Andrew Duff | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the European Parliament forEast of England | |
| In office 10 June 1999 – 2 July 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Tim Aker |
| President of theUnion of European Federalists | |
| In office 11 October 2008 – 16 November 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Mercedes Bresso |
| Succeeded by | Elmar Brok |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1950-12-25)25 December 1950 (age 74) Birkenhead,Cheshire, England, UK |
| Political party | Liberal Democrat |
| Alma mater | Sherborne School St John's College, Cambridge |
Andrew Nicholas DuffOBE (born 25 December 1950) is a British politician who presided over theUnion of European Federalists (UEF) from 2008 to 2013. A member of theLiberal Democrats, he served as aMember of the European Parliament (MEP) for theEast of England from 1999 to 2014.[1]
He was educated atSherborne School andSt John's College, Cambridge.
He initially stood in the1984 European Parliament election, finishing third with 22.5% of the vote. In the1989 election he polled 8% of the vote, coming fourth, then in the1994 election he came third with 20%. The constituencies were largely representingCambridgeshire and at times parts ofBedfordshire.
With the electoral change to regionalparty-list proportional representation, he was first elected in the1999 European Parliament election when the Liberal Democrats won 12% of the regional vote,[2] and retained his seat in the2004 and2009 elections when they won 14% of the regional vote. He lost his seat in2014 when his party took less than 7% in the region.[3][4][5]
Between October 2008 and November 2013 Andrew Duff was president of theUnion of European Federalists (UEF). On 15 September 2010 Duff together with UEF initiated theSpinelli Group, which was founded to reinvigorate the strive for federalisation of the European Union (EU). Other prominent supporters are:Jacques Delors,Daniel Cohn-Bendit,Guy Verhofstadt,Elmar Brok.
He was a City Councillor inCambridge from 1982 to 1990 and was Vice-President of the Liberal Democrats from 1994 to 1997. At the1992 general election he stood against the then-Prime Minister,John Major, in theHuntingdon constituency, coming in third place with 12% of the vote. In October 2007 he joined theEuropean Council on Foreign Relations.[6]
He was awarded anOBE for services to politics in 1997.
