# Roger Berry > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Roger_Berry > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Roger_Berry.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Berry > Source revision: 1347270374 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|British politician (born 1948)}} {{For|the American figure skater|Roger Berry (figure skater)}} {{Use British English|date=October 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Roger Berry | honorific_suffix = | image = | office = [Member of Parliament](/source/Member_of_Parliament_(United_Kingdom))
for [Kingswood](/source/Kingswood_(UK_Parliament_constituency)) | parliament = | predecessor = [Robert Hayward](/source/Robert_Hayward%2C_Baron_Hayward) | successor = [Chris Skidmore](/source/Chris_Skidmore) | term_start = 9 April 1992 | term_end = 12 April 2010 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|7|4|df=y}} | birth_place = [Huddersfield](/source/Huddersfield), [West Yorkshire](/source/West_Yorkshire), England | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = Alison Delyth | party = [Labour](/source/Labour_Party_(UK)) | relations = Ruth Berry {{small|(Mother)}} | children = | alma_mater = [University of Bristol](/source/University_of_Bristol)
[University of Sussex](/source/University_of_Sussex) | occupation = | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Roger Leslie Berry''' (born 4 July 1948) is a British [Labour Party](/source/Labour_Party_(UK)) politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for [Kingswood](/source/Kingswood_(UK_Parliament_constituency)) from the [1992 general election](/source/1992_United_Kingdom_general_election) until his defeat at the [2010 general election](/source/2010_United_Kingdom_general_election). ==Early life== Roger Berry was born in 1948 in [Huddersfield](/source/Huddersfield) and educated at the Dalton County Primary School in Huddersfield; [Huddersfield New College](/source/Huddersfield_New_College); the [University of Bristol](/source/University_of_Bristol), where he obtained a BSc in Economics in 1970; and the [University of Sussex](/source/University_of_Sussex) where he was awarded a DPhil in Economics in 1977.{{cite web|url=http://www.rogerberrymp.co.uk/7eb7b953-ac58-4b24-295b-d11e39ce10ed |title=Roger Berry MP – Biography |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617214632/http://www.rogerberrymp.co.uk/7eb7b953-ac58-4b24-295b-d11e39ce10ed |archivedate=17 June 2008 }} Berry lectured in Economics at the [School of African and Asian Studies](/source/School_of_Oriental_and_African_Studies) in London from 1973–4; Institute of Development Studies at the [University of Sussex](/source/University_of_Sussex) from 1973–4; the [University of Papua New Guinea](/source/University_of_Papua_New_Guinea) from 1974–8; and the University of Bristol from 1978–92. He was elected as a councillor to the [Avon County Council](/source/Avon_County_Council) in 1981, becoming the deputy in 1985 and the Labour group leader from 1986–92; he stood down from the council in 1993. ==Parliamentary career== Berry contested [Weston-super-Mare](/source/Weston-super-Mare_(UK_Parliament_constituency)) at the [1983 general election](/source/1983_United_Kingdom_general_election) but was defeated by [Jerry Wiggin](/source/Jerry_Wiggin). Berry also unsuccessfully fought the seat of [Bristol](/source/Bristol_(European_Parliament_constituency)) for the [European Parliament](/source/European_Parliament) in [1984](/source/1984_European_Parliament_election_in_the_United_Kingdom). Berry was selected to contest the marginal seat of Kingswood at the [1987 general election](/source/1987_United_Kingdom_general_election) but was defeated by Conservative [Robert Hayward](/source/Robert_Hayward%2C_Baron_Hayward) by over 4,000 votes. Berry again contested Kingswood against Hayward at the [1992 general election](/source/United_Kingdom_general_election) and this time was victorious, winning the seat with a majority of 2,370. He made his [maiden speech](/source/maiden_speech) on 10 June 1992. Berry was a frequent "rebel" against the Labour government after 1997. He was a Member of the [Trade and Industry Committee](/source/Trade_and_Industry_Committee_(House_of_Commons)). On 17 January 2007, he criticised the government for halting a corruption inquiry into [arms sales to Saudi Arabia](/source/Al_Yamamah), saying it would do irreparable damage to Britain's reputation.{{cite news | title = Watchdog chief warns Saudi arms probe 'must be re-opened' | date = 17 January 2007 | url = http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23382130-details/Watchdog%20chief%20warns%20Saudi%20arms%20probe%20'must%20be%20re-opened'/article.do | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130506155801/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23382130-details/Watchdog%20chief%20warns%20Saudi%20arms%20probe%20'must%20be%20re-opened'/article.do | url-status = dead | archive-date = 6 May 2013 | publisher = Evening Standard }} In December 2007 Berry added his name to a petition to save the threatened [Cadbury's Somerdale Factory](/source/Somerdale_Factory) from demolition.{{cite news | title = Save Our Somerdale | date = 13 December 2007 | url = http://www.saveoursomerdale.co.uk/viewPetition/ | publisher = Thinking Differently Ltd | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080407210624/http://www.saveoursomerdale.co.uk/viewPetition/ | archivedate = 7 April 2008 | df = dmy-all }} Early on in his parliamentary career, Berry became known as a [disability rights](/source/disability_rights) activist, and was Secretary and Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Disability Group. Berry lost his seat to [Conservative Party](/source/Conservative_Party_(United_Kingdom)) candidate [Chris Skidmore](/source/Chris_Skidmore) in the [2010 general election](/source/2010_United_Kingdom_general_election).{{cite news | title = Election 2010-Constituency:Kingswood | date = 6 May 2010 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/election2010/results/constituency/c47.stm | publisher = BBC | access-date = 7 May 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100510042935/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/election2010/results/constituency/c47.stm | archive-date = 10 May 2010 | url-status = live }} The seat was not very high among the Tory targets, and his defeat was the result of a swing of nearly 10% in favour of the Tories, with Labour Party officials blaming the result on a restructuring of constituency boundaries which were seen to favour the Tory vote.{{cite news |url=http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Upset-Berry-loses-Kingswood/article-2128438-detail/article.html |title=Roger Berry ousted in Kingswood in huge vote swing to Tories | Bath News |publisher=This is Bath |date=7 May 2010 |accessdate=4 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100512131411/http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Upset-Berry-loses-Kingswood/article-2128438-detail/article.html |archive-date=12 May 2010 |url-status=live }} After losing his seat, Berry became a trustee of the charity Disability Rights UK{{cite web |url=http://disabilityrightsuk.org/about-us/our-team/trustees |title=Trustees |publisher=Disability Rights UK |accessdate=30 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809200051/http://disabilityrightsuk.org/about-us/our-team/trustees |archive-date=9 August 2014 |url-status=live }} and served as chair of the Avon and Bristol Law Centre. ==Personal life== He married Alison Delyth in December 1996 in [Pontypridd](/source/Pontypridd). ==References== {{reflist}} == External links == * [http://www.rogerberrymp.co.uk/ Website of Roger Berry MP] * {{Hansard-contribs | dr-roger-berry | Roger Berry }} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20010619165609/http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-396,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle: Roger Berry MP] * [https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/roger_berry/kingswood TheyWorkForYou.com – Roger Berry MP] * [http://publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Roger_Berry&mpc=Kingswood The Public Whip – Roger Berry MP] voting record * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/349.stm BBC Politics page] ===News items=== * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk/2000/budget2000/672004.stm 2000 Budget] {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Roger}} Category:1948 births Category:Living people Category:Politics of Bristol Category:Politics of South Gloucestershire District Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Category:Councillors in South West England Category:UK MPs 1992–1997 Category:UK MPs 1997–2001 Category:UK MPs 2001–2005 Category:UK MPs 2005–2010 Category:British disability rights activists Category:People from Huddersfield Category:Alumni of the University of Sussex Category:Academic staff of the University of Papua New Guinea Category:People educated at Huddersfield New College Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Roger Berry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Berry) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Berry?action=history)). 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