Mark Oaten

Mark Oaten
Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesman
In office
12 June 2003 – 21 January 2006
LeaderCharles Kennedy
Preceded bySimon Hughes
Succeeded byAlistair Carmichael
Chair of the Liberal Democrats
In office
7 June 2001 – 12 June 2003
LeaderCharles Kennedy
Preceded byMalcolm Bruce
Succeeded byMatthew Taylor
Member of Parliament
for Winchester
In office
1 May 1997 – 12 April 2010
Preceded byGerry Malone
Succeeded bySteve Brine
Personal details
Born (1964-03-08) 8 March 1964 (age 60)
Watford, England
Political partyLiberal Democrats (1988–2018; 2019–present)
Other political
affiliations
Social Democratic Party (before 1988)
SpouseBelinda (former)
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Hertfordshire

Mark Oaten (born 8 March 1964) is a British politician who was a senior member of the Liberal Democrats. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Winchester from 1997 to 2010.

Born in Watford, Hertfordshire, Oaten became a councillor in local government, joining the centre-left Social Democratic Party, which merged with the Liberal Party to form the Liberal Democrats in 1988. He became the party's Home Affairs spokesman in 2003. He stood for the position of Leader of the Liberal Democrats in 2006, but withdrew from the contest.[1] He was later hit by a series of scandals which also led to his resignation as Home Affairs spokesman.[2] He did not seek re-election to the House of Commons at the 2010 general election.

Following his retirement from active politics, Oaten published two books, before becoming executive of the International Fur Trade Federation in 2011.

  1. ^ Carlin, Brendan (20 January 2006). "Oaten blames dirty tricks as he quits Lib Dem race". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  2. ^ Gaby Hinsliff (22 January 2006). "Leading Lib Dem quits over sex scandal". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2018.

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