Richard Foord
Richard Foord | |
---|---|
![]() Official portrait, 2022 | |
Member of Parliament for Tiverton and Honiton | |
Assumed office 23 June 2022 | |
Preceded by | Neil Parish |
Majority | 6,144 (14.4%) |
Personal details | |
Born | Richard John Foord 13 February 1978[1] Weston-super-Mare, Avon, England |
Political party | Liberal Democrats |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater | |
Website | www |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Branch/service | British Army |
Years of service | 2001–2010 |
Rank | Major |
Unit | Adjutant General's Corps |
Battles/wars | Iraq War |
Richard John Foord[2] (/fɔːrd/; born 13 February 1978[1])[3] is a British Liberal Democrat politician and former British Army officer. He has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tiverton and Honiton since 2022.[4] He won the seat in a by-election held on 23 June 2022, following the resignation due to scandal of the previous Conservative MP Neil Parish.
Early life and education
Foord was born in February 1978 [1] in Weston-super-Mare and went to school in Backwell.[5] He has a BA in history from Royal Holloway, University of London, an MSc in global security from Cranfield University and an MBA from the Open University.[6]
Career before politics
Having attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Foord was commissioned into the Educational and Training Services Branch of the Adjutant General's Corps of the British Army on 13 April 2001.[7] He was promoted to captain on 13 October 2003.[8] After attending Staff College, he was promoted to major on 31 July 2009.[3][9] He served in both the Balkans and Iraq, receiving three campaign medals.[10][11]
Before the election he was International Collaboration and Export Control Manager at the University of Oxford[12] having previously worked at the University of Exeter since 2010, most recently as acting head of global partnerships.[13][6] He grew up in North Somerset and lived in Yatton for 19 years; by 2017, he lived in Uffculme, Devon.[5]
Political career
Foord stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate for North Somerset in the 2017 general election, reaching third place.[5] He was elected to parliament in the 2022 Tiverton and Honiton by-election. In his victory speech, he made a critique of Boris Johnson's lack of integrity as a leader: "By any measure you are unfit to lead".[14][15]
Personal life and interests
Foord is married and has three children.[15] He is a member of Sustrans and a qualified mountain leader.[5]
References
- ^ a b c "Richard Foord MP". Twitter.com. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ "STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED AND NOTICE OF POLL". Mid Devon District Council. 25 May 2022. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ a b Diver, Tony (20 May 2022). "Lib Dems 'planting our tanks on the Tories' lawn' by selecting ex-Army Major for 'blue wall' seat". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ "Liberal Democrats win Tiverton and Honiton by-election to take Tory seat". Sky News. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d Ashcroft, Esme (12 May 2017). "Richard Foord - North Somerset's Liberal Democrat for general election 2017". Bristol Post. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Richard Foord". LinkedIn. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ "No. 56217". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 May 2001. p. 6341.
- ^ "No. 57089". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 October 2003. p. 12990.
- ^ "No. 59146". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 August 2009. pp. 13373–13376.
- ^ "Richard Foord is our Tiverton and Honiton by-election candidate". Exeter Liberal Democrats.
- ^ "Meet Richard". Richard Foord. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ "Richard Foord". researchsupport.admin.ox.ac.uk. University of Oxford. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ "Global Partnerships". www.exeter.ac.uk. University of Exeter. Retrieved 24 June 2022. ("Contacts" tab)
- ^ Michin, Rod (24 June 2022). "Newly elected Lib Dem MP Richard Foord calls on Boris Johnson to quit". The Independent. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ a b O'Leary, Miles (24 June 2022). "Lib Dem by-election win sends 'shockwave' through politics". DevonLive. Retrieved 24 June 2022. Includes full text of victory speech
External links
- 1970s births
- People from Weston-super-Mare
- British Army personnel of the Iraq War
- Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
- Alumni of Royal Holloway, University of London
- Alumni of Cranfield University
- Alumni of the Open University
- People associated with the University of Exeter
- People associated with the University of Oxford
- Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs for English constituencies
- Living people
- People from Mid Devon District
- People from North Somerset (district)
- Royal Army Educational Corps officers
- UK MPs 2019–present