The Right Honourable Sir David Lidington KCB CBE
Official portrait, 2017
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 8 January 2018 – 24 July 2019
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Patrick McLoughlin
Succeeded by	Michael Gove
Minister for the Cabinet Office
In office 8 January 2018 – 24 July 2019
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Damian Green
Succeeded by	Oliver Dowden
Secretary of State for Justice Lord Chancellor
In office 11 June 2017 – 8 January 2018
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Liz Truss
Succeeded by	David Gauke
Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council
In office 14 July 2016 – 11 June 2017
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Chris Grayling
Succeeded by	Andrea Leadsom
Minister of State for Europe
In office 12 May 2010 – 14 July 2016
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Chris Bryant
Succeeded by	Alan Duncan
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 forAylesbury
In office 9 April 1992 – 6 November 2019
Preceded by	Timothy Raison
Succeeded by	Rob Butler
Personal details
Born	David Roy Lidington (1956-06-30)30 June 1956 (age 69) Lambeth, London, England
Party	Conservative
Spouse	Helen Parry ​ (m. 1989)​
Children	4
Alma mater	Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (BA, PhD)
Academic background
Thesis	The enforcement of the penal statutes at the Court of Exchequer c. 1558 - c.1576. (1988)

Sir David Roy LidingtonKCB CBE (born 30 June 1956) is a British former politician who was theMember of Parliament (MP) forAylesbury from1992 until2019. A member of theConservative Party, he served asChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster andMinister for the Cabinet Office from 2018 to 2019^[1] and was frequently described as beingTheresa May'sde facto Deputy Prime Minister.^[2][3]

Between 2010 and 2016, he served asMinister of State for Europe holding the position for the entirety ofDavid Cameron's premiership, a longer period than any of his predecessors. Theresa May appointed him to the cabinet for the first time in June 2016, where he held a number of roles includingLeader of the House of Commons, and the joint title ofLord Chancellor andSecretary of State for Justice.^[4] He resigned from the government on 24 July 2019, in anticipation of the appointment ofBoris Johnson as Prime Minister. He did not seek reelection in the2019 general election.^[5]

Born inLambeth,^[6] Lidington was educated atMerchant Taylors' Prep School and later atHaberdashers' Aske's Boys' School. He studied Modern History atSidney Sussex College, Cambridge.^[7] His PhD was entitledThe Enforcement of the Penal Statutes at theCourt of the Exchequer c. 1558 - c. 1576.^[8]

While at Cambridge, he was chairman ofCambridge University Conservative Association and Deputy President of theCambridge University Students' Union.^[9] He was the Captain of theSidney Sussex College, Cambridge team that won the 1979 series ofUniversity Challenge. The team also won the 2002University Challenge – Reunited "champion of champions" series for the show's 40th anniversary.^[10]

Lidington's early employment included posts withBP and theRio Tinto Group before being appointed in 1987 asspecial adviser to the then Home SecretaryDouglas Hurd. He moved to theForeign and Commonwealth Office in 1989 when Hurd was appointed Foreign Secretary.^[7]

In the1987 general election, Lidington stood unsuccessfully in theVauxhall constituency.

Lidington was selected as the Conservative candidate for the safe seat ofAylesbury in December 1990. He became the constituency's member of parliament at the1992 general election.^[11]

At Westminster, Lidington previously participated in the Education Select Committee and Conservative Backbench Home Affairs Committee. In 1994, he successfully promoted a Private Members Bill which became the Chiropractors Act 1994.

Lidington first joined the Conservative front bench team in August 1994, when he becameParliamentary Private Secretary to Home SecretaryMichael Howard. In June 1997, with the Conservatives in opposition, he becameParliamentary Private Secretary to Leader of the OppositionWilliam Hague. Two years later, in June 1999, he was promoted to become Shadow Home Affairs Minister (deputy toAnn Widdecombe). In September 2001, Lidington was promoted to become ShadowFinancial Secretary to the Treasury.^[12]

Lidington became a member of theShadow Cabinet in May 2002, replacingAnn Winterton asShadow Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (laterShadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) after she resigned. WhenMichael Howardwas elected Conservative Party leader in November 2003, Lidington becameShadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, but was not included as a member of the Shadow Cabinet.^[12]

In May 2005, Howard enlarged the Shadow Cabinet, granting Lidington the right to attend it again. He continued to serve as theShadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland underDavid Cameron. On 2 July 2007, was appointed as a Shadow Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.^[12]

In May 2009,The Daily Telegraph revealed Lidington had claimed nearly £1,300 for his dry cleaning and had also claimed for toothpaste, shower gel, body spray and vitamin supplements on his second home allowance.^[13] Lidington repaid the claims.^[13]

Lidington was also criticised by local newspaper theBucks Herald for claiming £115,891 in expenses in one year, almost double his salary.^[14]

Following the2010 general election, Lidington was appointedMinister for Europe.^[12] In August 2016 following the resignation ofDavid Cameron, Lidington was appointed a CBE in the2016 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours for his services to the government as European minister.

In November 2013, Lidington was criticised in an editorial of the local newspaper theBucks Herald after he abstained on votes on theHS2 rail project which will run through his constituency.^[15]

On 7 December 2016, when he was serving asLeader of the House of Commons, Lidington deputised for Prime MinisterTheresa May atPMQs^[16] questioned first-hand by theShadow Foreign Secretary,Emily Thornberry who also deputised, as per custom, forJeremy Corbyn on the day.

Under Prime MinisterTheresa May, Lidington was appointedLeader of the House of Commons andLord President of the Council. This was a position he held till 11 June 2017, when he was promoted to Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor.^[7] His appointment was criticised due to his record on LGBT rights, having opposed scrapping theban on 'promotion of homosexuality' in schools, as well ascivil partnerships.^[17] During the debate on thelegalisation of same-sex marriage he argued that "marriage was for the procreation of children" and that the "definition of marriage should not be changed without an extremely compelling case for doing so". He later said that he regretted voting against civil partnerships.^[18]

On 8 January 2018, during acabinet reshuffle, Lidington became theChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster andMinister for the Cabinet Office.^[19] Several media outlets subsequently referred to Lidington asTheresa May's de facto Deputy Prime Minister and a candidate for her succession.^[2][3][20] Despite this, Lidington said that he had 'no wish' to become Prime minister, stating thatTheresa May was 'doing a fantastic job'.^{[21][better source needed]} On 24 July 2019, Lidington resigned as Cabinet Office Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and on 10 September, he was appointed aKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath inTheresa May's resignation honours "for political and public service".^[22]

During the2019 Conservative leadership election, Lidington backedMatt Hancock andRory Stewart.^[23] At the final stage of the leadership election, he supportedJeremy Hunt overBoris Johnson.^[24]

Writing in his local newspaper, theBucks Herald, on 30 October 2019, Lidington said he was not planning to seek re-election at thenext general election.^[5] Lidington officially stepped down as the MP for Aylesbury on 6 November 2019.^{[citation needed]}

Lidington and his wife Helen^[25][26] have four sons.^[7] He was raised as aCongregationalist but is now anAnglican.^[17]

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