The death of Peter Ainsworth in April this year was a great loss to the heritage sector in England.
Peter had given over 30 years of commitment to public life, and his contribution to the heritage and the environment was significant. He served as MP for East Surrey from 1992 to 2010, when he stood down. During this time, Peter was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for National Heritage in 1995 and entered the Shadow Cabinet in 1998 as Shadow Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. He also served as Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – once under Iain Duncan Smith and again under David Cameron from 2005-09.
