18 Facts About Gerald Howarth

Sir James Gerald Douglas Howarth was born on 12 September 1947 and is a British Conservative Party politician.

Gerald Howarth was the Member of Parliament for Aldershot from 1997 until 2017, having been the MP for Cannock and Burntwood from 1983 to 1992.

Gerald Howarth was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence as Minister for International Security Strategy from May 2010 to September 2012 and is chairman of Conservative Way Forward.

On 16 April 1970, Gerald Howarth demonstrated in favour of the abolition of exchange controls outside the Bank of England.

In 1971 Gerald Howarth was employed by the Bank of America International Ltd, where he remained until 1977, when he moved to the European Arab Bank.

Gerald Howarth then became the Syndication Manager for the Standard Chartered Bank for the next two years, after which he was first elected to parliament.

Gerald Howarth was General Secretary of the Society for Individual Freedom, a right-wing pressure group, from 1969 to 1971 after leaving university.

Gerald Howarth was once an active member of the Conservative Monday Club while at university.

Gerald Howarth served as an elected councillor on the London Borough of Hounslow from 1982 to 1983, and sat on its Environmental Planning, and Finance and General Purposes Committees.

The prosecution was sponsored by the Society for Individual Freedom, of which Gerald Howarth was the general secretary.

Gerald Howarth was first elected for the Cannock and Burntwood constituency in the Conservative landslide victory at the 1983 general election.

Gerald Howarth lost his seat at the 1992 general election.

Gerald Howarth was absent from parliament for five years, but was re-elected at the 1997 general election as MP for Aldershot.

Gerald Howarth is a supporter of the British defence industry, when, speaking in support of the industry, he told delegates at a meeting in 2009 sponsored by the Defense Industries Council that "People who decry the defence industry should hang their heads in shame because it is a noble industry".

Gerald Howarth told the meeting that, should his party attain government, he could accept the title of "Minister for War" reflecting his belief that wider Government should recognise that Great Britain is at war and support the armed forces appropriately.

In 2001, Gerald Howarth was one of several famous faces duped into appearing on the Channel Four Brass Eye television programme; this was the "Paedogeddon" spoof episode, where he agreed to read out anti-paedophile warnings.

At the 2015 general election Gerald Howarth was joined in the Commons by his son-in-law, James Cartlidge, the Conservative MP for South Suffolk.

On 20 April 2017, Gerald Howarth announced he would not be seeking re-election in the 2017 general election and now resides in Suffolk.