About Bob Russell (British politician)
Sir Robert Edward Russell (born 31 March 1946) is a former Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom who was the Member of Parliament for Colchester from 1997 to 2015. He was first elected at the 1997 United Kingdom general election and won subsequent re-election in 2001, 2005 and 2010; he was defeated in the 2015 United Kingdom general election by the Conservative candidate Will Quince. Russell was knighted for public service in the 2012 New Year Honours. He holds the ceremonial position of High Steward of Colchester. == Career == Prior to his first election to the House of Commons, Russell was a councillor representing New Town ward continuously from 1978 to 2002. He was originally elected as a Labour Party candidate before defecting to the Social Democratic Party in 1981, and then standing as a Liberal Democrat candidate from 1988 onwards. He held a dual mandate of Member of Parliament and councillor from 1997 to 2002. He was leader of Colchester Borough Council until 1991, having previously served as Mayor of Colchester for the year 1986–87. Prior to standing as parliamentary candidate for the Liberal Democrats, Russell stood unsuccessfully for Parliament for Colchester in 1979 as a Labour candidate. Russell was the Liberal Democrats' spokesman on Culture, Media and Sport from 2002 to 2005, when he was replaced by Don Foster.
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