About Colin Breed

Member of Parliament for South East Cornwall

Although born in London Colin Breed moved to the West Country in his early teens where he was educated. He then joined the Midland Bank from school. During 17 years with them he held numerous positions reaching a culmination as he became the Bank's youngest manager when appointed to the area office in Plymouth.

Subsequently he spent 10 years in Investment Banking, specialising in Venture Capital and Corporate finance.

After leaving banking Colin owned and managed a small distribution business, which has now been sold. This enabled him to work at being the Prospective Parliamentary candidate for South East Cornwall.

Colin Breed had a double celebration on winning his seat for the first time in May 1997 as he celebrated his 50th birthday three days later. Colin celebrated the birth of his first grandson, Benjamin Michael, on 1st November 2001.

Colin's first parliamentary job was as the Party's spokesman on Competition and Consumer Affairs and his report "Checking out the Supermarkets" instigated the Office for Fair Trading report and the Competition Commission investigation into supermarket profitability.

In October 1999, Charles Kennedy appointed Colin to the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister. In September 2000 Colin Breed published 'Roots to Recovery', his spokesman's paper on the future of rural Britain.

In 2002 Colin Breed was appointed junior Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Defence which forms part of the Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs and Defence team headed up by the Rt. Hon. Menzies Campbell MP.

Colin sat on the DEFRA select committee, the Cetacean By-Catch Sub-Committee and was a member of the Standing Committee that considered the Animal Health Bill. He currently sits on the Treasury Select Committee, which has regular weekly meetings. Colin is a lay member of the General Medical Council and is an executive member of the Council for the Advancement of Arab and British Understanding (CAABU). Colin is currently the Treasurer of the All Parliamentary Party Cricket Group and Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Party Groups on Ethiopia and Palestine, and the All Party Parliamentary Methodist Group.

Colin is a Methodist Local Preacher.