Brian Cotter, Baron Cotter
Brian Joseph Michael Cotter, Baron Cotter (born August 24, 1936 in London ) is a British politician. From 1997 to 2005 he was Member of Parliament for the Liberal Democrats in the Weston-super-Mare constituency and has been a member of the House of Lords since 2006 .
Earlier life
He was born in London to a doctor. He went to Downside School in Somerset, where at the age of 16 he ran the mile in 4½ minutes. After school he went to the British Army , where he did his military service for 2 years and was temporarily stationed in Germany with the British Army of the Rhine . After studying economics in London, he ran his own small business Plasticable Ltd in Alton .
Political career
In 1997 he became the first non-Conservative since 1923 to become a member of the Weston-super-Mare constituency, for whose seat he had fought in 1992. He was re-elected in 2001, but in 2005 John Penrose's parliamentary seat was won by the Conservatives. During his time in parliament he acted as a spokesman for the middle class of the Liberal Democrats.
In April 2006, it was announced that he would be Life Peer to take a Liberal Democratic seat in the House of Lords, and on May 30th he was bestowed the title of Baron Cotter , of Congresbury in the County of Somerset. He gave his inaugural address on June 29th.
He represents a variety of interests. In particular, he deals with medium-sized business policy and apprenticeship training.
Personal
He married Eyleen Patricia Wade in February 1963. They have two sons and a daughter.
Individual evidence
- ↑ London Gazette, June 5, 2006
- ↑ http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199900/ldhansrd/pdvn/lds06/text/60629-29.htm#60629-29_spnew0
Web links
- Cotter's profile on the Liberal Democrats' side
- Weston-super-Mare local branch of the Liberal Democrats
- Overview of the election results on the Guardian website ( Memento from May 16, 2001 in the Internet Archive )
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Cotter, Brian, Baron Cotter |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Cotter, Brian Joseph Michael, Baron Cotter |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British Liberal Democrats, member of the House of Commons and member of the House of Lords |
DATE OF BIRTH | August 24, 1936 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | London |