Laurence Robertson MP

                    Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury

 

 

 

 

Personal

 

 

 

I was born in 1958 in Bolton, Lancashire. My father was a colliery electrician and my mother an office worker. They and their families had always been Labour supporters!  

 

I went to an ordinary primary school, where my closest friend was Jim Cartwright, who became a successful playwright, having plays performed in the West End. After that, having unsuccessfully negotiated the 11-plus (my sister later passed!), I went to a Church of England secondary modern school, which I loved. It was there where I started to study political history, which eventually ended up shaping my life.

 

This was in the 1970s, which was a very turbulent time politically. In the early 70s, there were the miners’ strikes, the three-day week and electricity cuts. The early 70s also saw the worst days that Northern Ireland would experience in all of the Troubles.  And there were two General Elections in 1974, then the Lib-Lab pact from 1976, and, eventually, the Winter of Discontent in the winter of 1978-9, when the snow lay on the ground, the rubbish piled up and the dead were left un-buried.

 

At the age of 16 I went on to sixth form at the local grammar school, which had been attended by the World Cup winning footballer Alan Ball some years before, where I furthered my studies in political history. In my 20s, I passed a three year (day release) management course and then studied Law at night school and through a correspondence course. The true value of education hit me slightly late but at least I got there!

 

                                                                              

 

 

                                                                                  Next Page

 

 

 

                                                          

                                                     

At a Glance

 

 

 

 

Born: 1958, in Bolton, Lancashire.

 

Family: Father a Colliery Electrician, mother an office worker.

 

Educated: St James’s Secondary Modern School, Farnworth Grammar

School; Bolton Institute of Higher Education (part-time).

 

Previous Career :Worked in the textiles industry, then in charity fundraising.

 

Special Political Interests: Constitutional matters, European policy, economy, law & order, international development, Northern Ireland, the countryside.

 

Personal interests: Sport, especially golf, horse racing and riding; English history; the countryside.

 

 

 

 

In Detail