Sir Robert Anthony Bevis Durant (9 January 1928 – 18 February 2016), also known as Tony Durant, was a British Conservative Party politician.

Political career

Durant stood unsuccessfully for Rother Valley in the 1970 general election; the seat was retained by Labour's Peter Hardy. In 1971 Durant supported

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

's decision to end free school milk on the grounds that many children did not like it. He was the Member of Parliament for Reading North from 1974 to 1983. After Reading's constituencies underwent boundary changes, he was the Member of Parliament for Reading West from 1983 to 1997. During his time in the Commons, he acted as a

Whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

. Announced in the 1991 New Year Honours, he was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

on 14 February 1991. In 1994, he successfully campaigned for the lowering of the homosexual

age of consent The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to Human sexual activity, sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is un ...

. He retired from politics at the 1997 UK general election. Durant served as president of the

Kennet and Avon Canal Trust The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust is an English registered charity and waterway society, concerned with the protection and maintenance of the Kennet and Avon Canal throughout Wiltshire and Berkshire. In 1951, the Kennet and Avon Canal Associatio ...

and the River Thames Society, chairman of the Sports Aid Foundation’s southern region, as a governor of the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

, and a

Freeman of the City of London The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom or ...

and the Watermen and Lightermen’s Company.

References

Durant, Robert Anthony Bevis Durant, Robert Anthony Bevis Durant, Robert Anthony Bevis Durant, Robert Anthony Bevis Durant, Robert Anthony Bevis Durant, Robert Anthony Bevis Durant, Robert A Durant, Robert A Durant, Robert A Durant, Robert A Durant, Robert A Knights Bachelor {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1920s-stub Governors of the British Film Institute