Trevor Skeet
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox officeholder Sir Trevor Herbert Harry Skeet (28 January 1918 – 14 August 2004) was a New Zealand-born lawyer and a British Conservative Party politician.
Early life
Skeet was born in Auckland, New Zealand and was educated at King's College, Auckland and the University of Auckland. He served with the New Zealand Army and Navy during World War II. He was a barrister and solicitor at the Supreme Court of New Zealand and was called to the English Bar in 1947 by Inner Temple. He was a member of the Council of the Royal Empire Society.
Political career
Skeet first stood for Parliament in Stoke Newington and Hackney North in 1951 and Llanelli in 1955. He was elected Member of Parliament for Willesden East in 1959, losing the seat in 1964. He was then MP for Bedford 1970-83 and North Bedfordshire 1983–97. Ahead of the 1992 election, he survived a deselection attempt by his constituency party. In the 1992-1997 Parliament, Skeet rebelled frequently against John Major's ailing government, on issues such as the Maastricht Treaty; Skeet was a staunch Eurosceptic.<ref>https://www.academia.edu/10809077/Rebels_and_rebellions_Conservative_MPs_in_the_1992_Parliament,p.88. Retrieved 26 March 2019; https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1469555/Sir-Trevor-Skeet.html. Retrieved 26 March 2019</ref> Indeed, Skeet was one of only eight Conservative MPs who voted against Major's government more than 50 times.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Personal life
Skeet was first married to Elizabeth Gilling from 1958 to her death in 1973, and had two sons with her. He then married Valerie Benson in 1985 (later Lady Valerie Skeet),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with whom he resided in Milton Ernest, Bedfordshire until his death. He was knighted in 1986.
References
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External links
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- 1918 births
- 2004 deaths
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
- UK MPs 1959–1964
- UK MPs 1970–1974
- UK MPs 1974
- UK MPs 1974–1979
- UK MPs 1979–1983
- UK MPs 1983–1987
- UK MPs 1987–1992
- UK MPs 1992–1997
- University of Auckland alumni
- People educated at King's College, Auckland
- 20th-century New Zealand lawyers
- New Zealand emigrants to England
- New Zealand expatriates in England
- New Zealand military personnel of World War II
- New Zealand Knights Bachelor
- British Eurosceptics