This website was established whilst I was a Member of Parliament. As Parliament has been dissolved there are no Members of Parliament until after the election on May 6 2010. Any reference on this website to my position or work as an MP is purely historical.
LEMBIT ÖPIK DETERMINED TO “FREE THE SPIRIT OF BRITISH ENTERPRISE” IN NEW ROLE
Former Shadow Secretary of State for Wales and Northern Ireland Lembit Öpik has been promoted to Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory reform.
Lembit, who has held the Northern Ireland brief since 1997, and taken an active role in the peace talks throughout, is already planning his agenda to get fully up to speed with is new portfolio.
Lembit says,
"Clearly, I'm still going to be heavily involved in Welsh political matters, and I intend to do this by fully supporting Roger Williams in his new Shadow Cabinet Wales position. My constituency would expect nothing less.
“However, I'll miss Northern Ireland, though I take pride in having worked during the peace process which ultimately resolved some of the most intractable issues facing the province.
“Looking ahead, my new position fits my interests and experience extremely well. I've worked in a large international company for 9 years, and currently run a small business. So I don't just know the theory of industry, I live with the practice of it too.
“Success for me is to be a political partner to business, to generate an economy truly attractive to new enterprise. And I intend to frame this in the context of a green agenda - one which leads to sustainable wealth and a clean environment.
“I hope people will see the potential of politics to act as a facilitator, not a brake. I'm determined to free the spirit of British enterprise, and thanks to Ming Campbell, I've got the opportunity to do just that - and I intend to use it."
