Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (The Cotswolds MP)

Sir Geoffrey Robert Clifton-Brown FRICS (born 23 March 1953)[1] is a British Conservative Party politician who comes from a family with a history of parliamentary service.[2] He is the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of The Cotswolds, Vice-President of the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists, as well as the Chairman of the International Office and Treasurer of the 1922 Committee. He takes a keen interest in UK-China relations and is chair of the Conservative Friends of the Chinese. Clifton-Brown has interests in wildlife conservation, also country living and has been the managing director of a farming company since 1979. He is a Freeman of the City of London.

Not to be confused with Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Bury St Edmunds MP).
This British surname is barrelled, being made up of multiple names. It should be written as Clifton-Brown, not Brown.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown

FRICS MP
Member of Parliament
for The Cotswolds (2010–)
Cotswold (1997-2010)
Cirencester and Tewkesbury (1992-1997)
Assumed office
9 April 1992
Preceded byNicholas Ridley
Majority20,214 (33.0%)
Personal details
Born (1953-03-23) 23 March 1953
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England
NationalityBritish
Political partyConservative
Spouse(s)
Alexandra Peto-Shepherd
​
​
(m. 1979; div. 2004)​
ChildrenJacqueline, Edward
ResidenceGloucestershire
Alma materRoyal Agricultural College
OccupationMember of Parliament
ProfessionPolitician and Surveyor
Websitecliftonbrown.co.uk

Early career

Clifton-Brown, the son of Robert and Elizabeth Clifton-Brown and a descendant of James Clifton Brown, was born in Cambridge. He was educated at Tormore School, in Upper Deal, Kent and then Eton College, before attending the Royal Agricultural College where he qualified as a chartered surveyor in 1975. He began his career as a graduate estate surveyor at the Property Services Agency in Dorchester and, later in 1975, became an investment surveyor with Jones Lang Wootton. He became the vice chairman of the Norfolk North Conservative Association in 1984. He was elected as Constituency Chairman in 1986, a position he held until he resigned in 1991 in order to stand for election as a Conservative candidate.

Parliamentary career

During 1991, Clifton-Brown was selected as the candidate for the then Conservative parliamentary constituency of Cirencester and Tewkesbury, following the retirement of the former Cabinet minister Nicholas Ridley. He retained the seat at the 1992 general election, with a majority of 16,058, and made his maiden speech on 12 June 1992.[3]

When newly elected he became a member of the Environment Select Committee, where he remained until 1995. Clifton-Brown was then appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Douglas Hogg, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Later his constituency was abolished, but he contested and was elected for the newly drawn constituency of Cotswold at the 1997 general election and returned to Parliament as a backbencher, whilst William Hague was the Leader of the Opposition. After Iain Duncan Smith became leader of the Conservative Party, Clifton-Brown became the Shadow Minister for Local and Devolved Government Affairs in 2002.[4]

After the 2005 general election, he retained the seat of Cotswold and returned to Westminster as assistant Chief Conservative Whip. On the accession of David Cameron as Leader of the Conservative Party, he was appointed the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Investment.[4]

After the 2010 election and the formation of the subsequent Coalition Government, Clifton-Brown returned to the back benches, also making overseas visits in his role as Chairman of the Conservative Party's International Office. At this time he became the Parliamentary Chairman of the Conservative Friends of the Chinese.[4] In 2014, he received critical attention in the media following a visit to China paid for by the Chinese authorities.[5] In a 2015 interview with CNN, Clifton-Brown stated that his family has been doing business in China since the 1920s.[6] Clifton-Brown has remained engaged in dialogue with Chinese authorities.[7][8]

In January 2016, the Labour Party unsuccessfully proposed an amendment in Parliament that would have required private landlords to make their homes "fit for human habitation". According to Parliament's register of interests, Clifton-Brown was one of 72 Conservative MPs who voted against the amendment who personally derived an income from renting out property. The Conservative Government had responded to the amendment that they believed homes should be fit for human habitation but did not want to pass the new law that would explicitly require it.[9]

In 2009 Clifton-Brown was criticised for claiming a second home allowance after switching his main residence from his Cotswold home to his flat in London. The Cotswolds Conservative Party Association said that Clifton-Brown had acted within the rules.[10]

In 2018 he was honoured as a Knight Bachelor for political and public service.[11]

In 2019, Clifton-Brown was asked to leave the Conservative Party Conference being held in Manchester, after a dispute with security staff who prevented him from entering a meeting room with a guest who did not have a relevant identification pass. According to a BBC news report. He later apologised and described the incident as a "minor verbal misunderstanding."[12]

Political heritage

Clifton-Brown is related to seven other previous members of Parliament, including Geoffrey Benedict Clifton-Brown, also Douglas Clifton Brown and Harry Hylton-Foster who both became Speaker of the House of Commons. Howard Clifton Brown was elected as member of Parliament on several occasions.[13]

Personal life

Clifton-Brown married Alexandra Peto-Shepherd in 1979. They have one son and one daughter. They divorced in 2004.[14]

References
  1. "Edward Robert Clifton-Brown". thepeerage.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  2. "MPs related to other current or former Members". House of Commons Library. Archived from the original on 28 March 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  3. "Hansard report. Cirencester and Tewkesbury 1992". publications.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  4. "Geoffrey Clifton-Brown biography". parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  5. McFadden, Brendan (6 June 2014). "Cotswold MP defends trip to China paid for by Chinese communists". Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  6. "U.K. aims to be 'China's best' trade partner in the West". CNN. 20 October 2015. Archived from the original on 28 October 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  7. "Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown Speaks about BRI". British Chamber of Commerce in China | Beijing. 7 August 2018. Archived from the original on 25 August 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  8. "Guo Yezhou Exchanges Views with Chairman of the Conservative Parliamentary China Group of the U.K. via Videolink". International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China. 31 July 2020. Archived from the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  9. "Tories vote down law requiring landlords make their homes fit for human habitation". Independent. 9 November 2012. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  10. "Cotswold M.P is the latest to be embroiled in expenses scandel". wiltsglosstandard.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
  11. "No. 62150". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2017. p. N2.
  12. "Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: MP kicked out of Tory conference after clash". BBC News. 1 October 2019. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  13. Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 293. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
  14. "Clifton-Brown, Sir Geoffrey". UK Who's Who. Archived from the original on 25 August 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Nicholas Ridley		 Member of Parliament for Cirencester and Tewkesbury
1992–1997		 Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament for The Cotswolds
1997–present		 Incumbent
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