Simon Hughes

Profile

Simon Henry Ward Hughes, born 17 May, 1951, is a British politician and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats. He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark. Until recently he was President of the Liberal Democrats (the party president chairs a number of party committees and also represents the party at official functions).

Being one of its longest serving members, he is one of the most respected members of the Lib Dem parliamentary caucus[citation needed]. Hughes has twice run unsuccessfully for the leadership of the party and was its unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of London in the 2004 election.

Hughes was born in Cheshire, England and partly brought up in Wales. He was educated at The Cathedral School, Llandaff; Christ College, Brecon; Selwyn College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a 2:1 in Law; and the College of Europe in Bruges, where he earned a postgraduate Certificate of Advanced European Studies (equivalent to a Master’s degree). Hughes was called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1974. He moved to Bermondsey in 1981.

Hughes was first elected to Parliament in the Bermondsey by-election of 24 February 1983. The by-election was described by Gay News as “the dirtiest and most notorious by-election in British political history” because of the slurs against the character of the Labour candidate and gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell by various opposition campaigners.

The Liberal Campaign leaflet described the election as a “straight choice”, a standard campaigning slogan which was open to misinterpretation. Hughes won the seat with 57.7% of the vote. He apologised for the campaign in 2006, during the same few days revealing his own homosexual experiences, and confirming that he is bisexual after being outed by The Sun newspaper

The 2010 general election, held on 6 May 2010, resulted in the first hung parliament for 36 years – with the Tories having the most votes and seats but no party having an overall majority. On 11 May 2010, Labour Party leader and prime minister Gordon Brown announced his resignation and paved the way for David Cameron to become the new prime minister, with the Tories promptly forming a coalition with the Liberal Democrats.

Among the Liberal Democrat MPs to be given roles in the cabinet was the deputy party leader Vince Cable, who became Business Secretary and resigned from his role as deputy party leader.This paved the way for a deputy leadership election, with Hughes being declared the winner. He beat the only other candidate, Tim Farron, by 38–18.

Although the post is usually called “Deputy Leader”, strictly speaking the role is Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party in the House of Commons. The Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party in the House of Lords has its own leader and deputy leader.

Source: Wikipedia

Further Information:

• Guardian Summary
• BBC Summary