[100], He is the Chair of the All-Party Britain-Republic of Korea Parliamentary Group (APPG). He consistently voted against the Iraq War between 2002-2003, and has also voted to keep close working relationships with the European Union since 2010. He was his school’s captain between the year 1983-1984. MP for Kingston & Surbiton. [86] He was also criticised by Left-wing figures such as Green MP for Brighton Pavilion Caroline Lucas over for his support of fracking,[87] and by the Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party Ed Miliband for Davey's warning that Labour's price control policy would cause blackouts.
This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. [66] Abroad, Davey promoted investment in the British energy sector by foreign companies including from Japan, South Korea, and China, making significant diplomatic trips to the latter two countries in order to highlight investment opportunities. [12], During his adolescence, he worked at Pork Farms pork pie factory and at Boots.
Sir Ed is quadrilingual - meaning he can speak four different languages. [95][96], At the 2015 general election, Davey was defeated by Conservative candidate James Berry by 2,834 votes after the Liberal Democrat vote fell by over 15% in Kingston & Surbiton. [117] In 2012, Davey predicted the coalition government would be more pro-European Union than Tony Blair's Labour government, praising Conservative ministers and the then Prime Minister David Cameron for relations they had developed with European counterparts. [118] Retrospectively, Davey said of the coalition in 2017: “I think the coalition government, when history looks at it, will go down as actually a pretty good government.”[119] In 2017, Davey warned against a Conservative Party proposal for fines on large internet companies who fail to remove extremist and terrorist material from their platforms within 24 hours, which he claimed could lead to censorship if companies are forced to rush and pointed to Germany as an example of where this approach has the potential to lead to censorship.
[89] In 'The Liberal Democrats and supply-side economics', published in an issue of the Institute of Economic Affairs' Economic Affairs journal, Davey was identified as the Liberal Democrat who had achieved the most in terms of supply-side reforms. [44][45][46][47][48] He was involved in the provisional application phase of the Free Trade Agreement between the EU and South Korea. The controversy then spread when Prime Minister David Cameron's official spokesman told a reporter that people may wish to "consider" advice by charities to wrap up warmly, leading to media outlets reporting that Number 10 was also suggesting wearing jumpers to cut energy bills, with the supposed suggestion being seized upon by the opposition Labour Party. [57] As Secretary of State Davey also became a member of the National Security Council. "[143], In another change of view upon becoming leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, Ed Davey no longer supports the United Kingdom rejoining the European Union, describing the idea that people would want to consider re-joining the EU in two or three years time as "being for the birds", and has pledged that the Liberal Democrat Party will not campaign to rejoin the EU.[144][145]. [30][31], In an article for the Financial Times in 2007, Davey and LSE economist Tim Leunig proposed replacing the current system of local council planning permissions with community land auctions through sealed bids.
In 2010, after the Liberal Democrats entered into a coalition government with the Conservative Party, Davey served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs from 2010 to 2012. In the summer of 2005, Davey married Emily Gasson who was the Lib Dem candidate for North Dorset at the general election that year. [27] The legislation was successfully repealed in March.