28 Facts About Evan Harris

Evan Leslie Harris was born on 21 October 1965 and is a British Liberal Democrat politician.

Evan Harris was the Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon from 1997 to 2010, losing his seat in the 2010 general election by 176 votes to Conservative Nicola Blackwood.

Evan Harris was born on 21 October 1965 in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, the son of South African Jewish parents.

Evan Harris was brought up in Liverpool, where he had a state education at the Liverpool Blue Coat School.

Evan Harris completed his education at the Oxford Medical School, where he graduated BM BCh and qualified as a physician in 1991.

In 1994 Evan Harris moved to Oxfordshire Health Authority, becoming an honorary specialist registrar in public health and working on issues to do with NHS staffing and training.

Evan Harris held the position of local British Medical Association representative and negotiator from 1992 to 1994, following which he was elected to the BMA's National Council.

Evan Harris is a humanist, and a patron of Humanists UK.

Evan Harris was a vice-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group, before being unseated at the 2010 general election.

Evan Harris was first elected to the House of Commons at the 1997 General Election for Oxford West and Abingdon.

Evan Harris gained the seat for the Liberal Democrats with a majority of 6,285, making his maiden speech on 21 May 1997, and remained the MP there until 2010.

Evan Harris was promoted to the Liberal Democrat shadow cabinet following the 2001 general election as Shadow Secretary of State for Health, but stood down in 2003 to care for his girlfriend Liz O'Hara who had been diagnosed with terminal glioblastoma multiforme.

Evan Harris was a member of the education and employment select committee between 1999 and 2001.

Evan Harris was then a member of the select committees for science and technology between 2003 and 2010, and for human rights between 2005 and 2010.

Evan Harris is a member of the centre-left Beveridge Group within the Liberal Democrats, and was Honorary President of the Liberal Democrats Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender equality organisation from 2000 to 2012.

Evan Harris was initially alleged to have profited from the sale of his second home by The Daily Telegraph during the expenses scandal.

Evan Harris is pro-choice on abortion, and supports the right of mentally competent, terminally ill people to take their own lives under certain circumstances.

Evan Harris has spoken in support of medical research involving animals, including that carried out at Oxford University.

Evan Harris is a vocal backer of reform of defamation laws in the United Kingdom.

In 2009, Evan Harris was awarded the National Secular Society's Secularist of the Year Award in recognition of his role in the abolition of the common law offence of blasphemous libel.

Christian conservatives criticised Evan Harris, including Damian Thompson and Cristina Odone.

In contrast to these criticisms, Evan Harris received support from a number of humanist and atheist figures, including Ben Goldacre, Simon Singh and Dave Gorman.

Evan Harris has been central to mould-breaking and inspirational multiparty cooperation in issues of scientific concern since 1997.

Evan Harris' defeat was lamented by a number of commentators as a 'loss for science'.

However, Evan Harris' defeat was celebrated by some conservative Christians, including Christian Concern For Our Nation, and George Pitcher who described it as "the best result of the election".

From August 2010 Evan Harris has been writing a blog on science policy for The Guardian.

On 18 September 2010, Evan Harris had an article published on The Guardian website called 'A secularist manifesto'.

On 17 November 2010, Evan Harris was elected as one of the three vice-chairs on the Liberal Democrats' Federal Policy Committee.