Editing Richard Shepherd

{{short description|British politician (1942–2022)}}
{{other people}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2022}}
{{use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = Sir
| name                = Richard Shepherd
| honorific-suffix    = 
| image               = RichardShepherdMP.jpg
| caption             = At Silver Street Methodist Church in [[Brownhills]], 2007
| office              = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] <br /> for [[Aldridge-Brownhills (UK Parliament constituency)|Aldridge-Brownhills]]
| parliament          = 
| term_start          = 3 May 1979
| term_end            = 30 March 2015
| predecessor         = [[Geoff Edge]]
| successor           = [[Wendy Morton]]
| birth_name          = Richard Charles Scrimgeour Shepherd
| birth_date          = {{birth date|df=yes|1942|12|06}}
| birth_place         = [[Aberdeen]], Scotland
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2022|02|19|1942|12|06|df=yes}}
| death_place         = 
| nationality         = British
| spouse              = 
| party               = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| relations           = 
| children            = 
| residence           = 
| alma_mater          = [[London School of Economics]] ([[BSc]])<br />[[Johns Hopkins University]] ([[M. S.|MS]])
| occupation          = 
| profession          = Underwriter
| religion            = 
| signature           = 
| website             = 
| footnotes           = 
}}

'''Sir Richard Charles Scrimgeour Shepherd''' (6 December 1942 – 19 February 2022) was a British politician who was [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Aldridge-Brownhills (UK Parliament constituency)|Aldridge-Brownhills]] from 1979 to 2015. A [[Eurosceptic]], Shepherd was one of the [[Maastricht Rebels]] that had the [[whip (politics)|whip]] withdrawn over opposition to Prime Minister [[John Major]]'s legislation on the [[European Union]]. Shepherd was also a libertarian [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Time to stand up and be counted? |newspaper=[[BBC News]] |date=1 December 1998 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/10/98/office_life/224584.stm }}</ref> and had a [[three line whip]] imposed against him by [[Margaret Thatcher]] when he introduced an amendment to loosen the [[Official Secrets Act 1911]].

== Early life ==
Shepherd was born in [[Aberdeen]], [[Scotland]], to parents who worked in the commercial aviation industry.<ref name = Telegraph/> The family moved to London to be closer to [[Heathrow Airport]], and Shepherd was educated at Isleworth Grammar School (now [[Isleworth and Syon School]]).<ref name = Telegraph/><ref name = Bates/> He then went to the [[London School of Economics]] where he received a [[Bachelor of Science|BSc]] in Economics and where he studied with and became a friend of [[Robert Kilroy-Silk]]. He subsequently attended the [[Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies]] at [[Johns Hopkins University]] in the United States from which he graduated with an [[Master of Science|MSc]] which was also in Economics.<ref name = Bates/>

In the 1970s, Shepherd established the retail food businesses Partridges<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.partridges.co.uk/about-us |title=Partridges {{!}} About us |publisher=Partridges |access-date=24 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518010002/https://www.partridges.co.uk/about-us |archive-date=18 May 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref> of [[Sloane Street]] and Shepherd Foods in London, operating both enterprises with his family.<ref name = Bates/> He was then an [[underwriter]] at [[Lloyd's of London]] from 1974 to 1994.<ref name = Telegraph/>

== Parliamentary career ==
Shepherd contested the open Conservative candidacy in [[Heston and Isleworth (UK Parliament constituency)|Heston and Isleworth]] in [[1970 United Kingdom general election|1970]], but was not selected.<ref name = Telegraph/> He was chosen as the Conservative candidate for [[Nottingham East (UK Parliament constituency)|Nottingham East]] at the [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February 1974 general election]], where he was defeated by the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] candidate [[Jack Dunnett]].<ref name = Telegraph/> During the 1970s he was also an assistant to [[Teddy Taylor]].<ref name = Bates/>

Shepherd was elected Member of Parliament for Aldridge-Brownhills in [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979]]. ''[[The Spectator]]'' variously cited him as '[[Backbencher]] of the Year' in 1987, 'Troublemaker of the Year' in 1989, and 'Parliamentarian of the Year' in 1995.<ref name = Telegraph/> He was rated as one of the ten most effective sitting MPs in 1989.<ref name = Telegraph/> In 2010, [[ConservativeHome]] listed him as one of the most rebellious Tory MPs.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Isaby |first1=Jonathan  |url=http://conservativehome.blogs.com/parliament/2010/12/the-latest-league-table-of-tory-backbench-rebellion.html |title=Philip Hollobone continues to top the league table of backbench rebels Tory MPs |publisher=Conservativehome.blogs.com |date=15 December 2010 |accessdate=22 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307230411/http://conservativehome.blogs.com/parliament/2010/12/the-latest-league-table-of-tory-backbench-rebellion.html |archive-date=7 March 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> 

One of the most significant events in Shepherd's parliamentary career came in 1988 when he introduced his Protection of Official Information Bill,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cfoi.org.uk/whistle.html |title=Whistleblowing |publisher=Cfoi.org.uk |accessdate=30 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410112653/http://www.cfoi.org.uk/whistle.html |archive-date=10 April 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> which was to replace parts of the [[Official Secrets Act 1911]], with intent to provide limited protection to some [[whistleblowers]]. The government introduced a [[three line whip]] which called on its MPs to vote against the bill, even though it was introduced by a member of their own party.<ref name = Telegraph/> This brought considerable debate at the time both in parliament and in the media. The bill was defeated. However Shepherd successfully introduced [[Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998|similar provisions into law in 1998]].<ref name = Bates/>

Shepherd was one of the [[Maastricht Rebels]], and is known to have had [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] leanings.<ref name = Bates/> He developed close ties with fellow Maastricht rebels [[Nicholas Budgen]] and [[Christopher Gill]], and gave the eulogy at Budgen's funeral.<ref name = Telegraph/>

Shepherd was a strong advocate of Parliament's power to hold the government to account.<ref name="Who will be the next Speaker">{{cite news |title=Who will be the next Speaker? |first=Andrew |last=Sparrow |author2=Owen, Paul |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=19 May 2009 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/may/18/who-will-be-the-next-speaker |access-date=16 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306184726/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/may/18/who-will-be-the-next-speaker |archive-date=6 March 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> Shepherd stood to be [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker of the House of Commons]] [[2000 Speaker of the British House of Commons election|in 2000]], and won 136 votes: the third-closest to defeating [[Michael Martin, Baron Martin of Springburn|Michael Martin]] of eleven opponents. When Martin was forced to resign, in 2009, he [[2009 Speaker of the British House of Commons election|stood for the position again]]. An outsider, at 14/1,<ref name="Who will be the next Speaker" /> he won only 15 votes, and was eliminated on the first ballot.<ref>{{cite news |title=Speaker election: candidate pitches and reaction |first=Rosa |last=Prince |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=22 June 2009 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/5603508/Speaker-election-candidate-pitches-and-reaction.html |access-date=2 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203015837/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/5603508/Speaker-election-candidate-pitches-and-reaction.html |archive-date=3 December 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

He voted against the [[Cameron–Clegg coalition]] government in 2013 on the issue of [[Operation Shader#Airstrikes in Syria|British military intervention]] in the [[Syrian civil war]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mason |first1=Rowena |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/sep/03/tory-mps-syria-vote-assad-hospitality |title=Nine Tory MPs who did not back Syria strike received Assad's hospitality |access-date=24 February 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=3 September 2013 |language=en}}</ref>

Shepherd was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] in the [[2013 New Year Honours]] for public service.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=60367 |date=29 December 2012 |page=1 |supp=y }}</ref> He retired from Parliament at the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]].<ref>{{cite web|work=Walsall Advertiser|title=MP for Aldridge-Brownhills, Sir Richard Shepherd, to step down at next election after 35 years' service|url=http://www.walsalladvertiser.co.uk/MP-Aldridge-Brownhills-Sir-Richard-Shepherd-step/story-23454690-detail/story.html|access-date=25 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110234220/http://www.walsalladvertiser.co.uk/MP-Aldridge-Brownhills-Sir-Richard-Shepherd-step/story-23454690-detail/story.html|archive-date=10 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Personal life and death==
Shepherd never married. He died on 19 February 2022 at the age of 79.<ref name = Telegraph>{{cite news |title=Sir Richard Shepherd, Tory MP and committed Eurosceptic who rebelled over the Maastricht Treaty – obituary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2022/02/22/sir-richard-shepherd-tory-mp-committed-eurosceptic-rebelled/ |access-date=23 February 2022 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=22 February 2022|url-access = subscription}}</ref><ref name = Bates>{{cite news|url = https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/22/sir-richard-shepherd-obituary|title = Sir Richard Shepherd obituary|last = Bates|first = Stephen|date = 22 February 2022|accessdate = 22 February 2022|work = [[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.conservatives.com/People/Members_of_Parliament/Shepherd_Richard.aspx Richard Shepherd MP] Conservative Party profile
* [http://www.aldridgebrownhillsconservatives.org.uk Aldridge-Brownhills Conservative Association]
* {{UK MP links | parliament = sir-richard-shepherd/295 | hansard = mr-richard-shepherd | guardian = 4730/richard-shepherd | publicwhip = Richard_Shepherd | theywork = richard_shepherd | record = Richard-Shepherd/Aldridge-Brownhills/550 | bbc = 25205.stm | journalisted = }}
* [http://conservativehome.blogs.com/parliament/richard-shepherd-mp/ Richard Shepherd] at ''ConservativeHome''

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{{s-bef|before=[[Geoff Edge]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for [[Aldridge-Brownhills (UK Parliament constituency)|Aldridge-Brownhills]]|years=[[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979]]–[[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Wendy Morton]]}}
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{{Speaker of the British House of Commons election, 2009}}
{{Speaker of the British House of Commons election, 2000}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepherd, Richard Charles Scrimgeour}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:2022 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century British businesspeople]]
[[Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics]]
[[Category:British grocers]]
[[Category:British libertarians]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from London]]
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
[[Category:Insurance underwriters]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies alumni]]
[[Category:Politicians from Aberdeen]]
[[Category:Place of death missing]]
[[Category:Politics of Walsall]]
[[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:UK MPs 2010–2015]]
[[Category:British Eurosceptics]]