30 what our politicians say ...
Championing the small business Charles Hendry knew he wanted to be a politician at the age of 11. Now, the Conservative MP for Wealden, he recalls the chance encounter that led him on the road to a life in politics when he was growing up in Sussex. n Politics the first love from childhood for MP n The importance of supporting SMEs n Exports offer great potential for companies brave enough to grasp opportunities
It was then that he met Geoffrey Johnson Smith, the charismatic television reporter who switched to politics and enjoyed a 41-year career in the Commons, including representing East Grinstead, which was redrawn in 1983 as Wealden, until 2001. Charles, who was to eventually succeed him, said: “I had always wanted to go into politics. When I was eleven I met Geoffrey Johnson Smith and I remember thinking ‘that’s what I want to do.’ “However, I also knew that I wanted a business background so I took a business degree rather than one in politics.” Having attended Rugby School before going on to study Business Studies at Edinburgh University from 1977-1981, he initially went into business. He worked mostly for international companies and was Founder/Chairman/
Chief Executive of The Agenda Group (1999-2005), a specialist consultancy. His first foray into Parliamentary politics came during the General Election of 1987 when he stood for the Tories in the safe Labour seat of Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. Remarkably he lost by just 56 votes, explaining the narrowness of the poll by saying: “The election took place in the wake of the miners’ strike and the local Labour vote was split.” Defeated he may have been but the experience confirmed his passion for politics. From 19921997, Charles was Member of Parliament for High Peak, during which time he was Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party (19951997). Following the 1997 General Election, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Rt Hon William Hague MP, when he was elected Leader of
the Conservative Party and in 2001 he became the MP for Wealden. Posts have included Shadow Energy Minister (2005-2010), Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party (2003-2005) and Shadow Minister for Young People, and he served as Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change from 2010 until last year. Last year, Prime Minister David Cameron appointed him as Trade Envoy to Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Business remains a passion and of Wealden, Charles says: “There are a lot of small businesses in the constituency. We do not have many major employers but we have a lot of small, innovative companies, many of which are tech-based.
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