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Neil Parish
Neil Quentin Gordon Parish (born 26 May 1956) is a British farmer and former politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Tiverton and Honiton from 2010 until his resignation in 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he was previously a member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South West England from 1999 to 2009. Parish chaired the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee from 2015 until his resignation from the House of Commons.
In April 2022, Parish had the Conservative party whip suspended pending an investigation into allegations that he had watched pornography in the Commons chamber during a debate. After admitting to the allegations, he resigned as an MP. His departure triggered a by-election held on 23 June, which was won by the Liberal Democrat candidate, Richard Foord.
Neil Quentin Gordon Parish was born in Bridgwater, Somerset, on 26 May 1956. Parish attended Brymore School, a local authority-run agricultural boarding school at Cannington near Bridgwater. In 1972, he left school at 16 to manage the family farm.
Parish began his career in politics in local government, serving from 1983 to 1995 as Councillor, Sedgemoor District Council; 1989–95 as Deputy leader, Sedgemoor District Council; 1989–93 as Councillor, Somerset County Council. In the 1997 general election, he contested Torfaen, a safe Labour seat in South Wales. Incumbent MP Paul Murphy defeated him by 24,536 votes.
Parish was elected to the European Parliament for the South West England region in the 1999 election. He was re-elected in 2004 on the top of the Conservatives' party list.
Parish acted as an election monitor during the 2000 Zimbabwean parliamentary election and criticised the conduct of Robert Mugabe's government. During the 2008 Presidential election, Neil Parish called on the British Government to reject the legitimacy of ZANU-PF and to recognise Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai party as the democratically elected Government of Zimbabwe. Parish was banned from re-entering Zimbabwe after voicing his criticism.
For his entire career in the European Parliament, he was a member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. From January 2007 to July 2009 he was chairman of that committee. In December 2001, he was appointed Conservative spokesman on agriculture and he was also the delegation's deputy chief whip. He was instrumental in setting up the year-long European Parliament's public inquiry into the 2007 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak, and he was also a member of the European Parliament's inquiry into the collapse of Equitable Life. He also served as a substitute member of the Committee on Fisheries.[citation needed]
During his time as chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, it was reported that David Miliband, at the time the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, had described Neil Parish as a "Rottweiler" for his dogged persistence.
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Neil Parish
Neil Quentin Gordon Parish (born 26 May 1956) is a British farmer and former politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Tiverton and Honiton from 2010 until his resignation in 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he was previously a member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South West England from 1999 to 2009. Parish chaired the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee from 2015 until his resignation from the House of Commons.
In April 2022, Parish had the Conservative party whip suspended pending an investigation into allegations that he had watched pornography in the Commons chamber during a debate. After admitting to the allegations, he resigned as an MP. His departure triggered a by-election held on 23 June, which was won by the Liberal Democrat candidate, Richard Foord.
Neil Quentin Gordon Parish was born in Bridgwater, Somerset, on 26 May 1956. Parish attended Brymore School, a local authority-run agricultural boarding school at Cannington near Bridgwater. In 1972, he left school at 16 to manage the family farm.
Parish began his career in politics in local government, serving from 1983 to 1995 as Councillor, Sedgemoor District Council; 1989–95 as Deputy leader, Sedgemoor District Council; 1989–93 as Councillor, Somerset County Council. In the 1997 general election, he contested Torfaen, a safe Labour seat in South Wales. Incumbent MP Paul Murphy defeated him by 24,536 votes.
Parish was elected to the European Parliament for the South West England region in the 1999 election. He was re-elected in 2004 on the top of the Conservatives' party list.
Parish acted as an election monitor during the 2000 Zimbabwean parliamentary election and criticised the conduct of Robert Mugabe's government. During the 2008 Presidential election, Neil Parish called on the British Government to reject the legitimacy of ZANU-PF and to recognise Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai party as the democratically elected Government of Zimbabwe. Parish was banned from re-entering Zimbabwe after voicing his criticism.
For his entire career in the European Parliament, he was a member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. From January 2007 to July 2009 he was chairman of that committee. In December 2001, he was appointed Conservative spokesman on agriculture and he was also the delegation's deputy chief whip. He was instrumental in setting up the year-long European Parliament's public inquiry into the 2007 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak, and he was also a member of the European Parliament's inquiry into the collapse of Equitable Life. He also served as a substitute member of the Committee on Fisheries.[citation needed]
During his time as chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, it was reported that David Miliband, at the time the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, had described Neil Parish as a "Rottweiler" for his dogged persistence.