WELL KNOWN FOR... being banished from standing
as a Conservative MP by Michael Howard at the last General Election -
even though he was a sitting MP. A few weeks before that election Mr Flight had been secretly recorded
at a Conservative Way Forward meeting and appeared to imply that the
Conservative Party could make deeper spending and tax cuts than had been suggested by the party leadership. Michael Howard - who according to his wife has no
fuse to his temper - reacted furiously
and withdrew the party whip. Howard Flight had embarrassed the party
leadership once before - when IDS was party leader - when he talked
loosely about cuts of 20% in public sector fat.
CONSERVATIVE PARTY HISTORY...
Was an MP for Arundel and South Downs from 1997 until 2005. As a
frontbencher his service included Shadow Paymaster General to 2002 and
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. His wife Christabel was a
significant fundraiser for the Conservative Party.
SPECIALIST AREAS... Europe, economics and finance. Howard Flight was joint founder and managing director of Guinness Flight.
DID YOU KNOW...? Mr Flight is a chain-smoker.
MAIN STRENGTHS... A Conservative politician who is deeply committed to a smaller state and a more independent, self-governing Britain.
IDEAL CONSTITUENCY... Folkestone and Hythe? There's now a vacancy!
MORE INFORMATION...
- Howard Flight is back (ToryDiary).
- Globalisation Institute (of which HF is now Chairman of the Advisory Board).
- Wikipedia profile.
WOULD HOWARD BE ON YOUR GOLDLIST?
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VOTING IN THIS SURVEY HAS NOW CLOSED. 170 VOTES WERE RECEIVED. 40% WERE IN FAVOUR OF HOWARD FLIGHT JOINING THE GOLDLIST. 56% WERE AGAINST. 4% DIDN'T KNOW.