Francis Maude

The Right Honourable Francis Maude MP
Minister for the Cabinet Office Paymaster General
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 May 2010
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Tessa Jowell
Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office
In office 2 July 2007 – 11 May 2010
Leader	David Cameron
Preceded by	Oliver Heald
Succeeded by	Tessa Jowell
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In office 6 May 2005 – 2 July 2007
Leader	Michael Howard David Cameron
Preceded by	Liam Fox and the Lord Saatchi
Succeeded by	Caroline Spelman
Shadow Foreign Secretary
In office 2 February 2000 – 18 September 2001
Leader	William Hague
Preceded by	John Maples
Succeeded by	Michael Ancram
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office 2 June 1998 – 1 February 2000
Leader	William Hague
Preceded by	Peter Lilley
Succeeded by	Michael Portillo
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In office 4 May 1997 – 2 June 1998
Leader	William Hague
Preceded by	Chris Smith
Succeeded by	Peter Ainsworth
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
In office 28 November 1990 – 11 April 1992
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Peter Lilley
Succeeded by	Stephen Dorrell
Minister of State for Europe
In office 25 July 1989 – 28 November 1990
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Lynda Chalker
Succeeded by	Tristan Garel-Jones
Member of Parliament for Horsham
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 May 1997
Preceded by	Peter Hordern
Majority	11,460 (20.5%)
Member of Parliament for North Warwickshire
In office 9 June 1983 – 9 April 1992
Preceded by	Constituency Created
Succeeded by	Mike O'Brien
Personal details
Born	(1953-07-04) 4 July 1953 Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
Political party	Conservative
Children	5
Alma mater	Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Profession	Lawyer

Francis Anthony Aylmer Maude (born 4 July 1953) is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he currently serves as the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, and as a member of parliament (MP) representing the constituency of Horsham. He is the son of the former Conservative cabinet minister Angus Maude.

Early life

Maude was educated at Abingdon School, at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and at the College of Law. He was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1977, and practised criminal law.

Maude served as a councillor for the City of Westminster from 1978 to 1984.

Political career

In government

Maude was first elected to the House of Commons to represent the constituency of North Warwickshire in the Conservative Party's landslide victory at the 1983 general election. In 1984, he became the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for Employment Peter Morrison. Maude then became an assistant government whip (1985–87) and Minister for Corporate and Consumer Affairs (1987–89). In 1989, he became the Minister for Europe in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In Alan Clark's "Diaries" Maude was quoted as saying that then Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson "couldn't be Foreign Secretary as a Jew".

Maude was one of the first "men in grey suits" to hold discussions with Margaret Thatcher in November 1990 after she failed to win the first round of a leadership election. He told her that he would support her as long as she went on, but he did not believe she could win the leadership contest.

After John Major became Prime Minister, Maude was made the Financial Secretary to the Treasury. However, in the 1992 general election he lost his seat to the Labour Party candidate, Mike O'Brien, and was thus forced to vacate his ministerial roles. According to Daniel Finkelstein of The Times the loss came as a 'terrible blow' to Maude; all his peers had managed to cling on and were together forming a government. That same year, he was "sworn of the Privy Council," i.e. became a member of it. In a 2006 interview, Maude stated that the introduction of Section 28 legislation whilst he was in government (which banned councils from promoting homosexuality and led to the closure of gay support groups) was "a mistake", adding it might have even contributed to the AIDS death of his brother Charles, who was homosexual, among others.

Out of Parliament

Out of parliament after the 1992 general election, Maude began a series of business roles. He worked in banking as managing director at Morgan Stanley from 1993 to 1997. He was also appointed a non-executive director of ASDA Group Plc in July 1992, and served as a director of Salomon Brothers from 1992 to 1993. He also chaired the government's deregulation task force from 1994 to 1997.

Shadow cabinet

In the 1997 general election Maude was elected MP for Horsham. Almost immediately he was re-appointed to the Conservative front bench, now the opposition in Parliament. He served as Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Shadow Foreign Secretary until 2001.

Maude managed Michael Portillo's unsuccessful bid for the Conservative leadership in 2001, after which he declined a front bench role under the new leader Iain Duncan Smith. He was considered to be a 'moderniser' and on the left of the party, writing in The Daily Telegraph (24 June 2002), he said that the Conservative Party's electoral problems had been caused by its failure to "look and sound like modern Britain". Norman Tebbit's secretary, Beryl Goldsmith, criticised Maude after this, asking: "How many male, white, straight Conservative MPs currently passionately campaigning for the selection of more women, and more men and women from ethnic minorities, would voluntarily relinquish their own seats in order to encourage local associations to follow the policy line they preach from their own smug, safe base? Precious few I would guess — including Mr Francis Maude."^{[citation needed]}

After the 2005 general election, Maude returned to the shadow cabinet as Chairman of the Conservative Party. During his tenure, alongside newly elected leader David Cameron, the Conservatives adopted the A-List of parliamentary candidates, with priority being given to women and people from ethnic minorities. However, he was accused of hypocrisy by promoting a "family-friendly" image while being the non-executive chairman of Jubilee Investment Trust plc, which held 21% of American pornographic actress Jill Kelly's adult DVD business, and chairman of the Mission Marketing Group, which has advertised for WKD drinks and Playboy. Maude, "who has railed against irresponsible lending by banks and mortgage companies", was accused of hypocrisy for receiving more than £100,000 as a director of a company that has profited from sub-prime mortgages. His annual salary was £25,000 from 2002 to 2005, for attending around six meetings a year of the company, and £12,000 a year 2006 to 2008. The company went into liquidation in April 2009.

In July 2007, Maude was made Shadow Cabinet Office Minister and Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, with responsibility for preparing the Conservatives for government, with some dubbing him the Party's "enforcer". At the Conservative Party conference in October 2007 he said: "David (Cameron) has asked me to lead an implementation team that will ensure that we are as well-prepared as any incoming government has ever been. Our priorities rigorously sorted. Our teams armed with the knowledge and capabilities that will enable new ministers to start making a difference from day one."

Maude supported Republican John McCain in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. He led the Conservative Party delegation to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Expenses claims

Two years after the Fees Office rejected a claim for mortgage interest on Maude's Sussex home, Maude purchased a flat in London, close to another house he already owned. He rented out the London house and claimed £35,000 mortgage interest on this flat. According to the Legg Report he was not asked to repay any money.

Government minister again

Maude was appointed Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with the right to attend cabinet, on 12 May 2010, following the formation of the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition. During a discussion on Newsnight on 22 October 2010 he argued that a 5% cut to his ministerial salary was equal to the 'pain' suffered by Britain's poor. He supports the "Big Society", but says that his work as an MP is a sufficient contribution to it.

Fuel crisis

On 28 March 2012, during the 2012 United Kingdom fuel crisis, Maude "foolishly" advised people to fill up their vehicles and to store fuel in garages in jerrycans. His remarks were widely criticised, queues up to half a mile long formed outside petrol stations and petrol retailers criticised the government for creating a crisis. Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union pointed out Maude's advice was dangerous and illegal, and could be disastrous in the event of a fire. Brian Madderson, the petrol chairman of the Retail Motor Industry Federation said that the government appeared to be "intent on creating a crisis out of a serious concern and that drivers should ignore "dangerous advice". Maude denied that it would increase the risk of explosions, however the following day transport minister Mike Penning, a former firefighter, confirmed the advice was wrong, saying he didn't think Maude understood how big jerrycans were. On 30 March 2012, the Labour peer Lord Harris called for Maude's resignation, after a woman suffered severe burns during an attempt to decant petrol next to a lit gas cooker. Harris believed that Maude's advice helped cause the incident.

Personal life

Maude married Christina Jane in 1984, and they have five children: Julia, Cecily, Harry, Alastair and Lydia. His personal net wealth is estimated at £3M.

External links

• Francis Maude MP official constituency website
• Profile at the Conservative Party
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Electoral history and profile at The Guardian
• Voting record at PublicWhip.org
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
• Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
• Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
• Articles authored at Journalisted
• Profile: Francis Maude BBC News, 10 February 2005

Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency	Member of Parliament for North Warwickshire 1983–1992	Succeeded by Mike O'Brien
Preceded by Peter Hordern	Member of Parliament for Horsham 1997–present	Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Lynda Chalker	Minister for Europe 1989–1990	Succeeded by Tristan Garel-Jones
Preceded by Peter Lilley	Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1990–1992	Succeeded by Stephen Dorrell
	Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer 1998–2000	Succeeded by Michael Portillo
Preceded by John Maples	Shadow Foreign Secretary 2000–2001	Succeeded by Michael Ancram
Preceded by Oliver Heald	Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office 2007–2010	Succeeded by Tessa Jowell
Preceded by Tessa Jowell	Minister for the Cabinet Office 2010–present	Incumbent
	Paymaster General 2010–present
Party political offices
Preceded by Liam Fox	Chairman of the Conservative Party 2005–2007	Succeeded by Caroline Spelman
Preceded by The Lord Saatchi