Editing Peter Viggers

{{Short description|British politician (1938–2020)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = Sir
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Peter Viggers MP.jpg
| caption = Viggers as an MP
| parliament = United Kingdom
| constituency_MP = Gosport
| term_start = 28 February 1974
| term_end = 12 April 2010
| majority =
| predecessor = ''Constituency created''
| successor =  [[Caroline Dinenage]]
| birth_name = Peter John Viggers
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|03|13|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Gosport]], [[Hampshire]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|3|19|1938|03|13|df=yes}}
| death_place = 
| spouse = 
| party = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| children =
| residence =
| education = [[The Portsmouth Grammar School]]
| alma_mater = {{ubl|[[Trinity Hall, Cambridge]]|[[University of Law|College of Law]]}}
| occupation =
| profession = {{hlist|Solicitor|politician}}
| awards = [[Knight Bachelor]] (2008)
| signature =
| website = {{official website|//web.archive.org/web/20031227033805/http://www.peterviggers.co.uk/}}
<!--Military service-->
| branch = {{ubl|[[Royal Air Force]]|[[British Army]]}}
| serviceyears = 1957&ndash;1969
}}

'''Sir Peter John Viggers''' (13 March 1938 &ndash; 19 March 2020) was a British [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] politician and lawyer who served as [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Gosport (UK Parliament constituency)|Gosport]] for 36 years, from [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|1974]] to [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010]]. He stepped down as a result of the [[United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal|investigation of MPs' expenses]].

==Early life==
Born in [[Gosport]], Hampshire, he was the son of John Sidney Viggers. He was educated at Alverstoke School and [[Portsmouth Grammar School]], a [[Public school (United Kingdom)|public school]] in Portsmouth. He studied at [[Trinity Hall, Cambridge|Trinity Hall]], [[University of Cambridge]], receiving an [[Master of Arts (Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin)|MA]] in History and Law in 1961. He qualified from the [[University of Law|College of Law]] in [[Guildford]] in 1967. He became a solicitor in 1967.

==Career==

===Military service===
As part of [[Conscription in the United Kingdom|National Service]], Viggers was commissioned into the [[Royal Air Force]] on 8 January 1957 as an [[acting pilot officer]].<ref name="LG 1 March 1957">{{London Gazette |issue=41016 |date=1 March 1957 |page=1436 |supp=y }}</ref> He was regraded to [[pilot officer]] on 8 January 1958,<ref name="LG 31 January 1958">{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=41301 |date=31 January 1958 |page=772 |supp=y }}</ref> and promoted to [[flying officer]] on 18 May 1958.<ref name="LG 31 July 1959">{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=41779 |date=31 July 1959 |page=4871 |supp=y }}</ref> On 20 April 1958, he was transferred to the Reserve (national service list), ending his active service.<ref name="LG 18 July 1958">{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=41452 |date=18 July 1958 |page=4592 |supp=y }}</ref> He relinquished his commission in the Royal Air Force on 20 July 1963.<ref name="LG 18 October 1963">{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=43138 |date=18 October 1963 |page=8607 |supp=y }}</ref>

He then joined the [[Royal Artillery]], [[Territorial Army (United Kingdom)|Territorial Army]], on 20 July 1963 as a [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]].<ref name="LG 8 October 1963">{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=43128 |date=8 October 1963 |page=8309 |supp=y }}</ref> He was given seniority in that rank from 20 July 1960.<ref name="LG 6 December 1963">{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=43178 |date=6 December 1963 |page=10087 |supp=y }}</ref> He was made [[acting rank|acting]] [[captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] on 13 January 1965 before being promoted to that rank on 13 March 1965.<ref name="LG 9 March 1965">{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=43596 |date=9 March 1965 |page=2488 |supp=y }}</ref> On 1 April 1967, he transferred to the [[Wessex Brigade]], Territorial Army.<ref name="LG 21 July 1967">{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=44370 |date=21 July 1967 |page=8103 |supp=y }}</ref> At his request, he also reverted to the rank of lieutenant and was given seniority in that rank from 18 September 1960.<ref name="LG 21 July 1967" /> He resigned from his commission on 31 March 1969, ending his military career.<ref name="LG 18 April 1969">{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=44831 |date=18 April 1969 |page=4186 |supp=y }}</ref>

===Politics===
Viggers was [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Gosport (UK Parliament constituency)|Gosport]] and lived just a few miles from where he was born. He was first elected in February 1974 and served as industry minister for Northern Ireland [[List of ministers under Margaret Thatcher|under Margaret Thatcher]] from 1986 to 1989. He left the ministry in 1989 and returned to the backbenches.

In 2002, he made headlines by suggesting that the [[European Union]] adopt a "single European language" to cut down on translation costs.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2412795.stm |title=MP suggests single Euro language |work=BBC News |date=6 November 2002 |access-date=20 May 2009}}</ref>

===Duck island scandal===
On 21 May 2009, ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' reported on Viggers' claims as part of its [[Disclosure of expenses of British Members of Parliament|investigation of MPs' expenses]], which it said showed Viggers was paid more than £30,000 for gardening expenses over three years. The paper noted in particular that Viggers had attempted to claim for a "pond feature" worth £1,645, which was identified as a "[[duck house|floating duck island]]". However, it was unclear whether he had been reimbursed as an official had written "not allowable" next to it.<ref name="Telegraph gardening">{{cite news |first=Nick |last=Allen |title=£30,000 for the garden, including the ducks bill |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=21 May 2009 |page=3}}</ref> On hearing the details of the story the ''Telegraph'' intended to run, Viggers announced late the previous night "at the direct request" of party leader [[David Cameron]] his intention to stand down at the next election.<ref name="Standing down">{{cite news |first=Nigel |last=Morris |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/expenses-scandal-claims-more-victims--but-huge-payouts-await-1688627.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090523222946/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/expenses-scandal-claims-more-victims--but-huge-payouts-await-1688627.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 May 2009 |title=More MPs resign over expenses – but could claim huge payouts |newspaper=The Independent |date=21 May 2009 |page=8}}</ref> He also stood down from his role as spokesman for the [[Speaker's Committee]] answering Parliamentary Questions for the [[Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)|Electoral Commission]]. On his website, however, he said about expenses: "Personally, I have of course always scrupulously observed the rules".<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.peterviggers.co.uk/press/0186.htm |title=Situation Report, 12 noon, Wednesday, 13 May |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527003045/http://www.peterviggers.co.uk/press/0186.htm |archive-date=27 May 2009 }}</ref>

The floating duck house, a symbol of the expenses scandal, was later sold at auction. It raised £1,700, handed over to the [[Macmillan Cancer Support|Macmillan Cancer]] charity.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ex-MP Sir Peter Viggers sells duck house for charity|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/exmp-sir-peter-viggers-sells-duck-house-for-charity-2072007.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/exmp-sir-peter-viggers-sells-duck-house-for-charity-2072007.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|accessdate=6 February 2014|newspaper=The Independent|date=7 September 2010}}</ref> The claim was later referenced in the name of the 2013 farcical political satire ''[[The Duck House]]''<ref name="MP">{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/10308476/MPs-expenses-scandal-becomes-West-End-comedy.html | title=MPs' expenses scandal becomes West End comedy | work=The Telegraph | date=16 September 2013 | accessdate=21 September 2013| last1=Rayner | first1=Gordon }}</ref> based on the [[UK parliamentary expenses scandal]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24108600 | title=The Duck House: MPs' expenses satire heads for West End | work=BBC News | date=16 September 2013 | accessdate=21 September 2013}}</ref>

==Honours==
Viggers was appointed a [[Knight Bachelor]] in the [[2008 Queen's Birthday Honours]] 'for services to Parliament'.<ref name="LG 14 June 2008">{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=58729 |date=14 June 2008 |page=1 |supp=y }}</ref> He was knighted in a ceremony at [[Buckingham Palace]] on 14 October 2008 by [[Queen Elizabeth II]].<ref name="LG 18 August 2009">{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=59160 |date=18 August 2009 |page=14246 }}</ref>

===Business interests===
From 1970 to 1979, Viggers was chairman and director of banking, oil, hotels, textiles, [[Pharmacology|pharmaceuticals]], and [[venture capital]] companies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/parliament/0,,-5321,00.html |title=Peter Viggers: Electoral history and profile |work=The Guardian |access-date=20 May 2009}}</ref> He was the chairman of [[Calgary]]-based Tracer Petroleum Corporation from 1996 to 1998, and of Lloyd's Pension Fund from 1996. He was a director of [[Jakarta]]-based Emerald Energy plc from April 1998 to 2003.

==Personal life==
Viggers was a vice-patron of the [[Royal National Lifeboat Institution]]. He was also an honorary treasurer of the [[America All Party Parliamentary Group]]. He was chairman of governors at [[St Vincent College]] for four years.

In 1993, Viggers nearly drowned after being thrown into the [[English Channel]], without a life jacket, in a [[yacht]] race in gale force winds. He credited his survival to "closing my eyes and thinking of [[John Major]]".<ref>{{Cite web|date=1993-06-13|title=Major relief|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/major-relief-1491510.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/major-relief-1491510.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-31|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref>

He died on 19 March 2020 at the age of 82.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-04-09|title='Duck island' MP Sir Peter Viggers dies aged 82|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-52219896|access-date=2020-08-08 |quote=Sir Peter died on 19 March, although news of his death has only just emerged.}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20031227033805/http://www.peterviggers.co.uk/ Official site]
* {{UK MP links|theywork=10615}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070206192152/http://www.gosportintouch.com/page.php?pid=9 Gosport Conservatives]
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/biography/0,,-5321,00.html Peter Viggers: Electoral history and profile] ''The Guardian'' biography
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/277.stm ''BBC Politics'' page]{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/uk/the_mip_files/newsid_2933000/2933376.stm The MiP files: Checking out Big Brother!] [[CBBC Newsround]]

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-new | Constituency }}
{{s-ttl
  | title  = Member of Parliament for [[Gosport (UK Parliament constituency)|Gosport]]
  | years  =[[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|1974]]–[[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010]]
}}
{{s-aft  | after  = [[Caroline Dinenage]] }}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Viggers, Peter}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Royal Artillery officers]]
[[Category:People from Gosport]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1974]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1974–1979]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1979–1983]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1983–1987]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1987–1992]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1992–1997]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1997–2001]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2001–2005]]
[[Category:UK MPs 2005–2010]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force officers]]
[[Category:Northern Ireland Office junior ministers]]
[[Category:20th-century British Army personnel]]
[[Category:20th-century Royal Air Force personnel]]
[[Category:People educated at The Portsmouth Grammar School]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Law]]
[[Category:Place of death missing]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Hampshire]]