Bill Newton Dunn

Bill Newton Dunn became Conservative MEP for Lincolnshire to the first elected European Parliament in 1979. He contested every election until Brexit, winning seven times out of nine, making him the longest-serving MEP in Europe. In 2000, he crossed the floor to the Liberal Democrats, and from 2009, he represented the six counties in the East Midlands.

Born in 1941, Bill obtained an MA in natural sciences at the University of Cambridge. He worked in industry and earned an MBA before entering politics. He has been married to Anna for fifty years, and they have two children and four grandchildren.