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Giles Chichester

Giles Chichester
Member of the European Parliament
for South West England
In office
10 June 1999 – 26 May 2014
Succeeded by Molly Scott Cato
Member of the European Parliament
for Devon and East Plymouth
In office
1994–1999
Succeeded by Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born (1946-07-29) 29 July 1946 (age 70)
London, United Kingdom
Political party Conservative
Residence Devon, United Kingdom
Alma mater Westminster School
Christ Church, Oxford

Giles Bryan Chichester (born 29 July 1946) is a British Conservative Party politician, and was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South West England and Gibraltar before retiring in 2014. He was elected as a temporary Vice-President of the European Parliament on 6 July 2011 to replace Silvana Koch-Mehrin who had resigned over plagiarism allegations.

Chichester was born in London and educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford. Since 1969 He has worked in family business Francis Chichester Ltd (publishers of maps, guides and educational wallcharts), founded by his father Sir Francis Chichester KBE, and still lives in the family home at 9 St James's Place, London SW1.

He was MEP for Devon and East Plymouth from 1994 to 1999 and has represented South West England in the European Parliament since 1999. On 23 July 2004 he was elected chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Industry, Research and Energy.

He is a former Chairman of the Carlton Club Political Committee and is chairman of his family business publishing maps.

Chichester describes himself as a "climate change sceptic".

On 5 June 2008, Chichester stepped down as Leader of the Conservative MEPs, after it was alleged that since 1996 he had wrongly sent European parliamentary funds for secretarial and office services through his family business of which he was a paid director. He insists the contract was accepted by the EU Parliament 1999 and in 2004, he transferred money for his political staff through the company as an easier means of administration. The European Parliament suggested that a change in the Financial Regulation in 2003 meant this arrangement constituted a potential conflict of interest.


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