Giles Chichester Politician
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 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".