Anne Main

Anne Margaret Main (born 17 May 1957) is a Conservative Party politician in Britain. She was elected at the 2005 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for St Albans, defeating the Labour incumbent Kerry Pollard, and was re-elected in 2010.

Early life

Main was born in Cardiff, Wales. She went to the Bishop of Llandaff Church in Wales High School in Rookwood Close in Llandaff, Cardiff. She read English at Swansea University obtaining a BA Hons, where she met her first husband, Stephen. She then obtained a PGCE from Sheffield University. She moved to the London area, and taught English and drama at an inner London comprehensive school.

Political career

Main's political career began in 1999 when she became a town councillor in Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, where she still lives in her "main home".^[1] She also served on South Bucks Council from 2001. In May 2005, she was elected as the Member of Parliament for St Albans.

On 13 August 2009, the local St Albans conservative association voted by a large margin (140 to 20 according to some sources^[2]) to keep her as its candidate for the forthcoming general election, which had to be held before 3 June 2010. The local party vote was the consequence of a deselection bid, led by the association's chairwoman, in connection with public criticism over her parliamentary expenses.^[3][4][5][6]

In the 2010 general election she held on to her seat with an increased majority, despite a 3.75% swing to the Liberal Democrats.^[7]

Expenses controversy

Main's claims for the controversial Additional Cost Allowance (otherwise known as the second home allowance) totalled £22,091 for 2007/8,^[8] despite the fact that her constituency is only a short train journey from London. It has been asserted that neither of her homes are in Westminster - her main home being in Beaconsfield (31 miles from Westminster) and her second home in St Albans (26 miles from Westminster).^[9]

Main was investigated by The Daily Telegraph in May 2009 for claiming a second home allowance on an apartment where her daughter lived for some of the time, rent free, while she claimed back council tax, which is only applicable to those residences that have no-one living there.^[10] On 26 June it became apparent that she would be facing a Parliamentary inquiry into these allegations under John Lyon, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, following a formal complaint thought to be from a constituent.^[11]

On 4 February 2010 it was reported that Anne Main was ordered to repay £7,100 (being £2,100 wrongly claimed for food, along with an additional £5,000 to reflect the "emotional benefit" she received from having her daughter present at her second home), and to provide a written apology to the committee.^[12][13][14]

Personal life

Main married Stephen in 1978, and they had a son and two daughters: Nick, Claire and Jennifer. Stephen died of cancer, aged 34. In 1995, she married Andrew, an IT director, with whom she had a fourth child, Alexander.^[15]

References

External links

• Anne Main official website
• Conservative Women
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Anne Main MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Anne Main MP
• BBC Politics page
• Meet the MP