Graham Stuart | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero[a] | |
| In office 6 September 2022 – 12 April 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Liz Truss Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | Greg Hands |
| Succeeded by | Justin Tomlinson |
| Minister of State for Europe | |
| In office 7 July 2022 – 6 September 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | James Cleverly |
| Succeeded by | Leo Docherty |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exports | |
| In office 9 January 2018 – 16 September 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Mark Garnier |
| Succeeded by | Mike Freer |
| Chair of theEducation Select Committee | |
| In office 9 June 2010 – 30 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Barry Sheerman |
| Succeeded by | Neil Carmichael |
| Member of Parliament forBeverley and Holderness | |
| Assumed office 5 May 2005 | |
| Preceded by | James Cran |
| Majority | 124 (0.3%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Graham Charles Stuart (1962-03-12)12 March 1962 (age 63) Carlisle,Cumberland, England |
| Party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Anne Crawshaw |
| Children | 2 daughters |
| Residence(s) | Beverley,East Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Education | Selwyn College, Cambridge |
| Website | www |
Graham Charles Stuart[1] (born 12 March 1962) is a BritishConservative Party politician and businessman who has served as theMember of Parliament forBeverley and Holderness since2005. He previously served in various ministerial positions underPrime MinistersTheresa May,Boris Johnson,Liz Truss andRishi Sunak between 2018 and 2024.
Born inCarlisle, Stuart attendedGlenalmond College and later studied atSelwyn College, Cambridge. He was a member ofCambridge City Council from 1998 to 2004 for the Conservative Party, and unsuccessfully contested theCambridge constituency in the2001 general election. He was elected to Parliament in2005 general election for the constituencyBeverley and Holderness, and was reelected in the2010 general election. On the backbenches, Stuart was the Chair of theEducation Select Committee from 2010 to 2015. He was reelected in both the2015 and2017 general elections. He joined the government in 2018 asParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exports under Prime Minister Theresa May, and was reappointed to the position under Boris Johnson in 2019. He was reelected in the2019 general election, and later returned to the backbenches after being dismissed by Johnson in 2021.
Stuart returned to the government asMinister of State for Europe following theJuly 2022 government crisis under Johnson. After Liz Truss became Prime Minister in September 2022, Stuart was appointed to acabinet attending position asMinister of State for Climate. Following the appointment ofRishi Sunak as Prime Minister the following month, Stuart was reappointed to the position withthe additional portfolio of Energy but was removed from cabinet. The portfolio was retitled toEnergy Security and Net Zero in theFebruary 2023 British cabinet reshuffle, before Stuart stood down from the position in April 2024. He was reelected in the2024 general election with a reduced majority.
Graham Stuart was born on 12 March 1962 inCarlisle, and went toGlenalmond College, anindependent school inPerthshire, before studying atSelwyn College, Cambridge, from 1982 to 1985, where he read Philosophy and Law.[2][3] Stuart failed his degree, after focusing his efforts on developing his "What's on in Cambridge" guide into a profitable business. He remains a non-executive chairman of the company.[4]
He wasChairman of theCambridge University Conservative Association in 1985.[5]
Stuart was elected as a member ofCambridge City Council for theCherry Hinton Ward in the1998 local elections.[6] He contested theCambridge constituency as theConservative Partycandidate at the2001 general election, coming in third place with 9,829 votes, 23% of the share.[7] He was re-elected to Cambridge City Council in the2002 local elections and served until 2004.[6]
Stuart was elected to theHouse of Commons asMember of Parliament (MP) forBeverley and Holderness in the2005 general election with a majority of 2,580.[8] Following his election, he said "I plan to be upfront and have a high profile, not only within the constituency but nationally".[9] He became a member of twoselect committees: theEnvironmental Audit Select Committee and theChildren, Schools and Families Select Committee.[10] He was elected a member of the Conservative Party Board in 2006.[2]
In 2005, he founded Beverley and Holderness Pensioners Action Group, Community Hospitals Acting Nationally Together (CHANT), a cross-party campaign group, and Hull and Holderness Opposing the Incinerator (HOTI Group).[2] He is vice-chairman of the GLOBE UK branch ofGlobal Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment.[11] Following theParliamentary expenses scandal, Stuart defended his expenses in June 2009, which included spending £426 on bed linen and towels.[12]
His campaigns in the 2005–10 Parliament included the defeat of legislation on home education and saving the Beverley Pasture Masters. In the following parliament, he was involved in the successful campaign for lowerHumber Bridge tolls, and persuaded the government to improve the A164 and construct the Beverley Bypass. In 2012, he defeated a proposed increase inVAT on static caravans, which are largely manufactured in the East Riding of Yorkshire.[13]
At the2010 general election Stuart was re-elected, increasing his share of the vote to 47.1% and increasing his majority to 12,987.[14]
In June 2010, Stuart was elected by MPs as Chair of the Education Select Committee.[15] Despite being a Conservative MP, Stuart frequently disagreed with the Secretary of State for EducationMichael Gove.[4] His committee produced up to six reports a year ranging from single evidence inquiries[16] to more detailed examinations into Education, Schools and Family policy.[17]
Stuart supports repealing the2004 Hunting Act to bring back fox hunting, stating in 2010: "I've always said I would vote to reverse the ban".[18]
At the2015 general election Stuart was again re-elected, increasing his vote share to 48.1%, but saw his majority cut from 12,987 to 12,203.[19]
On 27 February 2016, Stuart announced his support for Britain continuing to be a member of theEuropean Union.
In an interview with the journalistPeter Wilby forThe Guardian, Stuart described himself as socially liberal, a "deficit hawk" who favours faster cuts to public spending, and an end to welfare dependency.[4] He was appointed anAssistant Whip by the newPrime Minister,Theresa May on 18 July 2016.
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At the snap2017 general election, Stuart was again re-elected, increasing his vote share to 58.4% and increasing his majority to 14,042.[20]
Stuart was promoted to serve asParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exports in the January 2019 government reshuffle. He returned to the backbenches in the September 2021 reshuffle.
Stuart was again re-elected at the2019 general election, increasing his vote share to 62.1% and his majority to 20,448. This was the highest vote share and highest majority ever won by an MP in Beverley and Holderness.[21]
In January 2022 Stuart was appointed as a Trade Envoy to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and held this role until July 2022.[22] He was made Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in July 2022 as part of the caretaker government by outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson.[23]
He was madeMinister of State for Climate in September 2022 as part of theincoming cabinet of Prime MinisterLiz Truss.[24][25] In one of his first interviews in his new position with the BBC, Stuart commented thatoil and gas exploration in theNorth Sea would be "good for the environment".[26] He attended Charles III's accession council on 10 September.[27] He was formally appointed a privy counsellor three days later, granting him the honorific styleThe Right Honourable.[28] On 19 October 2022, before a controversial vote on fracking that the government had declared a vote of confidence, Stuart suggested that the vote was not actually a confidence vote, apparently communicating a message from a "junior official at 10 Downing Street". Theresulting confusion played a significant role in the resignation of Liz Truss the next day.[29] On 27 October 2022, upon the appointment ofRishi Sunak as Prime Minister he was reappointed to his position and given the additional Energy portfolio but was removed from Cabinet.[30]
In 2023, reports emerged that Stuart had received £10,000 donation towards his campaign from energy company JR Rix & Sons and an additional £2,000 from Bostonair, an aviation company, both based in Hull.[31]
In April 2024, Stuart stood down as Energy Minister and Net Zero Minister.[32]
At the2024 general election, Stuart was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 34.5% and a narrow majority of 124.[33][34]
In March 2025 Stuart suggested US PresidentDonald Trump was a Russian asset/agent. When later challenged on the BBC he admitted he had "no hard and fast evidence" for the charge but said "well if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck. What we’ve got is a president who is making absolutely no demands of the aggressor, the dictator... And therefore, it’s hard not to have it as a possibility."[35]
Graham Stuart lives inBeverley and separated from his wife in January 2022. He enjoys motorcycling, cycling and cricket.[22]
| Election | Seat | Party | Votes | % | Result | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Cambridge City Council election | Cherry Hinton Ward | Conservative | 893 | 46.6 | Elected | 1st / 3 candidates | |
| 2001 general election | Cambridge | Conservative | 9,829 | 22.9 | Not elected | 3rd / 8 candidates | |
| 2002 Cambridge City Council election | Cherry Hinton Ward | Conservative | 1,174 | 49.3 | Elected | 1st / 4 candidates | |
| 2005 general election | Beverley and Holderness | Conservative | 20,435 | 40.7 | Elected | 1st / 4 candidates | |
| 2010 general election | Beverley and Holderness | Conservative | 25,063 | 47.1 | Elected | 1st / 7 candidates | |
| 2015 general election | Beverley and Holderness | Conservative | 25,363 | 48.1 | Elected | 1st / 6 candidates | |
| 2017 general election | Beverley and Holderness | Conservative | 32,499 | 58.4 | Elected | 1st / 5 candidates | |
| 2019 general election | Beverley and Holderness | Conservative | 33,250 | 62.1 | Elected | 1st / 5 candidates | |
| 2024 general election | Beverley and Holderness | Conservative | 15,501 | 34.5 | Elected | 1st / 8 candidates |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Graham Stuart | 15,501 | 34.5 | −26.5 | |
| Labour | Margaret Pinder | 15,377 | 34.2 | +9.5 | |
| Reform | Andrew Smith | 8,198 | 18.3 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrats | Denis Healy | 3,386 | 7.5 | −1.8 | |
| Green | Jonathan Stephenson | 1,647 | 3.7 | +1.2 | |
| Yorkshire | George McManus | 625 | 1.4 | −1.2 | |
| SDP | Chris Collin | 89 | 0.2 | N/A | |
| Alliance for Democracy and Freedom | John Ottaway | 74 | 0.2 | N/A | |
| Majority | 124 | 0.3 | −36.0 | ||
| Turnout | 44,897 | 62.4 | −4.8 | ||
| Registered electors | 71,994 | ||||
| Conservativehold | Swing | −18.0 | |||
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBeverley and Holderness 2005–present | Incumbent |