42 Facts About Edward Leigh

Parliament's longest-serving MP since 2024, Leigh is styled Father of the House and, in July 2024, acted as a Temporary Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.

Edward Leigh has a reputation at Westminster for his independence of mind as a "serial rebeller", who is prepared to vote against his own political party if it conflicts with his own principles.

Edward Leigh was one of the original Maastricht Rebels and was reportedly sacked for organising Euro-rebels among ministers.

In 2003 Edward Leigh opposed military intervention in Iraq; he has since called for those who voted for the Iraq War, and are still seeking to justify their support for it, to be held to account.

Edward Leigh served as the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee from 2001 to 2010, investigating government waste and seeking value for money in public expenditure.

Edward Leigh stepped down at the end of the parliamentary session in 2010, it being customary for an Opposition MP to hold this post.

Edward Leigh was knighted in the Queen's 2013 Birthday Honours for "public and political service" and has been honoured by the French and Italian governments.

Edward Leigh was born on 20 July 1950 in London, the son of a civil servant, Sir Neville Leigh, and his wife Denise nee Branch.

Edward Leigh is a descendant of the family of the Roman Catholic martyr Blessed Richard Edward Leigh who was hanged at Tyburn during the Reformation in 1588 for being a Catholic priest, and beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929.

Edward Leigh's maternal grandfather, Colonel Cyril Denzil Branch, was a nephew of Prince Nikolai Golitsyn, the last Prime Minister of Imperial Russia.

Edward Leigh was privately educated at the Oratory School and the Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle, before going up to University College, Durham, where he read history and was elected President of the Durham Union Society.

Edward Leigh served as an Army Reservist Trooper in the Honourable Artillery Company.

Edward Leigh worked in the private office of Margaret Thatcher from 1976 to 1977 as a political secretary when she was Leader of the Opposition.

Edward Leigh lost his GLC seat to the Liberal candidate, Adrian Slade by 115 votes.

Edward Leigh served as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State under John Major's premiership but was sacked in May 1993 over his opposition to the Maastricht Treaty.

From 2001 until 2010, Edward Leigh served as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, the principal parliamentary body auditing the Budget, investigating government waste and seeking value for money in public expenditure.

Edward Leigh was President of the socially-conservative Cornerstone Group representing the views of over 40 Conservative Members of Parliament and was author of the group's inaugural pamphlet Faith, Flag and Family in 2005.

In October 2006, Edward Leigh was vocal in stating that after David Cameron became leader of the party, core supporters were drifting away from voting Conservative.

Early in 2008, as Chairman of the PAC, Edward Leigh was embarrassed by relying on flawed Department for Transport statistics to attack motorcyclists for tax evasion.

From 2010 to 2011, Edward Leigh served as an Independent Financial Advisor to HM Treasury, appointed by George Osborne to bring external challenge to the development and implementation of a new financial management strategy for central government.

Edward Leigh stood down in 2011, but was then reappointed to report directly to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on improving Parliament's financial scrutiny of the Budget.

Edward Leigh supported Boris Johnson's call to George Osborne in 2011 for lowering the rate of taxation in the UK so as to assist its economic recovery following the credit crunch.

In 2011, Edward Leigh was appointed Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission, the body which audits the National Audit Office.

In September 2014, Edward Leigh criticised the Government's decision to allow mitochondrial replacement therapy to prevent the birth of the children with incurable diseases such as muscular dystrophy.

On 1 March 2022, Edward Leigh praised Home Secretary Priti Patel's 'proportionate response' over admission of refugees into the UK from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Edward Leigh is a Roman Catholic, and maintains a personal blog called Thoughts from a Christian perspective.

Edward Leigh is a Patron of the Latin Mass Society, which promotes the use of the 1962 form of the Mass.

Edward Leigh has argued for tightening of abortion law regarding human embryonic research.

Edward Leigh defended Section 28 and opposed the Civil Partnership Act 2004, voting against it in Parliament at its Second Reading.

Edward Leigh later proposed an amendment to extend the property and pension rights afforded by civil partnerships to siblings who had lived together for more than 12 years.

Edward Leigh voted against recent amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill which has made permanent the permission for at-home medical abortions to take place.

Edward Leigh identifies as a socially Conservative Thatcherite and believes in "free enterprise, deregulation, low taxation and a smaller state".

In November 2024, Edward Leigh co-wrote a piece in The Guardian with Labour MP Diane Abbott opposing Terminally Ill Adults on Assisted Suicide Bill.

In 2003, Edward Leigh rebelled against the leadership of his own party and the Labour government to oppose military intervention in Iraq in 2003.

Edward Leigh was one of only 15 Conservative rebels who opposed it at the time.

Since the 2016 European Union Referendum, Edward Leigh has supported Brexit.

Edward Leigh ran for the speakership of the House of Commons in 2019 after Speaker John Bercow retired; he stated that, if elected Speaker, he would be fair to all sides and assume a traditional role.

Edward Leigh was eliminated after receiving 12 votes in the first ballot.

Fluent in French, Edward Leigh currently serves as Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on France and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Italy, delivering a speech in Italian at the Palace of Westminster to visiting Deputies of the Italian Parliament.

Edward Leigh is the Chairman of the new All-Party Parliamentary Group on Russia, Secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Insurance, and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Defence, and International Development subcommittee of the 1922 Committee.

Edward Leigh received the accolade of the Realm for "public and political service":.

Edward Leigh married Mary Goodman in London on 25 September 1984, the granddaughter of Countess Maria von Carlow and great-granddaughter of Duke Georg Alexander of Mecklenburg-Strelitz through her mother, and the great-grandchild of the Arts patron Lady Ottoline Morrell and British politician Philip Morrell, through her father.