Stephen O'Brien

Conservative MP Eddisbury

Date of birth

1 April 1957

Political profile

Stephen O'Brien entered Parliament in a 1999 by-election following the resignation of Sir Alastair Goodlad.

At the time of his election, he had only been a member of the Conservative Party for four years, having previously been one of the first members of the SDP.

Nonetheless, he fits very nicely into the Conservative Party. His primary interest is in business regulation, of which he thinks there is far too much.

He is also pro-hunting, pro-hereditary peer and a supporter of government promotion of traditional "family values".

Having grown up partly in Kenya, he retains a strong interest in African matters, and is a strong supporter of the campaign for Third World debt relief.

He also takes an interest in environmental issues.

In the 2001 Conservative leadership contest, he initially managed Michael Ancram's unsuccessful bid, before switching his support to Iain Duncan Smith.

He was appointed an opposition whip in IDS's first reshuffle, and then as a Treasury spokesman.

In November 2003, he was appointed shadow secretary of state for industry.

Contact

020 72194996

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