Trevor Skeet

Trevor Skeet
Trevor Skeet
Member of Parliament for North Bedfordshire
	In office; 1983-1997
Member of Parliament for Bedford
	In office; 1970-1983
Member of Parliament for Willesden East
	In office; 1959-1964
Personal details
Born	28 January 1918; Auckland, New Zealand
Died	14 August 2004 (aged 86)
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Gilling (m. 1958; died 1973); Valerie Benson (m. 1985)
Children	2
Education	King's College, Auckland; University of Auckland
Military career
Service	New Zealand Army; New Zealand Navy
Wars	World War II

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.^[1] Indeed, Skeet was one of only eight Conservative MPs who voted against Major's government more than 50 times.^[2]

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),^[3] with whom he resided in Milton Ernest, Bedfordshire until his death. He was knighted in 1986.

References

^ 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
^ Cowley, Philip; Norton, Philip (1999). "Rebels and rebellions: Conservative MPS in the 1992 Parliament". The British Journal of Politics and International Relations. 1 (1): 84–105. doi:10.1111/1467-856X.00005. S2CID 145515253. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
^ "Sir Trevor Skeet". The Independent. 18 August 2004. Retrieved 12 March 2024.

Lambert, Max (1991). Who's Who in New Zealand (12th ed.). Reed, Auckland. p. 583. ISBN 0-7900-01306.

External links

Guardian obituary
Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Trevor Skeet

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Maurice Orbach	Member of Parliament for Willesden East 1959–1964	Succeeded by Reg Freeson
Preceded by Brian Parkyn	Member of Parliament for Bedford 1970–1983	Constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for North Bedfordshire 1983–1997	Constituency abolished

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[1] ttps://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

[2] Cowley, Philip; Norton, Philip (1999). "Rebels and rebellions: Conservative MPS in the 1992 Parliament". The British Journal of Politics and International Relations. 1 (1): 84–105. doi:10.1111/1467-856X.00005. S2CID 145515253. Retrieved 26 March 2019.

[3] "Sir Trevor Skeet". The Independent. 18 August 2004. Retrieved 12 March 2024.

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