Piers Merchant
Piers Rolf Garfield Merchant (born January 2, 1951 - September 21, 2009 ) was a British politician.
Merchant studied law and political science at the University of Durham . After graduation he became active as a journalist and worked for The Journal in Newcastle , where he spent the next nine years.
His political career began in 1983 when he was elected to the House of Commons for the Conservative Party in the Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency , where he had run unsuccessfully in 1979 . In 1987, however, he was unable to defend his mandate. He only succeeded in moving into the House of Commons again in 1992 in the Beckenham constituency . When he hit the headlines in 1997 during an affair with a 17-year-old Soho nightclub hostess , it ultimately led to his resignation as a member of parliament. After leaving politics, Merchant worked for the London Chamber of Commerce & Industry .
In 2002 he joined the UK Independence Party and ran for it unsuccessfully in the European elections two years later .
Merchant had been married since 1977 and had two children, a son and a daughter. He died on September 21, 2009 at the age of 58 of complications from cancer.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Merchant, piers |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Merchant, Piers Rolf Garfield (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British politician, member of the House of Commons |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 2, 1951 |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 21, 2009 |