David Lidington Facts for Kids

Shadow Cabinet posts

Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
In office 11 November 2003 – 2 July 2007
Leader	Michael Howard David Cameron
Preceded by	Quentin Davies
Succeeded by	Owen Paterson
Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In office 23 July 2002 – 11 November 2003
Leader	Iain Duncan Smith
Preceded by	Peter Ainsworth
Succeeded by	Caroline Spelman (Environment)

Member of Parliament
for Aylesbury

In office
9 April 1992 – 6 November 2019

Preceded by

Timothy Raison

Succeeded by

Rob Butler

Personal details

Born

David Roy Lidington

30 June 1956 (age 68)
Lambeth, London, England

Political party

Conservative

Spouse

Helen Parry

(m. 1989)

Children

Alma mater

Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (BA, PhD)

Scientific career

Thesis

The enforcement of the penal statutes at the Court of Exchequer c. 1558 - c.1576. (1988)

Sir David Roy Lidington (born 30 June 1956) is a British politician who used to be a Member of Parliament (MP). He represented the area of Aylesbury from 1992 until 2019. He was a member of the Conservative Party.

Sir David held important jobs in the government. From 2018 to 2019, he was the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office. Many people saw him as a key helper to Prime Minister Theresa May.

Before that, he was the Minister of State for Europe from 2010 to 2016. He held this role for the entire time David Cameron was Prime Minister. In 2016, Theresa May gave him his first job in the main government team, called the Cabinet. He was the Leader of the House of Commons and also the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. He left the government in 2019 and did not run for MP again in the 2019 election.

Early Life and Education
Becoming a Member of Parliament
- Representing Aylesbury
- Joining the Shadow Cabinet
Key Government Roles
- Working with Theresa May
Personal Life

Early Life and Education

David Lidington was born in Lambeth, London. He went to Merchant Taylors' Prep School and then Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School. He later studied history at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, which is a famous university. He also earned a PhD, which is a very high university degree. His research was about old laws and how they were enforced.

While at Cambridge, he was involved in student politics. He led the Conservative student group and was a leader in the main student union. He was also the captain of his college team that won the TV quiz show University Challenge in 1979. His team even won a special "champion of champions" series in 2002!

After university, Lidington worked for large companies like BP. In 1987, he became a special adviser to a government minister. This means he gave advice and helped with important tasks. He continued this work at the Foreign Office, which deals with other countries.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

David Lidington first tried to become an MP in 1987 but was not successful.

Representing Aylesbury

In 1990, he was chosen to be the Conservative candidate for Aylesbury. This area was known for usually voting Conservative. He became the MP for Aylesbury in the 1992 general election.

In Parliament, he worked on different committees, including one about education. In 1994, he helped pass a new law about chiropractors.

He joined the main team of Conservative MPs in 1994. He worked closely with important ministers like the Home Secretary. When the Conservatives were not in power, he worked for the Leader of the Opposition, William Hague. He later became a "Shadow Minister," which means he was in charge of an area for the opposition party, like a practice minister. He was a Shadow Home Affairs Minister and then a Shadow Financial Secretary.

Joining the Shadow Cabinet

In 2002, David Lidington became a member of the Shadow Cabinet. This is a group of senior MPs from the main opposition party who act as a "shadow government." He was the Shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Later, he became the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. He continued in this role when David Cameron became the leader of the Conservative Party. In 2007, he became a Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Key Government Roles

After the 2010 general election, David Lidington was made Minister for Europe. This meant he was in charge of the UK's relationship with European countries. He held this job for six years. In 2016, he received an award called a CBE for his work as European Minister.

In 2013, some people in his local area were unhappy when he did not vote on a new high-speed rail project called HS2. This project was planned to go through his constituency.

On 7 December 2016, when he was the Leader of the House of Commons, he stood in for Prime Minister Theresa May during a special question time called PMQs. This is when MPs ask questions to the Prime Minister.

Working with Theresa May

Under Prime Minister Theresa May, David Lidington was given important roles. He was the Leader of the House of Commons, which means he helped manage the daily business of Parliament. He was also the Lord President of the Council.

In June 2017, he was promoted to Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor. These are very senior jobs in the government, dealing with laws and the justice system.

On 8 January 2018, he became the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office. These roles meant he worked very closely with the Prime Minister and helped manage the government's work. Many news outlets called him Theresa May's "de facto Deputy Prime Minister," meaning he was like her main assistant. However, he said he did not want to be Prime Minister himself.

In July 2019, David Lidington resigned from the government. He was later given another award, a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, for his public service.

During the 2019 Conservative leadership election, he supported Matt Hancock and Rory Stewart. In the final stage, he supported Jeremy Hunt.

In October 2019, David Lidington announced he would not seek to be an MP again in the next general election. He officially stepped down as the MP for Aylesbury on 6 November 2019.

Personal Life

David Lidington is married to Helen and they have four sons. He was raised in a church called the Congregationalist church, but he is now an Anglican (a member of the Church of England).

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David Lidington facts for kids

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