Bill Walker (Scottish Conservative politician)

Not to be confused with Bill Walker (Scottish nationalist politician).

William Connoll Walker (born 20 February 1929, Dundee), known as Bill Walker, is the former deputy chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party. He was a member of Parliament from 1979 to 1997 and one of the Maastricht Rebels against the embattled administration of John Major during the mid-1990s. He never held any office in government.

Air Cadets

Bill Walker began his cadet career in 1942 with 1707 (Dundee) Squadron of the Air Training Corps (ATC). Joining the organisation just a year after its inception, Walker continued his affinity with the air cadets ever since. He went on to spend a total of nine years in full-time regular RAF service, doing National Service including tours in the Middle East and later started the new Central Gliding School as a Flight Lieutenant. He has since held several different roles, many of which featured within the Air Cadet gliding fraternity, the largest gliding organisation in the world, culminating in his appointment in the 1990s as President of Air Cadet Gliding and in 2011 becoming the first officer of the RAFVR(T) to be appointed to the rank of Group Captain.

Parliamentary career

Walker stood at Dundee East in the October 1974 general election, coming third.

He was first elected in the 1979 general election as the member for Perth and East Perthshire. In 1983 he became MP for the newly formed Tayside North, a seat he held until being defeated by the SNP's John Swinney in 1997.

He was elected Deputy Chairman of the Scottish Conservatives in June 2000, and again in 2006, serving until 2008.

Walker was also implicated in the Cash for Question scandal that involved other Tory MPs but the matter was not taken further when it emerged that he had given the cash to charity.

Publications

• Scotland and Unionism - The Way Forward, by Bill Walker, M.P., & Dr. Mark Mayall, [Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Livingston (UK Parliament constituency) in 1987], Conservative Monday Club Policy Paper, May 1988.
• Scotland - Reversing the Tory Decline, by Dr. Mark Mayall (Monday Club Chairman), Foreword by Bill Walker, M.P. Monday Club Policy Paper, February 1991.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Bill Walker
• History of the constituency from Scottish Politics
• 'Convincing' win for right-winger, BBC News, 19 June 2000

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by George Douglas Crawford	Member of Parliament for Perth & East Perthshire 1979 – 1983	Constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for North Tayside 1983 – 1997	Succeeded by John Swinney