Edward Julian Egerton Leigh (born 20 July 1950) is a politician in the United Kingdom. He is Conservative Member of Parliament for Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, and was first elected in 1983. He has served on the Committee of Public Accounts since July 2001, and as its chairman from October. July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Conservative Party is the largest political party on the centre-right in the United Kingdom. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... Gainsborough is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the East Midlands of England. ... 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Edward Leigh is known for his opposition to abortion, contraception and genetic research and for his anti-gay stance. In 2003, together with Ann Widdecombe he proposed an amendment opposing repeal of Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which banned the promotion of homosexuality. In 2005, just before the General Election, when told that he came bottom of a ranking system based on gay rights, Leigh answered: "I had to giggle as I read the accompanying letter, which informed me that I came last equal with 0% ... I wear it as a badge of honour - the gay vote is not big in Lincolnshire. I was even thinking of mentioning it in my election address." Leigh is also the leader of the socially conservative Cornerstone Group and Vice President of the Catholic Union of Great Britain. Genetics (from the Greek genno γεννώ= give birth) is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... 2003(MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ann Widdecombe The Right Honourable Ann Noreen Widdecombe (born October 4, 1947 in Bath, Somerset) is a British Conservative Party politician. ... Amendment has at least two meanings: An amendment is a formal alteration to any official document or record, typically with the aim of improving it. ... 1988 Sir Ian McKellen with Michael Cashman at the Gay Rights March on Manchester in protest of Section 28. ... The United Kingdom Local Government Act of 1988 was famous for introducing the controversial Section 28 into law. ... 2005(MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 and won by the Labour Party, led by Tony Blair. ... The Cornerstone Group is a socially conservative or traditionalist grouping within British Conservative Party consisting of Eurosceptic, traditionalist MPs. ...

He was educated at the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle - a French school in London - and University College, Durham where he read History and was president of the Durham Union Society. Before entering politics, he practised arbitration and criminal law for Goldsmiths Chambers as a member of the Inner Temple. He is the son of Sir Neville Leigh, one-time Clerk to the Privy Council. The Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle is a large French secondary school situated in South Kensington, London. ... University College, commonly known as Castle, is a college of the University of Durham in England. ... The Durham Union Society is a debating society founded in 1842 as part of the University of Durham. ... Arbitration, in the context of law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution — specifically, a legal alternative to litigation whereby the parties to a dispute agree to submit their respective positions (through agreement or hearing) to a neutral third party (the arbitrator(s) or arbiter(s)) for resolution. ... Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of law that punishes criminals for committing offences against the state. ... The Inner Temple is one of the four Inns of Court around the Royal Courts of Justice in London, England, to which barristers belong and where they are called to the bar. ... Her Majestys Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. ...

External links

• Edward Leigh MP official site
• Edward Leigh MP biography at the site of the Conservative Party
• Public Accounts Committee
• ePolitix.com - Edward Leigh
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Edward Leigh MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Edward Leigh MP
• The Public Whip - Edward Leigh MP voting record
• BBC News - Edward Leigh profile 15 February, 2005
• The Apollo Group Article on the Cornerstone Group