Giles Bryan Chichester, a long-serving Conservative member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South West England and former leader of the Conservative group in the European Parliament, has died at the age of 80. His career in European politics spanned two decades from 1994 to 2014, during which he focused chiefly on energy policy and industry matters.
Born in London on July 29, 1946, Chichester was the son of Sir Francis Chichester, renowned for his solo circumnavigation of the globe by the clipper route. Giles Chichester inherited the map-publishing business founded by his father and managed it for over 30 years. He also oversaw timber enterprises established by his father in New Zealand. Educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he studied geography, Chichester was involved in sports like rowing before entering the business world.
Chichester was elected as MEP for Devon and East Plymouth in 1994 by a narrow margin and was later elected to represent South West England under proportional representation from 1999 onwards. During his tenure in the European Parliament, he served on committees related to industry, research, technological development, and energy. He chaired the Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy from 2004 to 2007 and served as president of the European Energy Forum (EEF), a significant industry lobbying group, from 2004 to 2014. His policy stance was generally pro-nuclear energy and increasingly skeptical of mainstream climate change positions.
In November 2007, Chichester was elected leader of the Conservative group in the European Parliament, but his leadership was short-lived. In June 2008, he resigned following revelations that he had paid his parliamentary staff through his family business, a practice that contravened new rules implemented in 2003 barring MEPs from routing expenses through companies in which they held directorships. The arrangement had been ongoing since 1996 and involved payments totaling approximately £445,000. Chichester acknowledged the breach, describing it as an administrative oversight and ceased the practice once made aware of its illegality. Despite initial support from his party colleagues, pressure from then Conservative Party leader David Cameron and party chairman Caroline Spelman prompted his resignation to avoid further controversy.
Nevertheless, Chichester was re-elected as an MEP in 2009 and later appointed as a vice-president of the European Parliament in 2011, filling a vacancy left by the resignation of Silvana Koch-Mehrin of Germany. He retired from the European Parliament in 2014, two years prior to the United Kingdom’s referendum to leave the European Union.
Beyond his parliamentary duties, Chichester held leadership roles including chairmanship of Hammersmith Conservatives in the 1980s and leadership posts within the Conservative Party’s organizational structures. He also led delegations managing relations with Australia and New Zealand and was involved in several political and social clubs in London.
Chichester was married to Virginia Knox since 1979 and is survived by their two sons and a daughter. He passed away shortly after celebrating his 80th birthday with friends.