Early Life
Born in Waltham Abbey, Essex, Gardiner was the son of Stanley Gardiner, a gasworks manager. His mother, Emma, was a book-keeper but Gardiner's parents divorced when he was ten, at the end of World War II. Gardiner was educated at the Harvey Grammar School, Folkestone and at Balliol College, Oxford where he read PPE, in which he obtained a first-class honours degree in 1958.
Before Oxford, Gardiner did his national service, and was a sergeant tester of entrants, posted to the Pioneer Corps.
Gardiner joined the Conservative Party aged 15 in 1950, and whilst at Oxford University, organised a petition in support of Anthony Eden's Suez policy. There, he became secretary of the University Conservative Association. During an election for the post of president of the association, Gardiner printed scores of forged ballot papers for a postal vote backing his own candidacy. His deception was discovered, and he had to withdraw.
He worked as a journalist and in advertising after leaving university. Gardiner was political correspondent for the Western Daily Press from 1961–1964, and then was lobby correspondent for Thomson Regional newspapers, and then chief political correspondent for Thomson from 1964-1974. There he was mistrusted by some of his colleagues because of his close affiliation with the Conservative party. From 1978-1997 Gardiner had a column in the Sunday Express.
Read more about this topic: George Gardiner (politician)
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