Sue Doughty


Susan Kathleen Doughty is a politician in the United Kingdom. She was Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Guildford from 2001 until 2005.

Early life

She was born and brought up in York where she went to Mill Mount Grammar School for Girls on Mill Mount Lane, which became All Saints RC School. She trained as a teacher at Northumberland College, subsequently entering the field of management services. She has worked in a variety of organisations spanning sectors such as utilities, the 'Big 4', law practices and financial services providers. In 1982–9, she worked as a freelance IT consultant. From 1989 to 1998, she was a Project Manager at Thames Water.

Parliamentary career

Doughty entered Parliament in the 2001 election, becoming the first non-Conservative MP returned for Guildford since 1906 as well as its first female MP, and left in the 2005 general election, when she lost narrowly to the Conservative candidate Anne Milton. Doughty is a Quaker and upon her departure in 2005, left Parliament without any Quaker MPs for the first time in 150 years.
On 27 May 2006, Doughty was re-selected as prospective parliamentary candidate for Guildford for the 2010 election, however in the election she was again defeated by Milton.
In Parliament she was immediately appointed as a Shadow Environment Minister following on from her successful campaign opposing the construction of a large incinerator in Guildford, and served on all Environment legislation during her time in Parliament. She was co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Waste Group and Secretary of the APPG for Renewable Energy.

Miscellaneous

Doughty currently lives in Shalford, a suburb of Guildford. She was married to David Orchard and she has two sons.