Peter Viggers

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = Sir

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Peter Viggers MP.jpg

| caption = Viggers as an MP

| parliament = United Kingdom

| constituency_MP = Gosport

| term_start = 28 February 1974

| term_end = 12 April 2010

| majority =

| predecessor = Constituency created

| successor = Caroline Dinenage

| birth_name = Peter John Viggers

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|03|13|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Gosport, Hampshire, England

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|3|19|1938|03|13|df=yes}}

| death_place =

| spouse =

| party = Conservative

| children =

| residence =

| education = The Portsmouth Grammar School

| alma_mater = {{ubl|Trinity Hall, Cambridge|College of Law}}

| occupation =

| profession = {{hlist|Solicitor|politician}}

| awards = Knight Bachelor (2008)

| signature =

| website = {{official website|//web.archive.org/web/20031227033805/http://www.peterviggers.co.uk/}}

| branch = {{ubl|Royal Air Force|British Army}}

| serviceyears = 1957–1969

}}

Sir Peter John Viggers (13 March 1938 – 19 March 2020) was a British Conservative politician and lawyer who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Gosport for 36 years, from 1974 to 2010. He stepped down as a result of the investigation of MPs' expenses.

Early life

Born in Gosport, Hampshire, he was the son of John Sidney Viggers. He was educated at Alverstoke School and Portsmouth Grammar School, a public school in Portsmouth. He studied at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge, receiving an MA in History and Law in 1961. He qualified from the College of Law in Guildford in 1967. He became a solicitor in 1967.

Career

=Military service=

As part of National Service, Viggers was commissioned into the Royal Air Force on 8 January 1957 as an acting pilot officer.{{London Gazette |issue=41016 |date=1 March 1957 |page=1436 |supp=y }} He was regraded to pilot officer on 8 January 1958,{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=41301 |date=31 January 1958 |page=772 |supp=y }} and promoted to flying officer on 18 May 1958.{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=41779 |date=31 July 1959 |page=4871 |supp=y }} On 20 April 1958, he was transferred to the Reserve (national service list), ending his active service.{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=41452 |date=18 July 1958 |page=4592 |supp=y }} He relinquished his commission in the Royal Air Force on 20 July 1963.{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=43138 |date=18 October 1963 |page=8607 |supp=y }}

He then joined the Royal Artillery, Territorial Army, on 20 July 1963 as a lieutenant.{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=43128 |date=8 October 1963 |page=8309 |supp=y }} He was given seniority in that rank from 20 July 1960.{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=43178 |date=6 December 1963 |page=10087 |supp=y }} He was made acting captain on 13 January 1965 before being promoted to that rank on 13 March 1965.{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=43596 |date=9 March 1965 |page=2488 |supp=y }} On 1 April 1967, he transferred to the Wessex Brigade, Territorial Army.{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=44370 |date=21 July 1967 |page=8103 |supp=y }} At his request, he also reverted to the rank of lieutenant and was given seniority in that rank from 18 September 1960. He resigned from his commission on 31 March 1969, ending his military career.{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=44831 |date=18 April 1969 |page=4186 |supp=y }}

=Politics=

Viggers was Member of Parliament for Gosport and lived just a few miles from where he was born. He was first elected in February 1974 and served as industry minister for Northern Ireland under Margaret Thatcher from 1986 to 1989. He left the ministry in 1989 and returned to the backbenches.

In 2002, he made headlines by suggesting that the European Union adopt a "single European language" to cut down on translation costs.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2412795.stm |title=MP suggests single Euro language |work=BBC News |date=6 November 2002 |access-date=20 May 2009}}

=Duck island scandal=

On 21 May 2009, The Daily Telegraph reported on Viggers' claims as part of its investigation of MPs' expenses, which it said showed Viggers was paid more than £30,000 for gardening expenses over three years. The paper noted in particular that Viggers had attempted to claim for a "pond feature" worth £1,645, which was identified as a "floating duck island". However, it was unclear whether he had been reimbursed as an official had written "not allowable" next to it.{{cite news |first=Nick |last=Allen |title=£30,000 for the garden, including the ducks bill |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=21 May 2009 |page=3}} On hearing the details of the story the Telegraph intended to run, Viggers announced late the previous night "at the direct request" of party leader David Cameron his intention to stand down at the next election.{{cite news |first=Nigel |last=Morris |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/expenses-scandal-claims-more-victims--but-huge-payouts-await-1688627.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090523222946/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/expenses-scandal-claims-more-victims--but-huge-payouts-await-1688627.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 May 2009 |title=More MPs resign over expenses – but could claim huge payouts |newspaper=The Independent |date=21 May 2009 |page=8}} He also stood down from his role as spokesman for the Speaker's Committee answering Parliamentary Questions for the Electoral Commission. On his website, however, he said about expenses: "Personally, I have of course always scrupulously observed the rules".{{cite press release |url=http://www.peterviggers.co.uk/press/0186.htm |title=Situation Report, 12 noon, Wednesday, 13 May |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527003045/http://www.peterviggers.co.uk/press/0186.htm |archive-date=27 May 2009 }}

The floating duck house, a symbol of the expenses scandal, was later sold at auction. It raised £1,700, handed over to the Macmillan Cancer charity.{{cite news|title=Ex-MP Sir Peter Viggers sells duck house for charity|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/exmp-sir-peter-viggers-sells-duck-house-for-charity-2072007.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/exmp-sir-peter-viggers-sells-duck-house-for-charity-2072007.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|accessdate=6 February 2014|newspaper=The Independent|date=7 September 2010}} The claim was later referenced in the name of the 2013 farcical political satire The Duck House{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/10308476/MPs-expenses-scandal-becomes-West-End-comedy.html | title=MPs' expenses scandal becomes West End comedy | work=The Telegraph | date=16 September 2013 | accessdate=21 September 2013| last1=Rayner | first1=Gordon }} based on the UK parliamentary expenses scandal.{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24108600 | title=The Duck House: MPs' expenses satire heads for West End | work=BBC News | date=16 September 2013 | accessdate=21 September 2013}}

Honours

Viggers was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours 'for services to Parliament'.{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=58729 |date=14 June 2008 |page=1 |supp=y }} He was knighted in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 14 October 2008 by Queen Elizabeth II.{{London Gazette|nolink=1 |issue=59160 |date=18 August 2009 |page=14246 }}

=Business interests=

From 1970 to 1979, Viggers was chairman and director of banking, oil, hotels, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and venture capital companies.{{cite web |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/parliament/0,,-5321,00.html |title=Peter Viggers: Electoral history and profile |work=The Guardian |access-date=20 May 2009}} He was the chairman of Calgary-based Tracer Petroleum Corporation from 1996 to 1998, and of Lloyd's Pension Fund from 1996. He was a director of Jakarta-based Emerald Energy plc from April 1998 to 2003.

Personal life

Viggers was a vice-patron of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. He was also an honorary treasurer of the America All Party Parliamentary Group. He was chairman of governors at St Vincent College for four years.

In 1993, Viggers nearly drowned after being thrown into the English Channel, without a life jacket, in a yacht race in gale force winds. He credited his survival to "closing my eyes and thinking of John Major".{{Cite web|date=1993-06-13|title=Major relief|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/major-relief-1491510.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/major-relief-1491510.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-31|website=The Independent|language=en}}

He died on 19 March 2020 at the age of 82.{{Cite news|date=2020-04-09|title='Duck island' MP Sir Peter Viggers dies aged 82|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-52219896|access-date=2020-08-08 |quote=Sir Peter died on 19 March, although news of his death has only just emerged.}}

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20031227033805/http://www.peterviggers.co.uk/ Official site]
{{UK MP links|theywork=10615}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070206192152/http://www.gosportintouch.com/page.php?pid=9 Gosport Conservatives]
[http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/biography/0,,-5321,00.html Peter Viggers: Electoral history and profile] The Guardian biography
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/277.stm BBC Politics page]{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/uk/the_mip_files/newsid_2933000/2933376.stm The MiP files: Checking out Big Brother!] CBBC Newsround