Keith Raffan (Q59449)

Keith Raffan (1949-) was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and was educated at Robert Gordon's College, Aberdeen, Trinity College, Glenalmond, and Corpus Christi, Cambridge. He was the Conservative MP for the Delyn division of Clwyd from June 1983 until his retirement from the Commons in April 1992. He had previously stood as the Conservative candidate for Dulwich in February 1974 and for East Aberdeenshire in October 1974. He served as the National Chairman of Pressure for Economic and Social Toryism (PEST), 1970-1974. As an MP, he took a particular interest in drug abuse (introducing the Controlled Drugs (Penalties) Act in 1985), regional policy, tourism, Welsh affairs, Europe and British-American relations. He was one of the MPs known as the 'Dirty Dozen' for campaigning for Michael Heseltine in the 1990 Conservative party leadership contest. He resigned as an MP in 1992 because of his strong commitment to Europe and a Scottish Parliament. He took up a career in public relations in the United States, before returning to Britain as a television presenter for HTV Wales, and then joining the Liberal Democrat Party. He was elected as the Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife in May 1999, becoming the Liberal Democrat spokesman on finance, social inclusion, the voluntary sector and drugs. He resigned from the Scottish Parliament in 2005.