Keith Best

Who is Keith Best?

Keith Lander Best is a former Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was Member of Parliament for Anglesey from 1979 to 1983, and for Ynys Môn from 1983 to 1987. He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Wales from 1981 to 1984.

Best was born in Brighton and educated at Brighton College and Keble College, Oxford, before becoming a barrister in 1973. He served in the Territorial Army Royal Artillery 1967–89, reaching the rank of Major, and as a Brighton Borough councillor 1976–80.

After his election to Parliament, Best was involved in a road accident in which his personal assistant was killed, although he was cleared of responsibility for the crash.

During the privatisation of British Telecom, individuals were limited to a single allocation of shares. Best submitted many applications by using minor variations of his name. On 30 September 1987, he was sentenced to four months imprisonment for this fraud, and was fined £3,000. On 5 October 1987, the Court of Appeal ruled that his jail sentence was too harsh, and Best was released. His fine however was increased to £4,500.