Simon Henry Ward Hughes
(born 17 May 1951) is a British politician and Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for North Southwark and Bermondsey
. He currently holds the Liberal Democrat
Climate Change and Energy portfolio and was until recently
President of the Liberal Democrats. The party president chairs a
number of party committees and also represents the party at
official functions. He has twice
run unsuccessfully for the leadership of the party and was its
unsuccessful candidate for
Mayor of
London in the
2004
election.
Early life and pre-parliamentary career
Hughes was
born in Cheshire
, England and
partly brought up in Wales. He was educated at The Cathedral School,
Llandaff, Christ College, Brecon
, Selwyn College, Cambridge
where he graduated with a 2:1 in Law and the
College of Europe.
Hughes was
called to the bar (Inner Temple
) in 1974. He moved to Bermondsey
in 1981.
Bermondsey
Hughes was first elected to Parliament in the
Bermondsey by-election of 24
February 1983. The by-election was described by
Gay News as "the dirtiest and most notorious
by-election in British political history" because of the slurs
against the character of the
Labour candidate and gay rights campaigner
Peter Tatchell by various opposition
campaigners. The Liberal Campaign leaflet described the election as
a "straight choice", a standard campaigning slogan which was open
to misinterpretation. Hughes won the seat with 57.7% of the vote.
He apologised for the campaign in 2006, during the same few days
revealing his own homosexual experiences, and confirming that he is
bisexual after being outed by
The Sun newspaper.
Mr Hughes told the BBC's Newsnight programme: "I hope that there
will never be that sort of campaign again. I have never been
comfortable about the whole of that campaign, as Peter knows, and I
said that to him in the past ... Where there were things that were
inappropriate or wrong, I apologise for that."
In an apparent attempt to bring the controversy over the 1983
Bermondsey byelection to a close, Peter Tatchell formally endorsed
Simon Hughes for Lib Dem leader on 25 January 2006, saying: "Simon
Hughes is the best of the Lib Dem leadership candidates. If I was a
party member, he'd get my vote. I want to see a stronger lead on
social justice and green issues. Despite his recent drift to the
centre, Simon is the contender most likely to move the Liberal
Democrats in a progressive direction."
In the same statement, Tatchell added: "Since his election, Simon
has redeemed himself by voting for gay equality. That's all that
matters now. He should be judged on his policies, not his private
life.
The
election result in North Southwark &
Bermondsey in the 2005 general election was a poorer one for
Hughes than those he had achieved in previous battles. He
held the seat but the Labour Party saw a 5.9% swing in their
favour—the biggest swing to Labour anywhere in the UK.
When interviewed on
election night television by Jeremy Paxman, Hughes suggested that
the fall in his vote might reflect the unpopularity of Southwark
Council
, which has been controlled by the Liberal Democrats
since 2002.
Political and parliamentary career
As part of the
SDP-Liberal
Alliance, Hughes was spokesman for the environment from 1983 to
1988. Along with the majority of
Liberals, he joined the newly founded
Liberal Democrats in 1988,
acting as spokesman for education until 1992, then the environment
again until 1994, then health until 1997, and then home affairs
until 2003. He was the Liberal Democrat candidate in the
2004 Mayor of London elections
and came in third with 15.22% of the first preference vote.
In 1986 he with two other MPs
Archie
Kirkwood MP and
Michael
Meadowcroft MP and the
NLYL and other parts
of the party produced
Across the Divide: Liberal Values on
Defence and Disarmament. This was the rally call that defeated
the party leadership in the debate over the issue of an independent
nuclear deterrent. Many believe it was Simon Hughes speech that won
the day for the rebels by 23 votes.
On his
proudest achievement in parliament since 1997: "A young man called
Jamie Robe was kicked to death in Rotherhithe
in August 1998. Using my community links I
helped break the wall of silence, encourage witnesses to give
evidence, and secure convictions." Hughes had to receive police
protection following death threats linked to his advocacy for the
family of Jamie Robe. The episode became an ITV1 drama, with actor
Robin Kermode portraying Hughes.
Among other party offices, Hughes is Vice-President of the
Liberal Democrat Christian
Forum. He has also stated that "
the present constitutional
arrangements for making English decisions are unacceptable and need
to be changed"He is a member of the left-wing
Beveridge Group within the Liberal
Democrats.
Getting refugee status for Mehdi Kazemi
Simon Hughes was an important figure in the fight to grant a young
gay man,
Mehdi Kazemi, asylum so he
would not be deported to his homeland of Iran, which had executed
his boyfriend and almost certainly would have executed him. Mehdi
Kazemi thanked Hughes in a letter to people across the world who
fought to save his life: "I would like to say thank you to my local
MP, Mr Simon Hughes, and his team who gave me the chance to live
and made a miracle happen when he heard that my life was in serious
danger and asked the Home Office to suspend my deportation in
December 2006. I would not be here if it hadn’t been for his
intervention. He was here for me then and he was here for me again
when I was eventually sent back to the UK in April this year. I do
not know if I would have been granted my refugee status without
him."
Leadership election 2006
On 12 January 2006 Hughes announced his candidacy in the Leadership
Election triggered by the resignation of
Charles Kennedy. He had initially delayed
any announcement while carrying out Presidential responsibilities
in drawing up the timetable for the contest.
Speaking to reporters he said: "What I have to offer is my
ambition, enthusiasm and passion.... What I have to offer is my
experience over many years in Parliament and campaigning around the
country to motivate people to join us."
After revelation about Hughes' long rumoured sexuality, which came
four days after
Mark Oaten resigned from
the Liberal Democrat
front bench and
gave up on the leadership race, Peter Tatchell confirmed his view
that, despite the 1983 Bermondsey incidents: "I hope Simon is
elected as party leader because of all the contenders he is the
most progressive on human rights, social justice and environmental
issues."
Mr Hughes apologised after his
outing by
The Sun, saying "I gave
a reply that wasn't untrue but was clearly misleading and I
apologise.". He also admitted during the
Question Time leadership
candidate debate on
BBC1 on 9 February that he
hadn't handled the matter very well.
Andreas Whittam Smith characterised Mr
Hughes as a "shameless liar," and said he profoundly hoped that he
will fail in his attempt to lead the Liberal Democrats.
Simon Hughes campaigned under the
rubric of
'Freedom, fairness and sustainability.' His
manifesto was also released in
pdf format, and was available from his campaign
website. Of the three candidates in the contest, he
was generally considered the most
leftwing. For example, he said in his
manifesto that "Britain has become less, not more fair, in recent
years. Few people would have expected the Tories to deliver a fair
society. But more might have hoped that a Labour government would
deliver fairness.The reality has been bitterly disappointing.
Inequalities in health have increased under Labour, not
decreased."
The
campaign was marked by a series of
hustings around the UK.
One was held in
Edinburgh
where Hughes stressed his human rights and Green friendly background; another in
Manchester
, where Chris Huhne
rebutted criticism from Sir Menzies
Campbell that his call for a hike in petrol
duty would harm people living in rural areas dependent on using
their cars. The final
hustings was
held in London on 23 February 2006.
He said he was proud to have played some part in the success of the
LibDems across the country.
In the final result, Hughes came third in the ballot of party
members - with 12,081 votes - behind Campbell and Huhne.
In the autumn of 2007, as speculation over Ming Campbell's
leadership continued, Simon Hughes publicly criticised him in a
GMTV interview, stating he must do
better.
Personal life
Outside politics Hughes is a noted supporter of
Millwall football club,
which is based in his constituency. He also enjoys theatre, and
once appeared in a dance troupe on Top of the Pops. He is an active
Christian.
Hughes has never married, although in an interview with
The Daily Telegraph in
2006, he said he had been turned down by 'several women'. He also
denied persistent rumours about his sexuality, when asked if he was
gay, saying "The answer is no, as it happens, but if it were the
case, which it isn't, I hope that it would not be an issue." Two
days later, in an interview with
The
Independent he again denied that he was gay, and later in
an interview with
The Guardian
he repeated the denial.
However, on 26 January 2006, after
The Sun newspaper told
him that they had proof that he had used a gay chat service known
as 'Man Talk', Hughes admitted that in the past he had had
relationships with both women and men. He said he had revealed the
truth when it became apparent that not doing so was not stopping
rumours '[I] was overly defensive last week. That was a mistake. I
did it and I was trying to make sure that even in the circumstances
of potentially standing as leader of the party — or for high office
— that private life was private. It was clear even afterwards that
the question from colleagues and the press and elsewhere was not
going to go away.' He said his sexuality should not prevent him
becoming leader, saying, "It would be very sad if people who have
always been single or who are homosexual felt that their sexuality
prevented them from holding high office. I hope that my party and
the great majority of the British public would agree with
that."
"It is not just me. There are lots of people who have tried to keep
their private lives private. I wasn’t just doing it for me but for
many others who are in the same boat," said Mr Hughes.
Referring to his change from previous denials about his sexuality
and recent Liberal Democrat difficulties he said, "I hope that any
colleague in any party at any time who might not have been entirely
honest for good reason or who may have made a mistake is accepted
back at the right time." and also "I gave a reply that wasn't
untrue but was clearly misleading. I apologise." He confirmed to
PinkNews that he is
bisexual.
In an interview broadcast on the same day on
BBC Radio 5 Live, he was asked if he considered
quitting the race for leadership of his party, he replied: “Of
course. I considered also whether I should stand in the first
place. It is a balance I have always had to take."
See also
References
- It is not clear from Benjamin Cohen's cited article whether in
fact Simon Hughes or his unnamed spokesman (or perhaps both)
declared for bisexuality. At the end of paragraph 2 it is
stated This morning, Mr. Hughes confirmed to PinkNews.co.uk
that he is "bisexual," whereas the last paragraph of the
article states This morning, Simon Hughes' spokesman confirmed
to PinkNews.co.uk that Mr. Hughes is bisexual. Therefore, it is
likely that Mr Hughes will claim that he did not lie when he told
the Independent that he was not gay.
- No English parliament - Falconer,
BBC, 2006-03-10,
accessed on 2007-10-02.
- About us -The Beveridge Group 2007-10-28
- [1], UK Gay News, London, 2008-05-23,
accessed on 2008-05-24.
- The cited article quotes an unnamed Hughes volunteer on the
Bermondsey by-election campaign in 1983: "We were all happy to see
the kicking [Peter] Tatchell took over his sexuality, when every
one of us knew very well that Simon was gay, too."
- Peter
Tatchell reaffirmed his opinion on the leadership election
after Hughes's outing by
The
Sun. He said "it is time to forgive and move on. ....I am on
the left of the Green Party. I don't
support the Lib Dems, but if I was a member I would vote for Simon
as leader"
- page 31
- See also Stephen Glenn's Linlithgow Journal
- See also Suz Blog, Lib Dem leadership contenders clash on tax in final
pitch for votes, I get by with a little help from my Friends
(Meeting House), Lib dem leadership: London hustings, Linda's London Hustings, The Hustings of all Hustings, Lib Dem contenders in final bid
- Ming Campbell must do better
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