Sir Robert James Atkins (born 5 February 1946 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

) is a British

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 i ...

politician. He was the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for Preston North from 1979 to 1983, and then for

South Ribble South Ribble is a borough in the county of Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Leyland. The population, at the 2011 Census, was 109,057. Notable towns and villages include Walton le Dale, Bamber Bridge, Leyland and Penwortham. It ...

from 1983 to 1997. He served as

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

(MEP) for the

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, administrative counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of ...

region from 1999 to 2014.

Early life

Atkins was born on 5 February 1946 in London, England. He was educated at

Highgate School Highgate School, formally Sir Roger Cholmeley's School at Highgate, is an English co-educational, fee-charging, independent day school, founded in 1565 in Highgate, London, England. It educates over 1,400 pupils in three sections – Highgate ...

, then an all-boys

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

in Highgate, London.

Political career

Atkins began his political career at a local level. He served as a councillor for the

London Borough of Haringey The London Borough of Haringey (pronounced , same as Harringay) is a London borough in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of t ...

from 1968 to 1977. After unsuccessfully fighting the new seat of Luton West in

February February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The month has 28 days in common years or 29 in leap years, with the 29th day being called the ''leap day''. It is the first of five months not to have 31 days (th ...

and

October October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and the sixth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old calendar of Romulus , October retained its name (from Latin and Greek ''ôct ...

1974, he was elected the

for Preston North from 1979 to 1983, and for

from 1983 to 1997. From 1984 to 1987 he was President of

Conservative Trade Unionists Conservatives at Work (CaW), formerly Conservative Trade Unionists (CTU), is an organisation within the British Conservative Party made up of Conservative-supporting trade unionists. It played an important role in expanding the party's membership ...

. He was made a member of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

in 1995 and was a minister in the following positions: *Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1987 to 1989) *Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (1989 to 1990) *Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment and Minister for Sport (1990) *Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Science and Minister for Sport (1990 to 1992) *Minister of State, Northern Ireland (1992 to 1994) *Minister of State for Environment and Countryside (1994 to 1995) He later became a

for the

region in 1999. He was Deputy Leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament until November 2007 and was Chief Whip there from November 2008 to November 2009. He was Conservative Spokesman on Industry and External Trade from 2001 to 2004, and was Spokesman on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism from 1999 to 2001.) He is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Transport & Tourism Committee. He stood down at the 2014 European Elections. In 2019, he was elected as a councillor for the

Garstang Garstang is an ancient market town and civil parish within the Wyre borough of Lancashire, England. It is north of the city of Preston and the same distance south of Lancaster. In 2011, the parish had a total resident population of 4,268 ...

ward of the

Borough of Wyre Wyre is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. The population of the non-metropolitan district at the 2011 census was 107,749. The district borders the unitary authority area of Blackpool as well as the distr ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

Honours

Atkins was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the 1997

Dissolution Honours List Crown Honours Lists are lists of honours conferred upon citizens of the Commonwealth realms. The awards are presented by or in the name of the reigning monarch, currently King Charles III, or his vice-regal representative. New Year Honours Hon ...

in recognition of his service as a Member of Parliament, as Minister of State for Northern Ireland and as Minister of State for the Environment. He is a

Freeman Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to: * a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm * Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies * Free ...

of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

Family

Atkins is married to Dulcie Mary Atkins (b.1946), who is a fellow Conservative councillor in Wyre, and who served as her husband's personal assistant during his tenure as an MEP. Their daughter

Victoria Atkins Victoria Mary Atkins (born 22 March 1976) is a British politician who has served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury since October 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Louth an ...

was elected at the 2015 general election as the Conservative MP for Louth and Horncastle.

References

External links

*
Sir Robert Atkins's Home PageEuropean Parliament Page for Sir Robert Atkins
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkins, Robert 1946 births Living people Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Knights Bachelor Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Politicians awarded knighthoods UK MPs 1979–1983 UK MPs 1983–1987 UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 Politics of Preston Conservative Party (UK) MEPs MEPs for England 1999–2004 MEPs for England 2004–2009 MEPs for England 2009–2014 People educated at Highgate School Northern Ireland Office junior ministers