32 Facts About Derek Conway

Derek Leslie Conway TD was born on 15 February 1953 and is an English politician and television presenter.

Derek Conway is currently a presenter of Epilogue, a book review programme on Press TV, an English-language international television news channel funded by the Iranian government.

In January 2008, Derek Conway announced that he would stand down at the next general election after a Commons standards committee found that he had employed his son Freddie, a full-time student at Newcastle University, as a political researcher using public funds, despite there being no record of his son doing any work at Westminster.

Derek Conway received considerable criticism from the press concerning the misuse of funds.

Derek Conway was born in Gateshead and was educated at Beacon Hill Comprehensive School in the town, Gateshead Technical College, and Newcastle upon Tyne Polytechnic.

In 1974, at the age of 21, Derek Conway was elected as a councillor of the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead council.

Derek Conway stepped down from the county council in 1983, when he was elected to Westminster.

At the 1979 general election Derek Conway contested the more marginal seat of Newcastle upon Tyne East and was again defeated, this time by Labour's Mike Thomas and by 6,176 votes.

Derek Conway was first elected to parliament for Shrewsbury and Atcham at the 1983 general election, following the retirement of the long serving Conservative member for Shrewsbury, John Langford-Holt, securing a majority of 8,624.

In 1985, Derek Conway became a member of the Agriculture Select committee, and after the 1987 general election he joined the Transport Select Committee.

In 1993 Derek Conway was promoted by John Major to serve as an Assistant Government Whip, the next year becoming a Lord Commissioner to the Treasury, or 'full whip'.

Derek Conway was again promoted within the Whips' Office when he became the Vice Chamberlain of HM Household in 1996.

Derek Conway held the Shrewsbury and Atcham seat until he was defeated at the 1997 general election, when the Conservative Party nationally lost more than half of the seats it had held before the election.

Derek Conway was beaten by Labour's Paul Marsden, whose majority was 1,670.

Derek Conway died of pancreatic cancer,' he [Conway] says, and then adds in the most chilling tone, 'I hear it's the most painful of deaths.

Derek Conway was out of the Commons until the general election, 2001 when he was elected as the member of parliament for the south London seat of Old Bexley and Sidcup, previously held by the former Prime Minister and Father of the House of Commons, Edward Heath.

Derek Conway retained the seat with a majority of 3,345 in 2005.

Derek Conway is a Eurosceptic, and supports the return of capital punishment.

Derek Conway employed his son Freddie as a part-time researcher, while Freddie was on a full-time degree course at the University of Newcastle.

Derek Conway was reported to the Committee on Standards and Privileges by former Metropolitan Police Inspector Michael Barnbrook, who had stood against him in the 2005 general election as a UKIP candidate.

However, in a subsequent interview with the Mail on Sunday, Derek Conway disputed the allegation that Freddie Conway had rarely travelled from Newcastle to Westminster, instead stating that Freddie "would go up and down like a fiddler's elbow".

The ruling did not involve the elder son, Henry Derek Conway, as he was not the subject of the original complaint, but John Lyon, who had recently taken on the post of Parliamentary commissioner for standards, received complaints about similar payments to Henry while he was a student and doing the "job" which Freddie took over.

On 2 February 2009, Derek Conway apologised in the House of Commons.

Derek Conway told the Commons he accepted "without any reservation" that he had breached the rules of the House.

Derek Conway withdrew comments made previously in which he accused Labour of using his story to deflect attention from the row over money paid to peers.

In May 2009 as part of its Disclosure of expenses of British Members of Parliament, the Sunday Telegraph revealed that Derek Conway had claimed the Second Home Allowance on a house in Northumberland 330 miles from his constituency.

Derek Conway is currently a presenter of Epilogue, a book review programme on Press TV, an English-language international television news channel funded by the Iranian government.

Derek Conway has been married to Colette Elizabeth Mary Lamb since 1980 and they have two sons and a daughter.

Derek Conway was commissioned into the 6th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in 1977.

Derek Conway was promoted lieutenant in 1979 and captain in 1981.

Derek Conway was promoted major in 1987, was awarded the Territorial Decoration in 1990 and transferred to the Reserve in 1994.

Derek Conway has been an executive for Granada Television, a Sunday school teacher and a charity organiser for the National Fund for Research into Crippling Diseases and the Cats Protection League.