TNAG-0366-FCO40-412-Visits-of-UK-Members-of-Parliament-to-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 144

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ANNEX E TO XCC(73)29

Biography:

Nicholas KIDLEY, M.P.

(Cirencester & Tewkesbury).

Nicholas Ridley was born in 1929.

He was educated at Balliol College Oxford where he took an Engineering Degree.

Mr Ridley did his National Service in Germany as an Infantry Officer. He held a commission in the Territorial Army for 14 years.

He is Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (a fully qualified civil engineer). He worked for 10 years with a firm of civil engineering contractors.

In November 1952 he was adopted for Blyth as Conservative candidate but was unsucessful in the General Election of 1955. He was re-ado ted in October 1955, but resigned in April 1959. He was a Rural District Councillor for three years. He was elected ... for the Cirencester and Tewkesbury constituency in 1959, and

has held the seat ever since.

After the General Election of October 1964, Mr Ridley dealt with power, defence, labour and trade for the Opposition at various times. He was a member of the Standing Committee which fought the Iron and Steel Bill in 1966 and the Prices and Incomes Bill of 1968. He was a delegate to the Council of Europe from 1962 until 1966.

Mr Ridley is the author of the CPC Pamphlet 'Government and the Arts' and also the One Nation Group Pamphlet 'One Europe'. He is a member of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts.

Following the Conservative General Election vistory of June 1970 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Technology. In the reconstruction of the Ministries in October 1970 he became Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry. He was given responsibility for small firms following the publication of the Belton report in November 1971. He held this position until April 1972.