NEW SHADOW DTI MINISTER

Rob Key joins John Whittingdale's Team

Iain Duncan Smith has appointed Robert Key MP as a Shadow Trade and Industry Minister to serve under Shadow Secretary of State John Whittingdale MP.

Rob Key has been a Shadow Defence Minister since 1997. In Margaret Thatcher's Government he was a Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities. Under John Major he was a Minister for National Heritage (now Culture) and for Transport.

Rob was elected MP for his home city of Salisbury in 1983. For sixteen years before that he taught Economics and Business Studies at Loretto School, Edinburgh and at Harrow School.

Since 1994 he has been a Director of, and latterly a consultant to Hortichem Ltd., an SME distributing horticultural products and based at Amesbury in his constituency. Hortichem is the UK trading name of ProAgro BV of Holland, itself a subsidiary of Mitsui Corporation of Japan.

Rob has also been Chairman of Agora Healthcare Services Ltd. and a consultant to the Swedish healthcare company Ortivus Ltd.

Rob said, "I am delighted to join the Conservative DTI team. It is easy for politicians to spend other people's tax money. It is fundamental to our national prosperity and quality of life that we encourage a vigorous wealth-creating sector in the UK - and that politicians don't stifle it by tax and regulation."

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e-mail: rob@robertkey.com