Party:
Conservative

Constituency:
Cambridgeshire South East

Date of birth:
24 April 1949

Telephone:
020 7219 3000

Address:
The House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA

Political profile:
James Paice has sat on the frontbench since 1994 without ever achieving a high public profile.

First elected in 1987, he spent several years as a PPS to agriculture ministers before joining the Major government in 1994 as an employment minister.

He served as an agriculture spokesman throughout the 1997 Parliament and received particular praise for his contribution to the Opposition's response to the 2001 foot and mouth crisis.

Under Iain Duncan Smith, he became a home affairs spokesman. In November 2003, he was appointed shadow home affairs spokesman with specific responsibility for the police.

Michael Howard promoted him to shadow agriculture secretary in September 2004.

A farmer by profession, he is an instinctive rather than a dogmatic Conservative who was known as an unpartisan and mainstream minister.

In opposition, however, his evident dislike of the Labour party has sharpened his attitudes and he has moved further to the right.

He is a fervent opponent of the single currency and European federalism.

TOP THREE PARTIES AT A GLANCE
Conservative		44.2%
Liberal Democrat		26.9%
Labour		26.4%

IN DETAIL
Name	Party	Votes	%
James Paice	Conservative	22,927	44.2
Sarah Brinton	Liberal Democrat	13,937	26.9
Andrew Inchley	Labour	13,714	26.4
Neil Scarr	UK Independence Party	1,308	2.5
Majority		8,990
Turnout		63.5%

POLITICAL MAKE UP OF EASTERN