12 Facts About Richard Ashworth

Richard Ashworth formerly sat in the European Parliament for the Conservative Party, and was that party's leader there from March 2012 to November 2013.

Richard Ashworth was educated at The King's School, Canterbury, and studied agriculture and management at Seale-Hayne College in Devon.

Richard Ashworth has been the chairman of a further education college for a number of years as well as serving on several public bodies in the education sector.

Richard Ashworth's interests include music, theatre, sport, aviation and country pursuits.

Richard Ashworth was the Conservative parliamentary candidate for North Devon in 1997, and for the South East England constituency in the 1999 European Parliament election.

Richard Ashworth has acted as chairman of United Milk Plc and of NFU Corporate.

Richard Ashworth was a member of the Minister of Agriculture's food chain advisory committee.

Richard Ashworth was elected to the European Parliament in 2004 and became the Conservative spokesperson on budgets.

On 6 June 2008, Richard Ashworth was appointed Conservative Chief Whip in the EP after his predecessor Den Dover was sacked following an expenses scandal.

Richard Ashworth was elected Deputy Leader of the Conservative Delegation to the European Parliament in November 2008 and Leader in 2012.

On 1 March 2018, Richard Ashworth was one of three UK MEPs who voted against a motion to encourage national parliaments to ban "gay conversion therapies"; he issued a statement on 17 September 2018 that his vote was "a mistake which I deeply regret", and pointing to his other votes that day in support of LGBT causes.

Richard Ashworth was the first candidate on the list for Change UK in South East England at the 2019 European Parliament election, at which he failed to be elected.