Peter Bottomley was born in 1944. He was educated at a mixed comprehensive school in Washington DC, Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He is married with one son and two daughters. His wife, Virginia, once Member of Parliament for South West Surrey is now a member of the House of Lords.

His previous careers have included lorry driving, industrial sales and industrial relations. He is an industrial economist.

He has been Chairman of the Church of England Children's Society, a trustee of Christian Aid and on the council of MIND, the Association for mental health. He founded Family Forum. He is a member of the executive of the UK branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. He has been a member of the Child Poverty Action Group and Transport House branch of the Transport and General Workers' Union. He was President of the Conservative Trade Unionists from 1978-80. He has served on the council of NACRO, helping the victims of crime by caring for the resettlement of offenders.

Peter Bottomley's special interests include family policy and human rights.

He contested West Woolwich in the general elections of February and October 1974. He won the seat in June 1975 when it was re-named Eltham. This was the first by-election win under Margaret Thatcher's leadership.

He has served as Secretary of the Conservative Parliamentary Committee on Health and Social Services (1977-79) and Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1979-81).

He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Cranley Onslow MP, Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1982-83) and then Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Rt Hon Norman Fowler, Secretary of State for Social Services and later to the Rt Hon Peter Brooke, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

In September 1984, Peter Bottomley was appointed Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Employment. He became Minister of Roads and Traffic at the Department of Transport in January 1986.

From 1989-90 Peter Bottomley was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office with responsibility for agriculture and the environment.

In 1992 he served for five years on the Select Committee for Transport.

In the 1997 general election after a major boundary change in Eltham, Peter Bottomley was elected Member of Parliament for Worthing West, West Sussex, in succession to Sir Terence Higgins.

In June 1997 Peter Bottomley served on the Select Committee on Standards and Privileges.

In February 2003 Peter Bottomley was appointed to serve on the new Select Committee scrutinising the work of the Lord Chancellor's Department.

He is a member of the Drapers' Livery Company and is retired as a member of the Transport and General Workers' Union.