David Rendel

David Digby Rendel (15 April 1949 – 16 May 2016) was a British politician for the Liberal Democrats. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Newbury from 1993 to 2005. He won the seat in a by-election in May 1993 caused by the death of Judith Chaplin, and he held it until his defeat at the 2005 general election to Conservative candidate Richard Benyon. At the time he lost his seat he was the Liberal Democrats' spokesman on Higher and Further Education. In September 2014, Rendel was selected as Liberal Democrat candidate in the 2015 general election for the seat of Somerton and Frome in Somerset; however, he lost to the Conservative candidate, David Warburton.

David Rendel
David Rendel at the Newbury declaration for the 2005 election
Member of Parliament
for Newbury
In office
6 May 1993 – 11 April 2005
Preceded byJudith Chaplin
Succeeded byRichard Benyon
Personal details
Born(1949-04-15)15 April 1949
Athens, Greece
Died16 May 2016(2016-05-16) (aged 67)
Berkshire, England
NationalityBritish
Political partyLiberal Democrats
Alma materMagdalen College, Oxford, St Cross College, Oxford

Early life

Rendel was born in Athens.[1] He was educated at Eton College, Magdalen College, Oxford, and St Cross College, Oxford, Rendel was a member of the winning University of Oxford boat race crew of 1974. After a gap year volunteering in Africa, he worked in the finance department of Shell Oil Company.

His father was a foreign correspondent for The Times, and he was a great-grandson of civil engineer Sir Alexander Meadows Rendel, and a great-great-nephew of Liberal MP Stuart Rendel.

Political career

Rendel fought and lost two elections in 1979 and 1983 at Fulham, before moving to Newbury in 1986, when his wife started work as a GP. He became a Newbury District Councillor from 1987 to 1995, and fought the Newbury seat unsuccessfully in the 1992 general election, gaining 37% of the votes.

He won the 1993 Newbury by-election with a large majority of 22,055, receiving 65% of the votes. He first came to national attention for supporting the Newbury bypass, and in 1999 stood in the election for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats, but came fifth of five candidates, with Charles Kennedy being elected.

Rendel held on to his seat in 1997 and 2001 with reduced majorities, but at the 2005 election he was defeated by the Conservative candidate, Richard Benyon.

Rendel was a directly elected member of the Liberal Democrats’ Federal Executive committee until 2014.[2]

In May 2006, Rendel was selected by local party members as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Newbury seat for the next election. At the general election in May 2010, he was again defeated by the sitting Conservative, Richard Benyon, whose majority grew to 21%.

After the election of 2010, Rendel was the only member on the party's Federal Executive to vote against the proposal that the party form a coalition government with the Conservatives.[3]

Death

Rendel died from cancer in Berkshire on 16 May 2016, aged 67.[1]

References
  1. Herring, John (17 May 2016). "Former MP for Newbury David Rendel dies". Newbury Today. Newbury, Berkshire. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  2. "Federal Executive". Liberal Democrats. Archived from the original on 23 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  3. Watt, Nicholas (11 May 2010). "David Cameron sacrifices inheritance tax policy to win Liberal Democrat deal". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Judith Chaplin		 Member of Parliament for Newbury
1993–2005		 Succeeded by
Richard Benyon
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