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Densmore Ronald Dover | |
|---|---|
| Member of the European Parliament forNorth West England | |
| In office 10 June 1999 – 4 June 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Nick Griffin |
| Member of Parliament for Chorley | |
| In office 3 May 1979 – 8 April 1997 | |
| Preceded by | George Rodgers |
| Succeeded by | Lindsay Hoyle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1938-04-04)4 April 1938 (age 87) Stockton Heath,Cheshire, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | Manchester University |
| Profession | Civil Engineer |
Densmore Ronald Dover (born 4 April 1938) is a British politician. Representing theConservative Party, he was theMember of Parliament (MP) for the constituency ofChorley from 1979 to 1997. He then served as aMember of the European Parliament (MEP) for the region ofNorth West England, from 1999 to 2009.
He was forced to resign the position of Chief Whip, before being expelled from the party, over investigations into his expenses, and stood down from the European Parliament at the2009 European Elections.
Dover was born inStockton Heath,Cheshire. Educated at King George V School, Southport until transferring toManchester Grammar School where he won the bowling prize atcricket. Dover gained a First Class Honours degree inCivil Engineering atManchester University.
Dover worked in theconstruction industry across Europe, working forJohn Laing plc,George Wimpey, and as Chief Executive for theNational Building Agency. Dover was latterly Director of Housing Construction with theGreater London Council, before entering politics on a full-time basis when he became an MP.
Dover is married to Kathleen, with a son and a daughter, Amanda. He plays cricket,golf andhockey.
Dover served on theLondon Borough of Barnet Council, and was a Member of its Education, Finance and Public Works Committees. He stood unsuccessfully for Parliament atCaerphilly inOctober 1974, being beaten byLabour'sFred Evans.
Dover served as the ConservativeMember of Parliament forChorley, from May 1979 to April 1997, until he was defeated by Labour candidateLindsay Hoyle, a futureSpeaker of the House of Commons.
Dover was first elected to theEuropean Parliament in 1999, and was re-elected in June 2004.
Dover resigned as ConservativeChief Whip in the European Parliament on 6 June 2008. The revelation that forced the resignation was that over nine years he had paid his wife and daughter £750,000 from public funds. (This came after theConservatives' Leader in Europe,Giles Chichester, resigned because he put large sums of money for secretarial and office work through the account of a company of which he was a paid director.)
Dover was forced to resign by acting Conservative MEP Leader,Philip Bushill-Matthews, who had been appointed only a day prior. Dover was replaced as Conservative Chief Whip byRichard AshworthMEP.[1]
An inquiry by the European Parliament found him guilty of aconflict of interest, and he was ordered to repay £500,000 of the expenses. The Parliament's ruling lead to Dover being expelled from the Conservative Party.[2]
Dover's case was passed to theEuropean Anti-Fraud Office for investigation. Dover stood down from the European Parliament at the2009 European Elections. This ruling was later annulled in March 2011. Dover was not required to repay any expenses. Both the EU parliament and Dover were required bear their own costs.[3]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forChorley 1979 –1997 | Succeeded by |
| European Parliament | ||
| New constituency | Member of European Parliament forNorth West England 1999 –2009 | Succeeded by |
