Tim_Yeo

Tim Yeo

Timothy Stephen Kenneth Yeo (born 20 March 1945 in Lewisham) is a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for South Suffolk and the current Chairman of the Environmental Audit Select Committee.

Early life

He was educated at Charterhouse School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he gained an MA in History in 1968.

From 1970-3, he was assistant treasurer of Bankers Trust Company, then from 1975-86, he was Director of Worcester Engineering Company. From 1980-3, he was Chief Executive of the Spastics Society (now called Scope).

Yeo is chairman of Univent plc, a paid director of Genus plc, and non-executive chairman of Eco City Vehicles plc.

He writes articles for Golf Weekly and Country Life magazines, and occasionally the Financial Times.

Parliamentary career

He contested Bedwelty in the February 1974 General Election. He has been MP for South Suffolk since 1983, and became PPS to Douglas Hurd in 1988. In 1992, he was appointed Minister for the Environment and Countyside in John Major's government, but was forced to resign after a scandal involving his so-called 'love child' with a Tory councillor, Julia Stent, who was born on 8th July 1993 — in the midst of the Government's 'Back to Basics' campaign and Yeo's own public support for the institution of marriage. The story broke on Boxing Day during a quiet news period and intense coverage was given to the scandal. Yeo resigned on 5 January 1994.

In Opposition

After the Conservative landslide defeat in the 1997 General Election, new leader William Hague appointed him spokesman on Environment, Transport and the Regions. Yeo was a member of the shadow cabinet under Iain Duncan Smith as shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and in 2003 was made Michael Howard's shadow Education and Health Secretary, holding two positions with responsibility for both schools and hospitals. In 2004 he moved to Environment and Transport. During this period, his Chief of Staff was Nick Hurd, son of Douglas Hurd and since the 2005 general election the MP for Ruislip-Northwood.

He resigned from the shadow cabinet shortly after the 2005 election, saying he wished to be free to play a role in rethinking the Conservative party's future. On 27 August Yeo ruled himself out of the ensuing Conservative leadership election following Howard's resignation as party leader, announcing his backing for former Chancellor of the Exchequer Kenneth Clarke. The contest was won by the Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills, David Cameron).