Peter Landreth Atkinson

Biography

Peter Atkinson stood down as MP for Hexham in May 2010.

Peter has been MP for Hexham since 1992. He is married to Brione and they have two grown up daughters. The family live in the North Tyne Valley in Northumberland.

Peter was born in Northumberland in 1943 and was educated at Cheltenham College. On leaving school he became a journalist working on various local newspapers and news agencies, until he joined the Newcastle Journal in November 1968. He left to work in London on the Evening Standard as a reporter, eventually becoming News Editor. In 1982 he left to join a former colleague who had started a free newspaper in London and saw the company grow to fifteen titles. He left to become Deputy Director of the British Field Sports Society with responsibility for political and public affairs.

Peter Atkinson's political career began in 1978 when he was elected to Wandsworth Council, SW London, where he became a committee chairman and was one of the five councillors subsequently elected as Conservative MPs.

He left the Council in 1982 and became a member of Wandsworth Health Authority (1982-88)and later became a Suffolk County Councillor (1989-1992), until his election as MP for Hexham. Peter was elected MP for Hexham in April 1992.

In 2005 Peter was appointed to the Speaker's Panel of Chairmen. The Speaker appoints a number of senior members to what is known as his chairmen's panel. Peter's main job is to chair standing committees on bills, statutory instruments debated in committee, some debates in Westminster Hall and occasional bills which are taken in committee on the floor of the House of Commons. The chairman has a responsibility for the good conduct of debate and to ensure that rules and courtesies of the House are maintained. If you are appointed chairman you are supposed to be neutral on the issue and therefore after your appointment you do not vote on anything connected with it. Chairing a bill which results in many votes at report stage will impact on your voting record. Previously Peter was a member of the whips' team and between 1992-97 held a number of junior ministerial posts.

He is Vice-Chairman of the All Party Racing and Bloodstock Committee and Secretary of the All Party Forestry Committee. He is also the chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for English Beef and Lamb.

Peter Atkinson maintains a strong interest in countryside and agricultural matters and enjoys shooting and racing.

Constituency

Hexham

Twitter

Constituency Address

Meal Market, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 1NF

Constituency Tel

01434 603954

Date of Birth

19 January 1943

Email

mcardlej@parliament.uk

Party

Conservative

Personal Website

http://www.peteratkinson.com/

Westminster Address

House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA

Westminster Tel

0207 2194013