John Maples, Baron Maples

The Lord Maples
Member of Parliament for Stratford-on-Avon
In office 1 May 1997 – 6 May 2010
Preceded by	Alan Howarth
Succeeded by	Nadhim Zahawi
Member of Parliament for Lewisham West
In office 9 June 1983 – 9 April 1992
Preceded by	Christopher Price
Succeeded by	Jim Dowd
Personal details
Born	22 April 1943 (1943-04-22)
Nationality	English
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Jane Corbin
Alma mater	Downing College, Cambridge
Website	http://www.johnmaplesmp.com/

John Cradock Maples, Baron Maples (born 22 April 1943) is British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) representing Lewisham West from 1982 to 1992 and Stratford-upon-Avon from 1997 to 2010. He was made a life peer in 2010.

Early life

Maples was educated at Marlborough College, before going on to Cambridge University where he read Law at Downing College and received an MA in 1964. He then studied at the Harvard Business School. He was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1965.

Parliamentary career

Maples was the MP for Lewisham West from 1983, until he lost the seat at the 1992 general election. He re-entered Parliament as MP for Stratford-upon-Avon in 1997. He held the seat, one of the safest Conservative seats, in both the 2001 and 2005 general elections.

Maples was a member of William Hague's shadow cabinet from 1997 to 2000, holding the posts of Shadow Health Secretary (1997–1998), Shadow Defence Secretary (1998–1999) and Shadow Foreign Secretary (1999–2000), controversially calling for Britain to help Vladimir Putin in the Second Chechen War. In the reshuffle prompted by the return of Michael Portillo to the front bench, he lost his job to Francis Maude and left the shadow cabinet.

He returned to the front bench in a minor reshuffle in November 2006, when David Cameron appointed him Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party with responsibility for candidate selection. He replaced ex-shadow cabinet minister Bernard Jenkin. Because of Cameron's high-profile attempts to have more female and minority candidates selected, which has met with some opposition from local parties, the post is seen as an important one.

Maples was widely believed to be one of the main "plotters" behind the downfall of former Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith.

In the 2009 MP's expenses scandal it emerged that Maples had claimed the Royal Automobile Club as his principal residence.

On 10 January 2010, Maples announced that he would stand down from the House of Commons at the 2010 general election, which was held that May.

John Maples entered the House of Lords on 24 June 2010, as Baron Maples of Stratford-upon-Avon in the County of Warwickshire.

During a Lords debate on voting reform in November 2010, Lord Maples compared Lewisham West unfavourably with his other former constituency Stratford-upon-Avon, saying they "could not be more different". He claimed that Lewisham West was "three square miles of concrete", did not have an "identity", and that many of its constituents "did not know which borough they lived in". He added that Stratford-upon-Avon had a "very articulate" electorate and Lewisham West had "immigration and housing problems".

While an MP, Maples was president of the Conservative Friends of Israel.

Personal life

Maples married the journalist Jane Corbin in December 1986 in Westminster. The couple have a son, Tom (born May 1989), and daughter, Rose (born September 1992).

External links

• Guardian Unlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle: John Maples MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com – John Maples MP
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Maples
• Interview on On The Record in December 1999
• BBC Politics page
• Maples and Calder, Cayman Islands Tax Avoidance

News items

• Speech at 1999 Conservative conference
• Answering questions on BBC News Online in July 1999

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Christopher Price	Member of Parliament for Lewisham West 1983–1992	Succeeded by Jim Dowd
Preceded by Alan Howarth	Member of Parliament for Stratford-on-Avon 1997–2010	Succeeded by Nadhim Zahawi
Political offices
Preceded by Richard Ryder	Economic Secretary to the Treasury 1989–1992	Succeeded by Anthony Nelson
Preceded by Stephen Dorrell	Shadow Secretary of State for Health 1997–1998	Succeeded by Ann Widdecombe
Preceded by Sir George Young Bt.	Shadow Secretary of State for Defence 1998–1999	Succeeded by Iain Duncan Smith
Preceded by Michael Howard	Shadow Foreign Secretary 1999–2000	Succeeded by Francis Maude