Jesse Norman

Jesse studied and worked at UCL 1997-2003 (MPhil and PhD in philosophy), and is currently a Senior Fellow at Policy Exchange.

Jesse has been a Conservative since university. He played a key role in helping Oliver Letwin to defeat a huge Lib Dem onslaught in West Dorset during the 2005 General Election, and stood as a Conservative candidate in Camden Town in the 2006 Council elections, when Labour lost control of the borough for the first time in 35 years. He was able to draw on this experience in becoming an adviser to George Osborne MP, the Shadow Chancellor, in 2005.

He regularly writes for the national newspapers, and has appeared on Start the Week and Any Questions?. His recent book Compassionate Conservatism has been called the “handbook to Cameronism” by the Sunday Times.

In December 2006 Jesse was selected as the PPC for South Herefordshire.

www.jessenorman.com

Steve Summers

Steve studied Law at UCL and graduated in 2000. In the academic year 1998/9 he was President of the Society.

“I am currently a solicitor, working for City Law Firm, Taylor Wessing. At UCL I was also President of The Law Society, sat on Union Council and was awarded Honorary Life Membership of UCL Union in 2000. Politically, I am elected to Westminster City Council, representing Vincent Square Ward. I am also Deputy Cabinet Member for Licensing & Community Protection.”

John Whittingdale OBE MP

President 1981-2. John read Political Economics at UCL from 1979 to 1982. Straight after leaving UCL he went to work for the Political section of the Conservative Reasearch Department. In 1988 he became Political Secretary to the Prime Minister until she resigned in 1990. He continued to work for Baroness Thatcher until 1992 and was awarded an OBE in her resignation honours list. He was elected to be the MP for Colchester South & Maldon in 1992. In 1997 he was elected into the new constituency of Maldon & Chelmsford East.

In the same year he was appointed as an Opposition Whip. He was appointed a Front Bench Treasury Spokesman in 1998 and the following year became Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition. In September 2001, he was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Trade & Industry, and in July 2002 was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport. In November 2003, he became Shadow Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries & Food. From September 2004 to May 2005, he served as Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport.

Robert Ricketts

He was at UCL from 1981 to 1984 reading Law. He was vice chairman of the UCL Conservatives in 1982 and chairman for the acadmemic year 1983 to 1984.

Timothy Barnes

UCL Union F&S Sabbatical 1997-8. BA (Hons) History 1993-97

“Since leaving UCL I have worked mainly in management consultancy and venture capital with technology start-ups. In 2002, I set-up a specialist firm, Lodestone Innovation Partners, to help universities form companies based on the research carried out in their labs. As far as politics is concerned, I have kept up an interest as a member of the Holborn and St. Pancras Conservative Association and am now a member of the board of the Tory Reform Group as well as having carried out occasional pieces of work for a number of MPs. I continue to support a number of activities in college, too, including the UCL Friends’ Trust, for which I am also on the board.”

Email: tim@lodestoneip.com

Robert Astlev

Was the Deputy Chairman of the UCLU Conservative Society in 1999-2000 and possibly before that. He used to live with the other members of the Committee and between them, they apprently ran it for some years, giving up the reigns when they graduated.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology 2000

Robert Astley writes: “I’m now working as a tax accountant in the Salisbury office of Smith & Williamson, a large firm of accountants. I am continuing involvement with the Conservative Party, after being the Deputy Chairman of the UCL Union Conservative Society.”

Phillip Stobbart

Phillip was Secretary of UCL Conservative Society. He is currently reading his PhD in Atmospherical Physics at UCL.

Email: milleau.rekiir@ukonline.co.uk

Victoria Roberts

(History 1998-2001) – Victoria was a member of the Society during her undergraduate years. Graduating in History in 2001,Victoria read an MA in International Relations at the University of Essex. Since 2003, she has worked for the Former Shadow Secretary of State for International Development John Bercow MP as his Research Assistant. Recently her text on UN Reform was published.

Email: robertsv@parliament.uk

Emma Varley

Emma was President of UCL Conservative Society. During her year MPs including John Bercow visited UCL.

Jonathan Rose

I was President of UCL Conservatives in the 2001/2 Academic year. We started off the year in campaignig mode as the committee joined the CF on their tour of the marginals – I would like to think we helped, but we didn’t win any of them! That year we als had a dozen or so speakers such as Ann Widecombe, John Bercow, John Gummer and Oliver Letwin and we took part in events involving CF. We also sought to promote ourselves more widely though links to the Economics Society, as well as dare I say Labour and the Lib Dems too. We also put ourselves up for humiliation in the Inter Society football tournament.

Since graduating from UCL in 2003, I’ve been working and studying with Pricewaterhouse Coopers in Embankment Place. However I seem to spend half my working life in the glamourous Slough (sadly not the Trading Estate though!) or stressing over exams. Sometime soon I hope to find time for a life though!

Email: jonathan.a.rose@uk.pwc.com