

Howarth has a good grounding in the ways of the law; he was lecturer in Law and Economics at the University of Cambridge between 1988 and 2005.

Howarth's voting record since 2001 has seen him oppose all of the more draconian Labour measures to tackle crime.

"There are grave dangers in legislating too quickly. Knee-jerk legislation is one of British politics' besetting sins, especially in the area of criminal justice. The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 are just two examples", he told parliament in July 2008.

His vociferous parliament performances were recognised in 2006 when he was shortlisted for the House Magazine's 'Backbencher of the Year award'. The citation read: "Brought MPs' attention to the 'hidden' effects of the legislative and regulatory reform bill".

Howarth is a member of Friends of the Earth and Amnesty International, and enjoys watching football and opera.

Should he have any queries in his new post he could always ask wife Edna; she's the magistrate who sentenced Stephen Fry for speeding.

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