Mike Thornton | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Eastleigh | |
In office 28 February 2013 –30 March 2015 | |
Preceded by | Chris Huhne |
Succeeded by | Mims Davies |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael Douglas Thornton 1 May 1952 Farnham,Surrey,England |
Political party | Liberal Democrats |
Spouse | Peta Thornton |
Children | One daughter |
Alma mater | Charterhouse School Manchester Metropolitan University |
Michael Douglas Thornton [1] (born 1 May 1952) [2] is a British politician and former Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Eastleigh in Hampshire. He was elected at the Eastleigh by-election held on 28 February 2013,a seat which he lost at the 2015 general election.
The son of Sir Peter Eustace Thornton,Thornton grew up in Farnham in Surrey and was educated at Charterhouse School,before reading law at Manchester Polytechnic. He has had a range of jobs,including spells in the United States (his mother is from Tennessee). Thornton spent a significant period of time working in financial services.
He has lived in Bishopstoke,a part of Eastleigh borough,since 1994. [3] He has variously been a Bishopstoke parish councillor, [4] an Eastleigh borough councillor [5] and a Hampshire county councillor, [6] for wards within or containing Bishopstoke.
Following the resignation of the previous Liberal Democrat MP Chris Huhne,Thornton was chosen as their candidate at the 2013 Eastleigh by-election to replace him. This took place on 28 February 2013 and Thornton was declared the winner in the early hours of 1 March. [7]
In Parliament,Thornton joined the European Scrutiny Committee,the Work and Pensions Committee and the Bill committee for HS2, [8] which he argued "would benefit the country as a whole,not just the cities that link to it". [9]
His defeat at the 2015 general election was unexpected.[ citation needed ] Although he only defended a small numerical majority of 1,771,the Eastleigh constituency was otherwise a stronghold,with the Liberal Democrats holding almost every seat on the council for many years. During the 2013 by-election it had been reported that whilst the local Liberal Democrats commanded a vast database of supporters on the ground that enabled them to get their vote out,the local Tory organisation in the constituency was practically non-existent. Indeed,at the 2013 by-election,the Conservatives had been beaten into third place by UKIP.
Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire,England,between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh,with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census.
David William George Chidgey,Baron Chidgey was a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Eastleigh from 1994 to 2005,and latterly sat in the House of Lords from 2005 until his death.
The Borough of Eastleigh is a local government district with borough status in Hampshire,England. It is named after its main town of Eastleigh,where the council is based. The borough also contains the town of Hedge End along with several villages,many of which form part of the South Hampshire urban area.
Surrey Heath is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Michael Gove,a Conservative who has also been the Secretary of State for Levelling Up,Housing and Communities since October 2022. The Home counties suburban constituency is in the London commuter belt,on the outskirts of Greater London. Surrey Heath is in the north west of Surrey and borders the counties of Berkshire and Hampshire.
Winchester is a constituency in Hampshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Steve Brine,a Conservative.
Eastleigh is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Paul Holmes,a Conservative.
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