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David Wilshire
David Wilshire (16 September 1943 – 31 October 2023) was a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Spelthorne in Surrey from 1987 to 2010. Wilshire was considered to be to the right of the party's mainstream.
Wilshire introduced Section 28 legislation in 1988. In 2009 he was implicated in the parliamentary expenses scandal.
Wilshire was educated at Kingswood School, Bath, and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where he received an MA in Geography in 1965. He was a councillor on Wansdyke District Council from 1976 to 1987 and served as leader from 1981 to 1987. He was elected as councillor on Avon County Council from 1977 to 1981. He also worked for Conservative MEPs from 1979 to 1985.
As well as building up his own group of small businesses and working as a personnel officer and a schoolteacher, he was a partner with Western Political Research Services (1979–2000), the co-director of Political Management Programme, Brunel University (1985–1990), and became a partner of Moorlands Research Service in 2000.
Wilshire was separated with one son. In 1982 his daughter died, aged 12, after choking at school. His main home was in Somerset, where he lived with his partner Ann Palmer.
Shortly after being elected as an MP in 1987, Wilshire saw a copy of the book Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin, about two gay men and their daughter, a copy of which was stocked in an Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) teachers' resource centre. Wilshire said of it: "[The book] portrays a child living with two men ... [and] clearly shows that as an acceptable family relationship." As a result, with the support of Jill Knight, Wilshire introduced Section 28 as an amendment to the Local Government Bill at the committee stage. The amendment made it illegal for local authorities to "promote homosexuality or ... promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality".
Section 28 became a major political issue. In April 1988, a national demonstration of more than 30,000 was held in London. "Stop the Clause" groups sprang up in most cities, which organised local protests to complement national action. One evening, the BBC's Six O'Clock News headlines were disrupted by shouts of "Stop Clause 28!" and when the clause was debated in the Lords, protesting lesbians abseiled from the public gallery down to the floor of the House. The actor Ian McKellen described Wilshire and Knight as the "ugly sisters" of a political pantomime. In 2003, in a rare public speech about his role in Section 28, Wilshire stated: "Little did I realise what I was unleashing ... I got a fair amount of hate mail and a fair amount of publicity, most of it unflattering." He claimed that the bill had always been about misuse of taxpayers' money, and not bigotry.
The ban was eventually reversed by Parliament in 2003. Wilshire was one of 76 MPs to vote against the repeal.
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David Wilshire
David Wilshire (16 September 1943 – 31 October 2023) was a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Spelthorne in Surrey from 1987 to 2010. Wilshire was considered to be to the right of the party's mainstream.
Wilshire introduced Section 28 legislation in 1988. In 2009 he was implicated in the parliamentary expenses scandal.
Wilshire was educated at Kingswood School, Bath, and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, where he received an MA in Geography in 1965. He was a councillor on Wansdyke District Council from 1976 to 1987 and served as leader from 1981 to 1987. He was elected as councillor on Avon County Council from 1977 to 1981. He also worked for Conservative MEPs from 1979 to 1985.
As well as building up his own group of small businesses and working as a personnel officer and a schoolteacher, he was a partner with Western Political Research Services (1979–2000), the co-director of Political Management Programme, Brunel University (1985–1990), and became a partner of Moorlands Research Service in 2000.
Wilshire was separated with one son. In 1982 his daughter died, aged 12, after choking at school. His main home was in Somerset, where he lived with his partner Ann Palmer.
Shortly after being elected as an MP in 1987, Wilshire saw a copy of the book Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin, about two gay men and their daughter, a copy of which was stocked in an Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) teachers' resource centre. Wilshire said of it: "[The book] portrays a child living with two men ... [and] clearly shows that as an acceptable family relationship." As a result, with the support of Jill Knight, Wilshire introduced Section 28 as an amendment to the Local Government Bill at the committee stage. The amendment made it illegal for local authorities to "promote homosexuality or ... promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality".
Section 28 became a major political issue. In April 1988, a national demonstration of more than 30,000 was held in London. "Stop the Clause" groups sprang up in most cities, which organised local protests to complement national action. One evening, the BBC's Six O'Clock News headlines were disrupted by shouts of "Stop Clause 28!" and when the clause was debated in the Lords, protesting lesbians abseiled from the public gallery down to the floor of the House. The actor Ian McKellen described Wilshire and Knight as the "ugly sisters" of a political pantomime. In 2003, in a rare public speech about his role in Section 28, Wilshire stated: "Little did I realise what I was unleashing ... I got a fair amount of hate mail and a fair amount of publicity, most of it unflattering." He claimed that the bill had always been about misuse of taxpayers' money, and not bigotry.
The ban was eventually reversed by Parliament in 2003. Wilshire was one of 76 MPs to vote against the repeal.