David Rendel

David Rendel is the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Newbury. He is married to Sue, a Newbury GP, and they have three sons who were all educated at local schools. David is a keen environmentalist and a frequent cyclist. He is also well known for his commitment to animal welfare.

David was educated as a scholar at Eton College before spending 14 months as a volunteer teacher in Cameroon and Uganda with Voluntary Service Overseas. He then went to Oxford University where he gained a degree in Physics and Philosophy and rowed in the record-breaking Boat Race crew of 1974.

After leaving Oxford, David worked in the energy industry (Shell International, British Gas and Esso) as a manager in the computing and finance departments.

David was elected MP for Newbury in a by-election on 6 May 1993, with a majority of 22,055 - the largest Liberal or Liberal Democrat Westminster majority in history. He won again in the 1997 and 2001 general elections. As Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Higher and Further Education, David led the campaign against university tuition fees and top-up fees.

Previously, David was a front-bench spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats on local government (1993-97) and social security (1997-99) and served on the influential Public Accounts Committee (1999-2003). As social security spokesperson, he lead the largest rebellion of MPs of the Parliament, against Government plans to scrap single parent benefits. He also led opposition to benefit cuts for people with disabilities. He was the MP who first brought the SERPS fiasco to the attention of Ministers and asked the National Audit Office to investigate. As a result, the Government was forced to restore the pension entitlement of widows who were disadvantaged, at a cost of £12 billion.

As MP for Newbury, David was closely associated with successful campaigns for the Newbury By-Pass, the new West Berkshire Hospital, and a new cinema. In 2004, he introduced the Cinemas (Rural Areas) Bill in Parliament, calling for more support for local cinemas in rural communities and small towns.