Ben Wallace (politician)
| Ben Wallace MP | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of State for Security | |
|
Assumed office 17 July 2016 | |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May |
| Preceded by | John Hayes |
| Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Northern Ireland Office | |
|
In office 12 May 2015 – 17 July 2016 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Andrew Murrison |
| Succeeded by | Kris Hopkins |
| Government Whip | |
|
In office 15 July 2014 – 12 May 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Member of Parliament for Wyre and Preston North Lancaster and Wyre (2005–2010) | |
|
Assumed office 5 May 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Hilton Dawson |
| Majority | 14,151 (28.4%) |
| Member of the Scottish Parliament for North East Scotland | |
|
In office 6 May 1999 – 1 May 2003 | |
| Preceded by | New Office |
| Succeeded by | Nanette Milne |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
15 May 1970 Farnborough, Kent, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Liza, née Cooke[1] |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Royal Military Academy Sandhurst |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Army Officer |
| Religion | Anglican |
| Awards | Mentioned in Despatches |
| Website | www.benwallace.org.uk |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1991–1998 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Scots Guards |
| Battles/wars | The Troubles |
Robert Ben Lobban Wallace (born 15 May 1970) is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wyre and Preston North since the 2010 General Election, having been the MP for Lancaster and Wyre from 2005 to 2010.
Early life and career
Wallace was born at Farnborough, Kent moving to Somerset with his parents almost immediately when his father started work for Clarks Shoes. Wallace attended Millfield School studying politics under the late Clive Thomas who also taught Julian Smith MP and Margot James MP.[2] After school Wallace qualified as an Austrian ski instructor and taught in the village of Alpbach, Tyrol for two seasons. During that period his parents moved to Pennsylvania in the United States where they lived for 7 years.
Military career
At the age of 19 Wallace attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, before being commissioned as a platoon commander into the Scots Guards. During his nine-year military service Ben Wallace served in Germany, Windsor, Cyprus, Central America and Northern Ireland. In 1992 he was mentioned in despatches. Ben Wallace's last post was as Company Commander of F Company Scots Guards.
In 2003 Ben Wallace joined British aerospace company, QinetiQ as their overseas business development director. During his employment he worked with a number of overseas Government security agencies.
Political career
Scottish Parliament
After leaving the Army, he became in 1999 a Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament as a list MSP for North East Scotland, before standing down in 2003. He was the Scottish Conservatives shadow Health spokesman during that time. From 2003 to 2005 he was overseas director of QinetiQ, the UK's part-privatised National Defence Laboratory.[2]
UK Parliament
Wallace took Lancaster and Wyre Constituency from Labour in 2005. The election result saw a 481-vote (0.92%) Labour majority swing to a 4171 vote (8.00%) Conservative majority. The overall swing was 4.50% from Labour to Conservative. This constituency was number nine on the 2005 Conservative 'target list'.
From 2005 to 2010 Wallace was a member of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee.[3] From 2006 to 2010 Wallace was the Shadow Minister of State for Scotland. He was Chairman of the British–Iran Parliamentary Group from 2006 to 2014. The Rt Hon Jack Straw joined the APPG as co-chair in 2010.
On 13 November 2008, Wallace was elected Campaigner of the Year in the Spectator/Threadneedle Parliamentarian awards, for his work promoting transparency of MPs expenses. In conjunction with the Sunday Times in February 2008 Ben Wallace MP published all his expenses and receipts.
Following his re-election to Parliament, Wallace was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the then Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, and then Minister without Portfolio in the Cabinet Office, Ken Clarke MP.
On 4 September 2012, Wallace turned down a position as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury during the Cameron ministry reshuffle. to remain Clarke's PPS.[4] In July 2014 as Clarke returned to the back benches Wallace was again offered a job in Government as a whip. This time he accepted. In May 2015 he was again promoted to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Northern Ireland Office.
Personal life
In 2001, he married Liza and they have three children. Wallace currently resides near Lancaster. He enjoys rugby, skiing and motorsport. He is currently a member of the Queen's Bodyguard for Scotland, the Royal Company of Archers.
References
- ↑ "House of Commons – The Register of Members' Financial Interests – Part 2: Part 2". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- 1 2 "Ben Wallace: Electoral history and profile". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- ↑ "Mr Ben Wallace MP – UK Parliament". Parliament.uk. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ↑ "Cameron: Man or mouse? Man – and butcher! The Tory Diary". Conservativehome.blogs.com. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
External links
- Ben Wallace MP official constituency website
- Ben Wallace MP Conservative Party profile
- www.debretts.co.uk
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
- Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
- News articles
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hilton Dawson |
Member of Parliament for Lancaster and Wyre 2005–2010 |
Constituency Abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Wyre and Preston North 2010–present |
Incumbent |