Richard Spring
Encyclopedia
Richard John Grenville Spring, Baron Risby (born 24 September 1946) is a Conservative Party
politician in the United Kingdom
. He served as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Bury St Edmunds
from 1992 to 1997, and for West Suffolk
from 1997 to 2010.
at the 1983 general election
. He is currently a Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party responsible for business links in the City of London.
On 23 November 2009, Spring announced that he would stand down at the 2010 general election.
In December 2010 Spring was created a life peer
as Baron Risby of Haverhill
in the County of Suffolk
. He sits as a Conservative
in the House of Lords
.
, South Africa
where he attended Rondebosch Boys High School and Cape Town University. As a child he lived in the picturesque suburb of Fresnaye. He married the Honourable Jane Henniker-Major in 1979 in Westminster
. They divorced in 1993, having had two children.
He was widely reported to have enjoyed a three-in-a-bed romp with a friend and a Sunday School teacher in 1995.
He is a descendant of the Spring Baronets
and a distant relation of Kenneth Spring
and Dick Spring
.
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...
politician in the United Kingdom
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...
. He served as 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,...
(MP) for Bury St Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds (UK Parliament constituency)
Bury St Edmunds is a county constituency located in Suffolk and centred on the town of Bury St Edmunds. It elects one Member of Parliament to in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
from 1992 to 1997, and for West Suffolk
West Suffolk (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:- Notes and references :...
from 1997 to 2010.
Parliamentary career
He contested Ashton-under-LyneAshton-under-Lyne (UK Parliament constituency)
Ashton-under-Lyne is a constituency centred on the town of Ashton-under-Lyne that is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
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...
. He is currently a Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party responsible for business links in the City of London.
On 23 November 2009, Spring announced that he would stand down at the 2010 general election.
In December 2010 Spring was created a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Risby of Haverhill
Haverhill, Suffolk
Haverhill is an industrial market town and civil parish in the county of Suffolk, England, next to the borders of Essex and Cambridgeshire. It lies southeast of Cambridge and north of central London...
in the County of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. He sits as a 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...
in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
Personal life
Spring was born in 1946 in Cape TownCape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
where he attended Rondebosch Boys High School and Cape Town University. As a child he lived in the picturesque suburb of Fresnaye. He married the Honourable Jane Henniker-Major in 1979 in Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
. They divorced in 1993, having had two children.
He was widely reported to have enjoyed a three-in-a-bed romp with a friend and a Sunday School teacher in 1995.
He is a descendant of the Spring Baronets
Spring Baronets
The Spring Baronetcy, of Pakenham in the County of Suffiolk, is a title in the Baronetage of England.-History:The Spring family were major landowners in East Anglia between the late 15th and the early 18th centuries, when the family’s wealth and status began to go into decline...
and a distant relation of Kenneth Spring
Kenneth Spring
Lieutenant-Colonel Kenneth Arthur Spring OBE was a British soldier and artist. He was the son of Albert Spring, the headmaster of Alleyn’s Junior School, and the composer, Dorothy Spring. He was educated at Alleyn's School in London and Goldsmiths College, University of London...
and Dick Spring
Dick Spring
Richard "Dick" Spring is an Irish businessman and former politician. He was first elected as a Labour Party Teachta Dála in 1981 and retained his seat until 2002. He became leader of the Labour Party in 1982, and held this position until 1997...
.