Tony Durant Explained

Sir Anthony Durant
Office:Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
Primeminister:Margaret Thatcher
Term Start:20 December 1988
Term End:25 July 1990
Predecessor:Michael Neubert
Successor:David Lightbown
Birth Date:9 January 1928

Sir Robert Anthony Bevis Durant (9 January 1928 – 18 February 2016), also known as Tony Durant, was a British Conservative Party politician.

Political career

Durant stood unsuccessfully for Rother Valley in the 1970 general election; the seat was retained by Labour's Peter Hardy. In 1971 Durant supported Margaret Thatcher's decision to end free school milk on the grounds that many children did not like it.[1]

He was the Member of Parliament for Reading North from 1974 to 1983. After Reading's constituencies underwent boundary changes, he was the Member of Parliament for Reading West from 1983 to 1997. During his time in the Commons, he acted as a Whip. Announced in the 1991 New Year Honours, he was knighted on 14 February 1991.

In 1994, he successfully campaigned for the lowering of the homosexual age of consent.[1] He retired from politics at the 1997 UK general election.[2]

Notes and References

  1. News: 24 February 2016 . Sir Anthony Durant, Tory MP – obituary . Daily Telegraph . 25 February 2016.
  2. Web site: Mr Anthony Durant . TheyWorkForYou.com . UK Citizens Online Democracy . 22 February 2010.