David Heathcoat-Amory
Encyclopedia
David Philip Heathcoat-Amory (born 21 March 1949) is a British
politician
, accountant
and farmer
. He was the Conservative
Member of Parliament
for Wells
from 1983 until he lost his seat in the 2010 general election.
Brigadier
Roderick Heathcoat-Amory
, MC
(son of Sir Ian Heathcoat-Amory, 2nd Baronet
) and the nephew of Harold Macmillan
's Chancellor of the Exchequer
Derick Heathcoat-Amory
. He was educated at Eton College
and Christ Church
, University of Oxford
, where he received an MA in PPE
. He was President of the Oxford University Conservative Association
, and was a contemporary of figures like John Redwood
, Robert Jackson
, William Waldegrave
, Edwina Currie
, Stephen Milligan
and Gyles Brandreth
. He qualified as an accountant in 1974 and joined Price Waterhouse
as a chartered accountant
. In 1980, he was appointed as the assistant finance director of the British Technology Group
where he remained until he was elected to Parliament
. He is also a farmer
.
seat at Brent South at the 1979 general election
but was defeated by the sitting Labour MP Laurence Pavitt
by 11,616 votes. He was elected to the House of Commons at the 1983 general election
for the Somerset
seat of Wells
, whose sitting MP Robert Boscawen
had decided to move to Somerton and Frome following boundary changes. He held the seat with a majority of 6,575.
In Parliament, he was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary
(PPS) to the Financial Secretary to the Treasury John Moore
in 1985, and was also the PPS to his successor from 1986 Norman Lamont. Following the 1987 general election
he became the PPS to the Home Secretary
Douglas Hurd
until he was promoted to the government of Margaret Thatcher
as an Assistant Government Whip
in 1988. He was promoted to become a Lord Commissioner to the Treasury and Government Whip in 1989. Later in the year he became the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment
, until moved by the new prime minister
John Major
in the same position at the Department of Energy
in 1990. He was appointed as the Treasurer of the Household (Deputy Chief Whip)
following the 1992 general election
and was the Minister of State
at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
in 1993. He was appointed as the Paymaster General in 1994 where he served until resigning from the government in 1996 over the single European currency
. He became a member of the Privy Council
in 1996.
In 1997, Heathcoat-Amory joined the shadow cabinet
of William Hague
as the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
, and was the Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
from 2000. He left the frontbench
on the election of Iain Duncan Smith
as the leader of the Conservative Party in 2001. He was a member of the Treasury
Select Committee from 2004 until he was briefly, in 2005, a spokesman on work and pensions
under the leadership of Michael Howard
, but returned to the backbenches
later in the year when David Cameron
became Conservative leader. He serves as the chairman of the all party group on the British Museum
; the vice chair of the group on astronomy
and space environment
; and the secretary of the group on boxing
.
From late 2001 until July 2003, Heathcoat-Amory was one of the two British parliamentary delegates to the Convention on the Future of Europe, which drafted the European Constitution. He is well known for his strongly Eurosceptic views
, and was through the work of the Convention a fierce opponent of the official drafts being prepared by the presidium of the Convention, criticising them as being too federalist.
Heathcoat-Amory has recently been targeted by the Power 2010
(a Lib Dem supporting pressure group) campaign as one of 6 MPs accused of "failing our democracy" and who "stand in the way of a reforming Parliament". Heathcoat-Amory lost his seat in the 2010 general election to the Liberal Democrat's Tessa Munt
with a 6.1% swing against. UKIP's Jake Baynes was requested by his party to stand down for the election owing to UKIP's policy of not standing a candidate in a constituency where there is already a committed Euro-sceptic. However, Baynes refused, claiming he was offering the public a service no other candidate was. Heathcoat-Amory party blamed the presence of a UKIP candidate on the ballot paper for his defeat during his speech after the result of the ballot was announced.
In June 2010, Heathcoat-Amory announced to his local party members that he would not be contesting the next general election.
that Heathcoat-Amory had charged the taxpayer for manure costing £380 over 3 years on expenses, under the controversial Additional Costs Allowance. In February 2010 it was revealed that he had been asked to repay a total of £29,691.93. The Times newspaper dubbed the scandal 'The manure parliament', singling out Heathcoat-Amory's claim.
In July 2010, Heathcoat-Amory placed his second home on the market for £1.5million. He and his wife intend to live in their primary residence in Hammersmith
.
, growing trees
and astronomy. He married Linda Adams on 4 February 1978 in north Hampshire
. They have a son and a daughter (born September 1988). His younger son, Matthew, committed suicide
at their second home in Perthshire
in 2001.
His nephew Edward Heathcoat-Amory writes for the Daily Mail
and has written for The Spectator
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
and farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
. He was the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Wells
Wells (UK Parliament constituency)
Wells is a county constituency centred on the city of Wells in Somerset. It elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first past the post voting system...
from 1983 until he lost his seat in the 2010 general election.
Education and professional life
David Heathcoat-Amory is the son of British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Roderick Heathcoat-Amory
Heathcoat-Amory Baronets
The Heathcoat-Amory Baronetcy, of Knightshayes Court in Tiverton in the County of Devon, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 21 March 1874 for the businessman and Liberal politician John Heathcoat-Amory. Born John Amory, he was the maternal grandson of John...
, MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(son of Sir Ian Heathcoat-Amory, 2nd Baronet
Heathcoat-Amory Baronets
The Heathcoat-Amory Baronetcy, of Knightshayes Court in Tiverton in the County of Devon, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 21 March 1874 for the businessman and Liberal politician John Heathcoat-Amory. Born John Amory, he was the maternal grandson of John...
) and the nephew of Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
's Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
Derick Heathcoat-Amory
Derick Heathcoat-Amory, 1st Viscount Amory
Derick Heathcoat-Amory, 1st Viscount Amory was a British Conservative politician. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1958 to 1960 and as Chancellor of the University of Exeter from 1972 to 1981.-Background and education:...
. He was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Christ Church
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, where he received an MA in PPE
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Philosophy, politics, and economics is a popular interdisciplinary undergraduate/graduate degree which combines study from the three disciplines...
. He was President of the Oxford University Conservative Association
Oxford University Conservative Association
The Oxford University Conservative Association, or OUCA is a student political organisation founded in 1924 whose members are drawn from the University of Oxford...
, and was a contemporary of figures like John Redwood
John Redwood
John Alan Redwood is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Wokingham. He was formerly Secretary of State for Wales in Prime Minister John Major's Cabinet and was an unsuccessful challenger for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 1995...
, Robert Jackson
Robert V. Jackson
Robert Victor Jackson is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was a Member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1984 and Member of Parliament for Wantage from 1983 to 2005, having been elected as a Conservative; however, he joined the Labour Party in 2005.-Early life:He was raised in...
, William Waldegrave
William Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill
William Arthur Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill, PC , is an English Conservative politician who served in the Cabinet from 1990 until 1997 and is a Life Member of the Tory Reform Group. He is now a life peer. Lord Waldegrave is also the Chairman of the Rhodes Trust and the Chairman of...
, Edwina Currie
Edwina Currie
Edwina Jonesnée Cohen is a former British Member of Parliament. First elected as a Conservative Party MP in 1983, she was a Junior Health Minister for two years, before resigning in 1988 over the controversy over salmonella in eggs...
, Stephen Milligan
Stephen Milligan
Stephen David Wyatt Milligan was a British Conservative politician and journalist. He held a number of senior journalistic posts until his election to serve as Member of Parliament for Eastleigh in 1992...
and Gyles Brandreth
Gyles Brandreth
Gyles Daubeney Brandreth is a British writer, broadcaster and former Conservative Member of Parliament and junior minister.-Early life:...
. He qualified as an accountant in 1974 and joined Price Waterhouse
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
as a chartered accountant
Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
. In 1980, he was appointed as the assistant finance director of the British Technology Group
BTG
BTG plc , a public limited company is an international specialty pharmaceuticals company that is developing and commercialising products targeting critical care, cancer, neurological and other disorders...
where he remained until he was elected to Parliament
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
. He is also a farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
.
Political career
Heathcoat-Amory contested the London Borough of BrentLondon Borough of Brent
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had a total population of 2,022. This rose slowly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 5,646 in the middle of the century. When the railways arrived the rate of population growth increased...
seat at Brent South at the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
but was defeated by the sitting Labour MP Laurence Pavitt
Laurence Pavitt
Laurence Anstice Pavitt was a Labour and Co-operative Party politician in the United Kingdom.Pavitt was a lifelong pacifist and a conscientious objector in the Second World War...
by 11,616 votes. He was elected to the House of Commons at the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
for the Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
seat of Wells
Wells (UK Parliament constituency)
Wells is a county constituency centred on the city of Wells in Somerset. It elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first past the post voting system...
, whose sitting MP Robert Boscawen
Robert Boscawen
Robert Thomas Boscawen is a retired British Conservative politician.-Background and education:The son of Evelyn Hugh John Boscawen, eighth Viscount Falmouth, of Tregothnan, near Truro, and a member of a very old Cornish family, Boscawen was educated at West Downs School and Eton College...
had decided to move to Somerton and Frome following boundary changes. He held the seat with a majority of 6,575.
In Parliament, he was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
(PPS) to the Financial Secretary to the Treasury John Moore
John Moore, Baron Moore of Lower Marsh
John Edward Michael Moore, Baron Moore of Lower Marsh PC is a British politician who was Member of Parliament for Croydon Central from February 1974 until 1992. During the Premiership of Margaret Thatcher he enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of government which culminated in him serving as...
in 1985, and was also the PPS to his successor from 1986 Norman Lamont. Following the 1987 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
he became the PPS to the Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
Douglas Hurd
Douglas Hurd
Douglas Richard Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, CH, CBE, PC , is a British Conservative politician and novelist, who served in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1979 and his retirement in 1995....
until he was promoted to the government of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
as an Assistant Government Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
in 1988. He was promoted to become a Lord Commissioner to the Treasury and Government Whip in 1989. Later in the year he became the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment
Secretary of State for the Environment
The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...
, until moved by the new prime minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
in the same position at the Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
in 1990. He was appointed as the Treasurer of the Household (Deputy Chief Whip)
Treasurer of the Household
The position of Treasurer of the Household is theoretically held by a household official of the British monarch, under control of the Lord Steward's Department, but is, in fact, a political office held by one of the government's Deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons...
following the 1992 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
and was the Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
in 1993. He was appointed as the Paymaster General in 1994 where he served until resigning from the government in 1996 over the single European currency
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
. He became a member of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1996.
In 1997, Heathcoat-Amory joined the shadow cabinet
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
of William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
as the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the third most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet...
, and was the Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills is a cabinet position in the United Kingdom government. Its secondary title is the President of the Board of Trade...
from 2000. He left the frontbench
Frontbencher
In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically arranged in banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together. The spokespeople for each group will often sit at the front of their group, and are then known as being on the frontbench and are described as...
on the election of Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
as the leader of the Conservative Party in 2001. He was a member of the Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
Select Committee from 2004 until he was briefly, in 2005, a spokesman on work and pensions
Department for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
under the leadership of Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
, but returned to the backbenches
Backbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
later in the year when David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
became Conservative leader. He serves as the chairman of the all party group on the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
; the vice chair of the group on astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
and space environment
Space environment
Space environment is a branch of astronautics, aerospace engineering and space physics that seeks to understand and address conditions existing in space that affect the operation of spacecraft...
; and the secretary of the group on boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
.
From late 2001 until July 2003, Heathcoat-Amory was one of the two British parliamentary delegates to the Convention on the Future of Europe, which drafted the European Constitution. He is well known for his strongly Eurosceptic views
Euroscepticism
Euroscepticism is a general term used to describe criticism of the European Union , and opposition to the process of European integration, existing throughout the political spectrum. Traditionally, the main source of euroscepticism has been the notion that integration weakens the nation state...
, and was through the work of the Convention a fierce opponent of the official drafts being prepared by the presidium of the Convention, criticising them as being too federalist.
Heathcoat-Amory has recently been targeted by the Power 2010
Power 2010
Power 2010 was a campaign to reform the British Parliament.The campaign first aimed to identify five key reforms to the parliamentary system that the public most wanted to see enacted...
(a Lib Dem supporting pressure group) campaign as one of 6 MPs accused of "failing our democracy" and who "stand in the way of a reforming Parliament". Heathcoat-Amory lost his seat in the 2010 general election to the Liberal Democrat's Tessa Munt
Tessa Munt
Tessa Jane Munt is a British Liberal Democrat politician. She is the Member of Parliament for Wells in Somerset.-Political career:...
with a 6.1% swing against. UKIP's Jake Baynes was requested by his party to stand down for the election owing to UKIP's policy of not standing a candidate in a constituency where there is already a committed Euro-sceptic. However, Baynes refused, claiming he was offering the public a service no other candidate was. Heathcoat-Amory party blamed the presence of a UKIP candidate on the ballot paper for his defeat during his speech after the result of the ballot was announced.
In June 2010, Heathcoat-Amory announced to his local party members that he would not be contesting the next general election.
Expenses claims
On 12 May 2009, it was reported in The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
that Heathcoat-Amory had charged the taxpayer for manure costing £380 over 3 years on expenses, under the controversial Additional Costs Allowance. In February 2010 it was revealed that he had been asked to repay a total of £29,691.93. The Times newspaper dubbed the scandal 'The manure parliament', singling out Heathcoat-Amory's claim.
In July 2010, Heathcoat-Amory placed his second home on the market for £1.5million. He and his wife intend to live in their primary residence in Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
.
Personal life
He enjoys anglingAngling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
, growing trees
Arboriculture
Arboriculture is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants. It is both a practice and a science....
and astronomy. He married Linda Adams on 4 February 1978 in north Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. They have a son and a daughter (born September 1988). His younger son, Matthew, committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
at their second home in Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
in 2001.
His nephew Edward Heathcoat-Amory writes for the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
and has written for The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
.
Publications
- A Single European Currency: Why the United Kingdom Must Say No by David Heathcoat-Amory, 1996, Nelson & Pollard Publishing ISBN 1-874607-11-7
- A Market Under Threat: How the European Union Could Destroy the British Art Market by David Heathcoat-Amory, 1998, Centre for Policy StudiesCentre for Policy StudiesThe Centre for Policy Studies is a British right wing policy think tank whose goal is to promote coherent and practical public policy, to roll back the state, reform public services, support communities, and challenge threats to Britain’s independence...
ISBN 1-897969-74-0 - The European Constitution by David Heathcoat-Amory, 2003, CPS