1. Sir Peter John Viggers was a British Conservative politician and lawyer who served as Member of Parliament for Gosport for 36 years, from 1974 to 2010.
25 Facts About Peter Viggers
1. 2.
Peter Viggers stepped down as a result of the investigation of MPs' expenses.
3.
Peter Viggers studied at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge, receiving an MA in History and Law in 1961.
4.
Peter Viggers was regraded to pilot officer on 8 January 1958, and promoted to flying officer on 18 May 1958.
5.
Peter Viggers relinquished his commission in the Royal Air Force on 20 July 1963.
6.
Peter Viggers then joined the Royal Artillery, Territorial Army, on 20 July 1963 as a lieutenant.
7.
Peter Viggers was given seniority in that rank from 20 July 1960.
8.
Peter Viggers was made acting captain on 13 January 1965 before being promoted to that rank on 13 March 1965.
9.
Peter Viggers resigned from his commission on 31 March 1969, ending his military career.
10.
Peter Viggers was Member of Parliament for Gosport and lived just a few miles from where he was born.
11.
Peter Viggers was first elected in February 1974 and served as industry minister for Northern Ireland under Margaret Thatcher from 1986 to 1989.
12.
Peter Viggers left the ministry in 1989 and returned to the backbenches.
13.
On hearing the details of the story the Telegraph intended to run, Peter Viggers announced late the previous night "at the direct request" of party leader David Cameron his intention to stand down at the next election.
14.
Peter Viggers stood down from his role as spokesman for the Speaker's Committee answering Parliamentary Questions for the Electoral Commission.
15.
Peter Viggers was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours 'for services to Parliament'.
16.
Peter Viggers was knighted in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 14 October 2008 by Queen Elizabeth II.
17.
From 1970 to 1979, Peter Viggers was chairman and director of banking, oil, hotels, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and venture capital companies.
18.
Peter Viggers was the chairman of Calgary-based Tracer Petroleum Corporation from 1996 to 1998, and of Lloyd's Pension Fund from 1996.
19.
Peter Viggers was a director of Jakarta-based Emerald Energy plc from April 1998 to 2003.
20.
Peter Viggers was a vice-patron of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
21.
Peter Viggers was an honorary treasurer of the America All Party Parliamentary Group.
22.
Peter Viggers was chairman of governors at St Vincent College for four years.
23.
In 1993, Peter Viggers nearly drowned after being thrown into the English Channel, without a life jacket, in a yacht race in gale force winds.
24.
Peter Viggers credited his survival to "closing my eyes and thinking of John Major".
25.
Peter Viggers died on 19 March 2020 at the age of 82.