Derek Conway - Member of Parliament For Shrewsbury and Atcham

Member of Parliament For Shrewsbury and Atcham

Conway was first elected to parliament for Shrewsbury and Atcham at the 1983 General Election, following the retirement of the long serving Conservative member for Shrewsbury, John Langford-Holt, securing a majority of 8,624.

In 1985 Conway became a member of the Agriculture Select Committee, and after the 1987 general election he joined the Transport Select Committee. In 1988 he was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Minister of State at the Wales Office, Wyn Roberts, serving until 1991.

Following the 1992 general election Conway became the PPS to Michael Forsyth, Minister of State at the Department for Employment. In 1993 Conway was promoted by John Major to serve as an Assistant Government Whip, the next year becoming a Lord Commissioner to the Treasury, or 'full whip'. He was again promoted within the Whips' Office when he became the Vice Chamberlain of HM Household in 1996.

Conway held the Shrewsbury and Atcham seat until he was defeated at the 1997 General Election, when the Conservative Party nationally lost more than half of the seats it had held before the election. He was beaten by Labour's Paul Marsden, whose majority was 1,670.

In his book titled The Political Animal, Jeremy Paxman recounts Conway's reflections on his defeat: "'Had it not been for James Goldsmith's intervention I'd have won. He died of pancreatic cancer,' he says, and then adds in the most chilling tone, 'I hear it's the most painful of deaths. I'm so pleased.'" After his defeat Conway became the chief executive at the Cats Protection charity.