General Election - June 7th 2001
Robert Key
your local Conservative Candidate

…The Person - a personal message

When you elected me to represent you in Parliament, you lent me your sovereignty - and I believe I have used it well. I have been tried and tested in Government and Opposition, as Minister and backbencher. I have a common-sense approach to politics. I'm in it to get things done - and I'm in it for the long haul. Now I seek your support in renewing our partnership. My roots, my home and heart are in Salisbury. You know you can count on me. Please can I count on you?

Committed to you…
In a world of spin, power-politics and pressure groups, Robert has a fundamental belief in the importance of individual people as the building blocks of our community. Rob has served as a Minister under Margaret Thatcher and John Major in three different government departments - delivering national policies to local people. Rob believes public service is a duty and a privilege.

Your long-term local representative
Rob moved to Salisbury from Plymouth in 1947 - when he was two years old. He and his family have lived in Salisbury, Hamptworth, Woodfalls, South Newton and he now lives with Sue near the Rose and Crown in Harnham.

Connecting with you
Rob and Sue use the National Health Service. Their children were all educated in local schools. They both use the optimum mixture of transport - cars, trains, buses, taxis and walking. They understand the problems facing elderly people - Rob's mother used to live in Wilton, until she developed Alzheimers Disease. Rob and Sue pay Council Tax and Income Tax like everybody else - and they pay the full burden (very willingly) of seeing their two daughters through their final year at University. Before he was an MP, Rob was a teacher of economics - and he has always believed in the importance of politicians understanding the real world of wealth creation. Since 1994 he has been a Director of Hortichem, a small company in Amesbury, which distributes horticultural products all over the country.

Quality of life
Rob knows very well that there is more to life than work. As a child he messed about in boats on the River Avon in Salisbury and learnt about archaeology at Salisbury Museum, Old Sarum and Stonehenge. In his youth Rob was a keen sportsman - cricket, rugger, swimming and hockey were his sports. He coached rugger, cricket and athletics during his sixteen years as a teacher. Later he was Sports Minister. Locally, he is a Vice President and Patron of a number of cricket clubs and Salisbury Area Schools Athletic Association.

Rob and Sue have been married for 33 years. Their first child lived only a few days. He died of a random genetic abnormality. They now have a wonderful family. Adam (26) was a Chorister in Salisbury Cathedral. He is now married and works for a New York bank in the City of London. Robert and Sue's daughters went to Redlynch Primary School, Wilton Middle School and South Wilts Grammar School. Sophy (23) is a final year vet student and has been working on the foot-and-mouth crisis. Helen (22) graduates from Sheffield University this summer and next year starts a Post-Graduate teacher training course. Rob and Sue were both teachers, and Sue is a Governor of Harnham County Infants School and The Godolphin School. Rob attended Leaden Hall Kindergarten School (it took boys then), then Salisbury Cathedral School and Sherborne School, before winning an Exhibition to Cambridge. He taught at Loretto School in Edinburgh and Economics at Harrow School until he was elected to Parliament in 1983.

Rob learnt about music at Salisbury Cathedral School (though he was not a chorister), and he went on to be a Choral Exhibitioner at Cambridge University. He sang with the Monteverdi Choir, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and The Farrant Singers and now sings with the Parliament Choir at Westminster. Rob and Sue both love cooking and gardening. They used to keep sheep, goats, ponies, chickens and bantams. Animal welfare is important to them. They love buying, preparing and cooking wonderful local foods. Robert has written about music and cooking on his website.

Political Career
Rob has served on the Commons Select Committees on Education, Health and Defence. He was political assistant to Ted Heath and to Chris Patten. Margaret Thatcher appointed him a Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities in 1990. John Major made him a founder Minister at the Department of National Heritage in 1992, where he had responsibility for the arts, heritage, press, broadcasting, film industry, sport and tourism. He developed the National Lottery and took the legislation through the House of Commons. In May 1993 he was appointed Minister of Roads and Traffic. In 1997, William Hague appointed him Shadow Defence Minister.

Church...
Rob and Sue are Anglicans. They worship in Salisbury Cathedral where Rob is a steward. Rob believes that Christianity is a very political religion. He says he would find it impossible to make meaningful moral and ethical judgements without his religious beliefs.

…and State
Rob, whose wife is a Scot, believes in the strength of the United Kingdom in the world and the fundamental importance of the Army, Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. He is proud of Britain's heritage and constitution including the monarchy, and of the values and the language that Britain has given the world. The former British Empire and the current Commonwealth should be matters of pride. Rob regards as vandalism the destruction of the British Constitution by Tony Blair. He believes we now need a stronger England. Westminster has always been the English Parliament. The time has come for English MPs exclusively to cast votes on issues affecting only English constituencies.

Europe
Robert believes we should keep the peace and keep the pound. Twice in the Twentieth Century, British, Commonwealth and American citizens gave their lives to save Europe from itself. We need a strong association of independent nations, democratic and prosperous, not a federal European super-state. The UK is the fourth largest economy in the world and the most international. We do not need to take refuge in European economic and monetary union. What is the Euro for? Rob says that if he felt it would be in the UK's national interest to leave the European Union, he would not hesitate to say so - and act accordingly.

Rob says, "There's so much to be done in shaping the future of our country. I want to use my experience to make a difference, to represent what Salisbury people really care about."

You can see a further biography on Robert Key in the Actual Web Site. Click here.