David Rendel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Rendel
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David Rendel at the Newbury declaration for the 2005 election
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| Member of Parliament for Newbury |
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| In office 6 May 1993 – 11 April 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Judith Chaplin |
| Succeeded by | Richard Benyon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 April 1949 Athens, Greece |
| Died | 16 May 2016 (aged 67) Berkshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford, St Cross College, Oxford |
David Digby Rendel (born 15 April 1949 – died 16 May 2016) was a British politician. He was a member of the Liberal Democrats political party.
David Rendel served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the area of Newbury. He was an MP from 1993 to 2005. He first won his seat in a special election in May 1993. This election happened after the previous MP, Judith Chaplin, passed away. He kept his seat until the 2005 national election. In that election, he lost to Richard Benyon from the Conservative Party.
When he lost his seat, David Rendel was the Liberal Democrats' spokesperson. He focused on topics related to colleges and universities. In 2014, he tried to become an MP again for a different area. He ran in the 2015 national election for Somerton and Frome. However, he lost to the Conservative candidate, David Warburton.
Early Life and Education
David Rendel was born in Athens, Greece. He went to Eton College, a famous school. Later, he studied at Magdalen College, Oxford and St Cross College, Oxford universities.
While at Oxford, he was part of the university's rowing team. He was in the winning Oxford crew for the famous boat race in 1974. After university, he spent a year volunteering in Africa. Then, he worked in the finance part of the Shell Oil Company.
His father, Sandy Rendel, was a special agent and a reporter for The Times newspaper. David Rendel also had famous relatives. He was a great-grandson of Sir Alexander Meadows Rendel, a civil engineer. He was also a great-great-nephew of Stuart Rendel, 1st Baron Rendel, who was an MP for the Liberal Party.
Political Journey
David Rendel first ran for election in 1979 and 1983 in the Fulham area. He did not win either of those elections. In 1986, he moved to Newbury because his wife started working there as a doctor.
He became a local council member for Newbury District. He served as a Councillor from 1987 to 1995. He also ran for the Newbury MP seat in the 1992 national election. He didn't win that time, getting 37% of the votes.
Winning the Newbury Seat
In 1993, David Rendel won a special election in Newbury. He won by a very large number of votes, getting 65% of them. He became well-known for supporting the building of the Newbury bypass. This was a new road around Newbury.
In 1999, he ran to become the leader of the Liberal Democrats party. He was one of five candidates but came in fifth place. Charles Kennedy was chosen as the new leader.
David Rendel kept his MP seat in the 1997 and 2001 national elections. He won with fewer votes than before, but he still won. However, in the 2005 election, he lost his seat to Richard Benyon.
After Parliament
After losing his seat, David Rendel remained active in his party. He was a directly elected member of the Liberal Democrats' main committee until 2014.
In 2006, local party members chose him to run for the Newbury seat again. He ran in the 2010 national election. But he was again defeated by the sitting Conservative MP, Richard Benyon. Benyon won by an even larger number of votes this time.
After the 2010 election, the Liberal Democrats decided to form a government with the Conservatives. This is called a coalition government. David Rendel was the only member on his party's main committee who voted against this idea.
Death
David Rendel passed away from cancer in Berkshire, England. He was 67 years old when he died on 16 May 2016.
