Richard Benyon

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This article is about the current MP for Newbury. For other uses, see Richard Benyon (disambiguation).
Richard Benyon MP
Member of Parliament
for Newbury
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 May 2005
Preceded by David Rendel
Majority 12,248 (20.9%)
Personal details
Born 4 September 1960 (1960-09-04) (age 51)
Reading, Berkshire, England
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Elizabeth Anne Hallifax, (Div)
Zoe
Children First marriage: 3xsons
Current marriage: 2xsons
Residence Englefield House
Alma mater Royal Agricultural College
Signature
Website www.richardbenyon.com
Military service
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1980 - 1985
Unit Royal Green Jackets

Richard Henry Ronald Benyon MRICS[1] (born 21 October 1960) is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Newbury since 2005 and a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since May 2010.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Benyon was born in Reading, the son of Sir William Benyon, (and great-great grandson of former Conservative Prime Minister Lord Salisbury[2]), and was educated at nearby Bradfield College and the Royal Agricultural College. He served in the Royal Green Jackets for five years from 1980 to 1985.

[edit] Political career

He was elected in 1991 to the Newbury District Council, he became the Conservative group leader in 1994. He lost his council seat in 1995. He contested Newbury at the 1997 General Election but lost heavily to the 1993 by-election incumbent Liberal Democrat David Rendel. Benyon and Rendel contested Newbury again at the 2001 General Election, and Rendel came out again as the victor with a reduced majority. It proved third time lucky for Benyon, when he and Rendel again contested Newbury at the 2005 UK general election and Benyon was elected with a majority of 3,460, replacing Rendel.

Benyon made his maiden speech on 20 May 2005 and served on the Home Affairs Select Committee from 2005 to 2007, when he became an Opposition Whip. He was the Shadow Minister for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2009 until the 2010 general election when he entered government.

In May 2009, he was listed by The Telegraph as one of the "Saints" in the expenses scandal[3]

He was made Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the first Cameron Ministry.[4]

[edit] Personal life

Divorced from his first wife, the couple had three sons. He presently lives in the family estate of Englefield House, with his second wife Zoe and their two sons.[5]

Benyon is a director of the family controlled Englefield Charitable Trust. He is one of nine Vice-Presidents of Berkshire County Scout Council.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/ministers-interests.pdf
  2. ^ "General Election 2005 Research Paper". House of Commons Library. http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2005/rp05-033.pdf. 
  3. ^ "MPs' Expenses: the saints". London: The Telegraph. 18 May 2009. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5342657/MPs-expenses-The-saints-Part-ii.html?image=4. Retrieved 2009-07-01. 
  4. ^ http://conservativehome.blogs.com/thetorydiary/2010/05/fuller-list-of-junior-appointments.html
  5. ^ Robert Verkaik (27 February 2011). "Wealthy minister earns £2m subsidies in EU farm subsidies which his department tried to cover up". London: Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1360998/Wealthy-minister-earns-2m-subsidies-EU-farm-subsidies-department-tried-cover-up.html. Retrieved 27 February 2011. 

[edit] External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
David Rendel		 Member of Parliament for Newbury
2005–present		 Incumbent
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_Benyon&oldid=473488156"
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