About Mark

Mark Oaten - Biography

Mark Oaten was born in Watford in 1964. He was educated in Watford and attended the main local Comprehensive School. He obtained a degree from Hertfordshire Polytechnic.

During the early 1980's he joined the SDP and acted as agent in a number of elections.

In 1986 he became one of the country's youngest Councillors and the first ever SDP Councillor on Watford District Council. He served for eight years, culminating in leading a group of six other SDP councillors.

In 1992 he stood for Parliament in Watford getting 10,000 votes.

Mark worked as a consultant for Shandwick Public Affairs between 1988 and 1992.
He then joined Westminster Communications where he was made a group director and Managing Director of Westminster Public Relations in 1996.
In 1995 he was appointed a Director of Oasis Radio, a commercial Radio Station in Hertfordshire.

He was selected to fight for the seat in Winchester in 1995. His two-vote victory in May 1997 was declared invalid, but a by-election held in November 1997 convincingly confirmed him in the seat with a majority of 21,556.

Mark Oaten's parliamentary responsibilities have included: the Spokesman for Disabilities; a member of the Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs and Defence team; and Chairman of the All Party Groups on Far Eastern Prisoners of War and on Adoption.

At the June election 2001, Winchester achieved the highest turnout, and returned Mark Oaten with a majority of 9,634. After the election Mark Oaten was elected Chairman of the Parliamentary Party of the Liberal Democrats.

In October 2003 Mark replaced Simon Hughes as Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary.  He resigned in January 2006.

He is a member of the All Party EU Accession group and of the All Party Adoption Group.

Mark is a trustee of Unlock, the prison reform group.  http://unlock.org.uk

He is a Member of The Council of Europe sitting on the Comittee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men and the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development.

Mark is also now a Member of the Western European Union sitting on the Defence Committee and a Board Member of the Council for Administration.

He has also lectured in politics at Wroxton College, Oxford, the Duke in North Carolina and Austin, Texas.

His new book, entitled 'Coalition - the politics and personalities of coalition government from 1850' was published in September 2007 by Harriman House.  

Mark lives in his Winchester constituency with his wife and two daughters.