Phillip Arthur Charles Lawrence Oppenheim (born 20 March 1956) is a British businessman and former politician.

Early life

Oppenheim was born in Lambeth in South London, in 1956. He is the son of former Conservative government minister Sally Oppenheim.

Education

Oppenheim was educated at Harrow School, in north-west London, and Oriel College, Oxford.

Political career

Oppenheim was unexpectedly elected with the largest swing in the 1983 election as the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Member of Parliament for the one time safe-Labour coal mining seat of

Amber Valley Amber Valley is a local government district and borough in the east of Derbyshire, England, taking its name from the River Amber. It covers a semi-rural zone with four main towns whose economy was based on coal mining and remains to some exte ...

. In the 1987 election he increased his vote share by over 10% in what was picked out by the election analysts David Butler and Robert Waller as being among a few "exceptional results" seen in "individual constituencies" in that election. He represented it until electoral defeat in the 1997 general election to Labour's

Judy Mallaber Clare Judith Mallaber (born 10 July 1951) is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Amber Valley from 1997 to 2010, when she lost her seat to the Conservative Party's Nigel Mills. Early life She was educate ...

. During his time in Parliament, Oppenheim served in various ministerial posts in the governments of

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

and John Major and was also the parliamentary aide to

Kenneth Clarke Kenneth Harry Clarke, Baron Clarke of Nottingham, (born 2 July 1940), often known as Ken Clarke, is a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 1992 to 1993 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1993 to 1997 as well as serving as de ...

, the former Chancellor. While in parliament, he was known for strong free-market and free trade as well as socially liberal views, including supporting animal welfare issues and opposing the sport of fox hunting. As a

Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or i ...

minister, he toughened restrictions on imports of endangered species and introduced tax breaks on less-polluting fuels, including LPG. As a trade minister, he resisted efforts by the fur lobby to loosen restrictions on imports of trapped fur. He was also in favour of an elected

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

. An expert on trade policy, Oppenheim wrote two award-winning books (''The New Masters'' in 1990 and ''Trade Wars'' in 1992) attacking US and European protectionism against both Japan and Third World countries. He has blamed this policy for contributing to poverty in the developing world. Along with Humfrey Malins, Oppenheim established the Commons and Lords Rugby Club, which played its first match in 1991.

Life and business career

Before entering Parliament, Oppenheim was a businessman, founding an information technology company which was sold to

Reed Elsevier RELX plc (pronounced "Rel-ex") is a British multinational information and analytics company headquartered in London, England. Its businesses provide scientific, technical and medical information and analytics; legal information and analytics; ...

. After leaving Parliament in 1997, Oppenheim became a columnist for ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...

'' and other newspapers. He has criticised new Labour's spin culture, along with what he saw as the corrupt sale of peerages, and the Conservative Party for its rightward drift. Oppenheim is founder and managing director of the Cubana bar and restaurant in London and is credited for introducing

Mojito Mojito (; ) is a traditional Cuban punch. The cocktail often consists of five ingredients: white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime juice, soda water, and mint. Its combination of sweetness, citrus, and herbaceous mint flavors ...

s to the UK from Cuba in the 1990s. He is also a founder director of Waterloo Quarter, a business-public alliance which aims to improve Waterloo. He trades directly with

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, importing rum and coffee and is also a director of Alma de Cuba coffee,Alma de Cuba
/ref> a Cuban coffee brand owned by The Cuba Mountain Coffee Company, which has a project to help mountain coffee farmers in Cuba.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oppenheim, Phillip 1956 births Living people People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies English Jews Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Derbyshire UK MPs 1983–1987 UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 Jewish British politicians Sons of life peers