Ben Maguire

Last updated

2024-Present
Ben Maguire
MP
Official portrait of Ben Maguire MP crop 2.jpg
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for North Cornwall
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024		 Shadow Attorney General
Personal details
Born (1991-08-10) 10 August 1991 (age 33)
Truro, Cornwall, England
Political party Liberal Democrats

Benedict Maguire (born 10 August 1991) is a Cornish Liberal Democrat politician and solicitor in the United Kingdom serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for North Cornwall since the 2024 general election.

Contents

Maguire currently sits on the Liberal Democrat frontbench team as their Shadow Attorney General.

Early life and career

Maguire was born in Truro and grew up in Withiel. His mother was a teacher and his father was a doctor, both working in Bodmin. [1]

Maguire worked as a parliamentary aide and constituency caseworker for Dan Rogerson and later Ian Swales. He also had research placements in the Hong Kong Legislative Council and the United States Senate. More recently, Ben has worked as a solicitor. [2] [3]

Parliamentary career

In February 2024, Maguire was named as the Liberal Democrats' prospective parliamentary candidate for the North Cornwall. [2] At the 2024 general election, Maguire was elected to Parliament as MP for North Cornwall, receiving 47.0% of the vote and a majority of 9,957. [3] The incumbent Conservative MP was unseated with a vote swing of 24.9% towards Maguire. [4]

Ben Maguire was sworn in after making the parliamentary oath in Cornish. [5] [6] [7] On 15 July, Andrew George and Ben Maguire submitted a letter in support of Cornish devolution to the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. Maguire described existing devolved responsibilities as window-dressing that did not go far enough. He also stated his support for a Cornish Assembly akin to the Welsh Senedd, and rejected the notion of a Mayor of Cornwall. [7] [8]

On 18 September 2024, Ed Davey announced his new Frontbench Team, in which Ben Maguire took the position of Shadow Attorney General. [9]

On 10 October 2024, Ben Maguire made his maiden speech in the House of Commons. [10] Maguire has served as a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee since October 2024. [11]

On 16 October 2024, during Prime Minister's Questions, called on Keir Starmer to meet with the six Cornish MPs a Cornish Assembly, and critisied the top-down approach Westminster took towards devolution. Keir Starmer noted he was encouraging "broader" devolution deals regarding Combined Authorities, but agreed to meet with the MPs. [12] [13]

In January 2025, Maguire called for the resignation of South West Water's Chief Executive, Susan Davy, due to her company's ongoing service failings and sewage dumping during the Christmas period. [14] The letter, written by Maguire and co-signed by a number of MPs from the Liberal Democrats and Labour Party, referenced Davy's decision to increase her annual pay by over £300,000, while failing to address the sewage infrastructure upgrades needed to prevent further storm overflows.

Personal life

Maguire is married to his husband. [15]

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References

  1. ↑ "Liberal Democrats select Cornish campaigner as election candidate". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  2. 1 2 McCrum, Kirstie (6 February 2024). "Lib Dems select Cornish campaigner as election candidate". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Ben Maguire – The Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for North Cornwall" . Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  4. ↑ "North Cornwall - General Election Results". BBC News. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  5. ↑ "Cornwall's new MPs take their oath in the House of Commons in English and Cornish". Cornish Times . 11 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  6. ↑ "All six of Cornwall's new MPs swear oaths in Cornish". BBC News. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Calls for Cornwall to get devolution deal akin to Wales". Sky News. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  8. ↑ Maguire, Ben [@BenMaguireNC] (15 July 2024). "I'm calling for Cornish devolution to be included in the King's Speech. I'm a strong believer that local communities are best placed to make their own decisions. I have written to the Prime Minister asking him & his government to seize this historic opportunity for Cornwall. 👇" (Tweet). Retrieved 19 July 2024– via Twitter.
  9. ↑ Self, Josh (18 September 2024). "Ed Davey unveils new Liberal Democrat frontbench". Politics.co.uk. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "Sport: Team GB and ParalympicsGB". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Vol. 754. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 10 October 2024.
  11. ↑ "Latest civil service & public affairs moves – November 4". Civil Service World. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  12. ↑ Morris, Jonathan (16 October 2024). "Call for Cornwall devolution gains momentum". BBC News. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  13. ↑ James, Rhiannon (16 October 2024). "MP calls for devolved assembly in Cornwall to recognise its 'unique' culture". The Independent . Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  14. ↑ James, Rhiannon (8 January 2025). "Calls for South West Water CEO to resign over 'Christmas sewage dumping'". ITV West Country . Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  15. ↑ "Losing Tory MP cries as she says she was 'swimming against the tide'". Falmouth Packet. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for North Cornwall
2024–present		Incumbent
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