Why are you involved in politics?
“Because I long ago lost confidence in this government and because I think my experience would be useful. Creative government needs new people and new ideas from outside politics - and Parliament will benefit from new blood untainted with the scandals of excessive expense claims and the confidence of knowing that less government is often better government. I would draw on my time in different sectors and countries for private companies and as a civil servant, as well as part time work for charities. And as I grew up close to Gloucester, my ambition is to represent the capital city of this great county".

Where were you brought up ?
In the North Cotswolds, a small village with an annual fete, small farms and one local factory. Many people there had never moved far from home - and some had fought for their country far, far away. My first job was picking peas and strawberries outside Chipping Campden when I was 10. Later I had holiday work in the Fosseway Little Chef and published my first article with a local paper when I was 16.

What did you study at university?

I got an exhibition to study my favourite subject, modern history, at Oxford University. I was proud to be awarded a prize there by Harold Macmillan and was lucky to represent Oxford at four sports and fly in the University Air Squadron (RAFVR). No surprise I'm a member of the Gloucester RAFA and RBL!

And what jobs have you had?

I wanted to go learn about other countries, cultures and ideas: and so worked for several years with John Swire & Sons in the Far East and Europe, mostly with their airline Cathay Pacific Airways. It's one of the great UK and Hong Kong success stories. I became General Manager of Cathay Pacific in France and the Philippines as well as working in Jakarta, Hong Kong and London. Partly through Swires I've lived under different structures of government - colonialism, communism, apartheid, and different dictatorships - and different ruling religions - Islam, Roman Catholicism, African Anglicanism and aethism.

In 1986 I joined the Foreign Office and was posted to Kenya (as Second, and later First, Secretary) in the British High Commission. I organised parts of the visits by Margaret Thatcher and Geoffrey Howe and organised some of the High Commissioner’s Small Projects Schemes (SPS) eg projects supporting women’s groups, handing over equipment not cash. I also analysed the deterioration of government under President Moi. Years later I was an advisor to Ralph Fiennes in the film of the book The Constant Gardner, drawing on my time there. Most important, I met and married I then married Anthea in Kenya on April Fools Day 1989: a wonderful day and an easy date to remember.

We went next to Hong Kong. I was First Secretary in the British Embassy, Peking, as well as British Trade Commissioner China from Hong Kong and Consul for Macau during the period from Tiananmen Square towards the Handover of Hong Kong. As well as Anglo-Chinese politics, and accompanying ministers like Douglas Hurd to China, I helped British citizens and companies launched the first ever British Luxury Goods Fair in Canton (Guangzhou). M&S sold everything within an hour. I wanted to help British companies see the potential of this vast market, and they did. it was the start of a new era.

After being an airline manager and a diplomat what next ?
Barings asked me to open and run their office in China. I found opportunities for investments by our clients. As a director of the Greater China Fund Inc, we helped universities and pension fund clients grow their assets through investment in growing Chinese companies. We also listed the first Sino-British joint venture on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (Yaohua Pilkington) and the first Chinese company to list in London (Zhenhai Refinery). From 1995-7, I was also founder Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, which grew to over 400 corporate members in only 2 years. We established great access to Chinese decision makers through the collective value of the Chamber to them. It was an exciting time to be there, seeing the pace at which a city can regenerate.

What sort of charity work have you been involved with?

My wife Anthea was very involved in the Shanghai Welfare unit, and wanted to help orphans. We founded a Hong Kong based charitable company to channel charitable funds to China. Later we introduced a UK social worker Rob Glover to the right people to set up the first Anglo-Chinese joint venture charity Care for Children. We organised fund raising in the UK. I was first an advisor then a director of the charity. Rob Glover was awarded the OBE in recognition for his ground breaking work establishing foster care for orphans in China.

Aftyer coming back to the UK, I did One on One reading at a primary school and raised funds for different Gloucestershire based charities. More recently I became a trustee of the

Gloucestershire Community Foundation (GCF) and a member of the Gloucester Rotary. 

What has your work been in the UK?
I have been a director of Baring Asset Management, a leading investment manager, since 1996. Ran our International Business until early 2007, when worked four days a week to allow more time in Gloucester. Then I ran our UK Institutional Business, working with public and corporate pension schemes and charities. I listened to their situation, analysed their needs and current situation and then worked together to design something better, and explained how it would help - useful experience for a politician. I resigned this job at the end of January in order to focus full time in Gloucester.

In London I was also Chairman of the International Financial Services London (IFSL) Pensions Group, and was a member of the advisory group to David Willetts, then Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. I was on the Executive Council for the China Britain Business Council until 2003. 

What about your political experience?

In 2002 I was the new boy selected as a Conservative candidate for the SW England in the 2004 European elections, alongside the 4 existing conservative MEPs. I was ranked 4 out of 5 in our 'list' of candidates, and three were elected. But it was a great experience campaigning on different issues in different cities in about 50 constituencies.

Then I was a Councillor in the Cotswold District Council from 2003 - 2007, and Chairman of the Overview & Scrutiny Cttee from 2006 -7. People asked me if I would stand in the next general election, and I agreed - so long as in my home county. I was selected as the Parliamentary Candidate for Gloucester, my home city, at an open selection meeting in 2006. It's a great and busy honour - there are plenty of issues to get stuck into every week.

What are your main hobbies?

Sport. I love sport and wish there was more at schools. I and (sometimes) my two sons play for Gloucester City Wingate CC, the Gloucestershire Over 50s and the Gloucestershire Gipsies. Earlier I captained Christ Church Oxford, and the Shanghai and Cirencester Cricket Clubs. I've also represented both Indonesia and the Philippines at squash, as well as coming last in a skiing competition in Korea. .The book Crossing the Desert of Death (John Murray 1994) covers the Anglo-Chinese expedition, which achieved the first ever complete crossing of the Taklamakan Desert in China. I was a member of that expedition. If elected, I will get even more involved in sports - people want to see their MP leading from the front on this, which is why I ran for the RBL.

What do you want to achieve as Gloucester's MP?
I would love to represent Gloucester and make it known for what it once was - the recognised leader of the county, with a stronger voice in Westminster under the next Conservative administration, and a happier spirit of working together here in the city. We need faster and more local planning decisions, more local control of the business tax, support for the police and the Fire and Rescue services, not dismantling of them: and support for, not sniping at, our councils to help regenerate the city. And we need to attract more private sector investment outside as well as in the Docks.

For years too our historic city has had smaller amounts of funding from the government on education, health, council and police because Labour's bias is to the metropolitan cities. I want to see the politics taken out of funding eductaion and ensure we get a our fair whack.

Also I want to help bring about real apprenticeships that help employers and young people, be more proactive in seeking private sector investment to drive the city's growth forward, with better neighbourhood partnerships driving forward street by street regeneration alongside this.

My focus will be more on action, less on photos: less on structures and more on outcomes. And for all of this I've had over three years apprenticeship myself, and am more than ready to get stuck in - if the voters will have me!