On This Day
31 March 1947
Happy birthday to Don Foster, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath 1992-2015
Born in Preston, Don Foster was first elected Avon County Council and lead the Alliance Group from 1981-86. He contested Bristol East in 1987, coming third before being elected for Bath in the 1992 election, defeating the Conservative Party Chairman, Chris Patten. In parliament, Foster was spokesman for education and the arts and was Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Policy Committee on Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport. In September 2012 he succeeded Andrew Stunnell as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department of Communities and Local Government, later serving as Liberal Democrat Chief Whip and Comptroller of the Household from October 2013. Foster stood down at the 2015 general election and now sits in the House of Lords as Baron Foster of Bath. He is currently the party’s spokesperson on Business, Innovation and Skills.