Sir Mark Spencer | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Minister of State for Food, Farming and Fisheries[a] | |
| In office 7 September 2022 – 5 July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Liz Truss Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | Victoria Prentis |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Zeichner |
| Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council | |
| In office 8 February 2022 – 6 September 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Jacob Rees-Mogg |
| Succeeded by | Penny Mordaunt |
| Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 24 July 2019 – 8 February 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Julian Smith |
| Succeeded by | Chris Heaton-Harris |
| Comptroller of the Household | |
| In office 15 July 2018 – 24 July 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May |
| Preceded by | Chris Heaton-Harris |
| Succeeded by | Jeremy Quin |
| Deputy Leader of the House of Commons | |
| In office 15 July 2018 – 24 July 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May |
| Preceded by | Chris Heaton-Harris |
| Succeeded by | Peter Bone(2022) |
| Vice-Chamberlain of the Household | |
| In office 10 January 2018 – 15 July 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May |
| Preceded by | Chris Heaton-Harris |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Stephenson |
| Lord Commissioner of the Treasury | |
| In office 15 June 2017 – 9 January 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May |
| Preceded by | Robert Syms |
| Succeeded by | Craig Whittaker |
| Member of Parliament forSherwood | |
| In office 6 May 2010 – 30 May 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Paddy Tipping |
| Succeeded by | Michelle Welsh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1970-01-20)20 January 1970 (age 55) Nottinghamshire, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Residence(s) | Mapperley Plains, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Website | markspencer |
Sir Mark Steven Spencer (born 20 January 1970) is a British politician who served asMinister of State for Food, Farming and Fisheries between 2022 and 2024.[1][2] He previously served asLeader of the House of Commons andLord President of the Council from February to September 2022 and asChief Whip from 2019 to 2022. A member of theConservative Party, he served asMember of Parliament (MP) forSherwood from 2010 until 2024, when he lost his seat in the2024 General election.
Spencer was born on 20 January 1970. He attended Lambley Primary School and theColonel Frank Seely School inCalverton, Nottinghamshire. He then qualified atShuttleworth Agricultural College in Bedfordshire,[3] before joining the family farm business. A former dairy farm, the business diversified into growing potatoes and vegetables and producing free-range eggs, beef and lamb, and employing around 50 local people. Spencer was chairman of theNational Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs from 1999 to 2000. Spencer was a trustee of TheRoyal Agricultural Society of England and for three years, the honorary show director of theRoyal Show. Additionally, he is a fellow of theRoyal Agricultural Society.[3]
Spencer is a past vice-chairman of school governors of Woodborough Woods Foundation School, where he was chairman of the Disciplinary Committee. As chairman of the Lambley Playground Fund, he helped raise over £100,000 to provide new play equipment in the village and he is also trustee of the Core Centre Calverton, an adult education centre.[4] Spencer is the President of Bilsthorpe Heritage Museum.[5]
In May 2001, Spencer unsuccessfully stood as a Conservative Party candidate for theNottinghamshire County Council seat of Hucknall. However, in 2003 he gained the third seat in the safe Conservative ward of Ravenshead onGedling District Council; he retained this seat at the local elections in 2007. In 2005, Spencer contested a different ward for the Nottinghamshire County Council elections and won the seat of Calverton for the Conservatives; he retained this seat at the local elections in 2009 with an increased majority. In 2006, Spencer was appointed Shadow Spokesman for Community Safety and Partnership for Nottinghamshire County Council.[citation needed]
Spencer gained theSherwood seat fromLabour at the2010 general election with a majority of 214, after the sitting Labour MPPaddy Tipping stood down.[6] Spencer was re-elected in 2015 and 2017. Following his election as an MP he stood down as a borough councillor and county councillor before the next local elections in 2011 and 2013 respectively.
In Parliament, Spencer has served on theEnvironmental Audit Committee, theEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, theBackbench Business Committee, and on theSelection Committee.[7] He formerly served asParliamentary Private Secretary toSecretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsLiz Truss, and was appointed Assistant Government Whip on 17 July 2016, before becoming a full government whip in June 2017.[8]
He worked on environmental issues and energy security through his roles on the Environmental Audit Committee and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.[9] With his farming background, Spencer has also focused in Parliament on agriculture and rural communities, with an interest in ensuring that British food production is recognised and promoted as "world class".[9] He joined the Coalfield Communities All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), whose aim is to restore the economies of former coalfield areas.[10] Spencer was named theBrake Road Safety Parliamentarian of the Year 2011 for campaigning for improved road safety on the A614.[11]
Spencer attracted criticism in February 2015 after appearing to defend a benefits system which, according to Labour MPLisa Nandy, left a job seeker with learning disabilities unable to afford food or electricity because he was four minutes late for a job centre appointment. In response to Nandy, Spencer said: "It is important that those seeking employment learn the discipline of timekeeping, which is an important part of securing and keeping a job".[12] Writing inThe Spectator magazine,Isabel Hardman criticised his response, suggesting his rush to defend government policy without showing concern for the constituent was an example of "political tribalism at its worst".[13] Spencer said that critics had "twisted what he said", and stood by his comments that "normal people doing normal jobs, if they turn up late they would get their wages docked".[12]
The Telegraph reported in August 2015 that Spencer, in a letter to a constituent, had suggested that Extremism Disruption Orders (EDOs) could be used against Christian teachers who tell schoolchildren thatsame-sex marriage is wrong. He wrote that whilst Christians with traditionalist views are "perfectly entitled to express their views", "The EDOs, in this case, would apply to a situation where a teacher was specifically teaching that gay marriage is wrong". Simon Calvert, deputy director of theChristian Institute, anevangelical pressure group, responded: "I am genuinely shocked that we have an MP supporting the idea of teachers being branded extremists for teaching that marriage is between a man and a woman".[14]
In May 2016, it emerged that Spencer was one of a number of Conservative MPs being investigated by police in the2015 general election party spending investigation, for allegedly spending more than the legal limit on constituency election campaign expenses.[15] In May 2017, the Crown Prosecution Service said that while there was evidence of inaccurate spending returns, it did not "meet the test" for further action.[16]
As a backbench MP, Spencer chose to support the official position of the Government and campaigned for the United Kingdom to remain in theEuropean Union before theEU membership referendum on 23 June 2016.[17] After the result was announced, Spencer continued to support the party leadership and advocated leaving the European Union.[18]
Spencer was criticised in 2017 by theParliamentary Commissioner for Standards for misusing taxpayers' resources, such as the MPs' newsletter, to link to "overtly party political content". Spencer apologised and a member of his staff,Ben Bradley, was sent on a training course on how to appropriately use parliamentary resources.[19][20]
Spencer was madeChief Whip on 24 July 2019 under Prime MinisterBoris Johnson. He was appointed to thePrivy Council the next day.[21]
On 1 August 2020, a Conservative MP was arrested on charges of sexual assault.The Sunday Times reported that Spencer, as Chief Whip, was told of the alleged incident a month before the arrest, and did not take action. Spencer said that when the victim came forward to him, there was mention of abuse and other threatful behaviour, but no mention of sexual assault.[22][needs update]
Spencer was appointedKnight Bachelor in March 2024 for parliamentary and public service.[23][24]
Spencer lives with his wife and children[25] inMapperley Plains in Nottinghamshire.[26][27]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forSherwood 2010–2024 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lord Commissioner of the Treasury 2017–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Vice-Chamberlain of the Household 2018 | Succeeded by |
| Deputy Leader of the House of Commons 2018–2019 | Vacant | |
| Comptroller of the Household 2018–2019 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Chief Whip of theHouse of Commons 2019–2022 | Succeeded by |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury 2019–2022 | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the House of Commons 2022 | Succeeded by |
| Lord President of the Council 2022 | ||
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Conservative Chief Whip of theHouse of Commons 2019–2022 | Succeeded by |
Johnson cabinets | ||||||||||||
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