Patrick McLoughlin

Last updated

West Derbyshire (1986–2010)
Lynne Newman
​
(m. 1984)​
The Right Honourable
The Lord McLoughlin
CH PC
Official portrait of Lord McLoughlin, 2022.jpg
Official portrait, 2022
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office
14 July 2016 –8 January 2018
In office
8 May 1986 –6 November 2019
Children2
Alma mater South Staffordshire College
Signature Patrick McLoughlin Signature.png

Patrick Allen McLoughlin, Baron McLoughlin, CH , PC (born 30 November 1957 [1] ) is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he first became the Member of Parliament (MP) for West Derbyshire following the 1986 by-election. The constituency became the Derbyshire Dales for the 2010 general election; McLoughlin remained the seat's MP until 2019.

Contents

As a former miner, he is one of the few Conservative parliamentarians to have been a manual worker before being elected to Parliament. [2] On 4 September 2012, he was appointed Secretary of State for Transport. [3] On 14 July 2016, he became Chairman of the Conservative Party and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, under the new administration of Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May. [4] He resigned as chairman on 8 January 2018 and was succeeded by Brandon Lewis. [5] In January 2022, he was announced as the new chair of Transport for the North. [6]

Early life and career

McLoughlin was born in Stafford on 30 November 1957, the son and grandson of coal miners. He was educated at the Cardinal Griffin Roman Catholic School in Cannock, Staffordshire, and Staffordshire College of Agriculture at Rodbaston College. [7] From 1974, he worked for five years as a farm worker and, after 1979, worked underground at the Littleton Colliery in Cannock. He was a member of the National Union of Mineworkers, [8] and became an industrial representative for the National Coal Board's Western Area Marketing Department.

McLoughlin was elected as a councillor on Cannock Chase District Council, serving for seven years from 1980, and was a councillor on Staffordshire County Council from 1981 to 1987. [8] In 1982, McLoughlin served as the Chairman of the National Young Conservatives.

Coal miners in Staffordshire were split in support of the NUM miners' strike in 1984–85. McLoughlin did not support the strike, and later came to national attention when he stood up at the 1984 Conservative Party Conference to announce that he was a working miner. [9] He moved from underground belt attendant to Area Marketing representative in September 1985, five months after the end of the strike.

McLoughlin unsuccessfully contested Wolverhampton South East at the 1983 general election, losing to the sitting Labour MP Robert Edwards by 5,000 votes. [10]

Parliamentary career

Matthew Parris, then Conservative MP for West Derbyshire, had resigned from the House of Commons to pursue a media career and McLoughlin was chosen to contest the 1986 by-election. [11] [12] He held the seat, albeit very narrowly, with a 100 majority.

In Parliament, McLoughlin served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary, initially to Angela Rumbold (Minister of State at the Department for Education and Science (1987–88) and then to David Young, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1988–89). McLoughlin was made a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1989, and served in the Department for Transport until 1992, when he was moved by Prime Minister John Major to serve in the same position at the Department of Employment. A year later, McLoughlin was moved to the Department of Trade and Industry.

He joined the government as Assistant Whip in 1995, becoming a Lord Commissioner in 1996. After the Conservative Party's defeat at the 1997 general election, he remained in the whips' office in opposition, becoming the Deputy Chief Whip in 1998. He was then promoted to Chief Whip by David Cameron in 2005. McLoughlin has also served on many select committees. As Opposition Chief Whip, he was sworn of the Privy Council in June 2005.

Following boundary changes, the West Derbyshire constituency was abolished at the 2010 general election, and McLoughlin was elected to the successor seat of Derbyshire Dales, achieving exactly the same number of votes. Prime Minister David Cameron appointed McLoughlin as the government's Chief Whip and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government. During his tenure as Chief Whip, he was reprimanded by the Speaker John Bercow for inappropriate behaviour within the House of Commons. [13]

Transport Secretary

In a government reshuffle in September 2012, McLoughlin was appointed Secretary of State for Transport. Soon after his appointment he had to cancel the award of the InterCity West Coast franchise due to major technical flaws in the bidding process. [14]

As Transport Secretary, McLoughlin oversaw large-scale government investment in rail in the wake of increasing passenger numbers in the years following rail privatisation. From 2014 to 2019, £38 billion of improvement works were planned, including Crossrail, the Thameslink Programme, electrification of the Great Western Main Line and the Northern Powerhouse scheme to boost transport links in the North of England. [15]

In 2017, construction began on HS2, a high-speed link between major cities that will "triple the long-distance capacity to the North of England" as well as freeing up the West Coast Main Line for freight and commuter trains. [16] In 2015, McLoughlin said "So the argument has been won. HS2 will be built, the full ‘Y’ network, from London to Birmingham and Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds. HS2 will change the transport architecture of the north. But it will also change the economic architecture." [17]

In November 2013, he made a speech praising the impact of the privatisation of British Rail, saying that "Privatisation sparked a railway renaissance. Since 1993, passenger journeys have doubled in the UK to a level not seen since the 1920s. On a network roughly the same size as 15 years ago, today our railway is running 4,000 more services a day. And rail freight has grown by 60%. Revenue is up more than £3 billion since privatisation, almost all of it due to higher passenger numbers rather than fare rises. Safety levels are at an all time high. Punctuality is at near record levels. And passenger satisfaction is up by 10% over the past decade." [18] However, a number of academics and journalists disputed this and subsequently argued that the evidence suggested the privatisation had largely failed, creating new inefficiencies, failing to create genuine competition and seeing steep rises in costs to passengers. [19] [20]

In December 2015, he announced the winners of the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises which include new trains, services and free wifi, saying "Arriva Rail North and First TransPennine Express went far beyond our requirements with exciting, ambitious plans that will make a real difference to customers, and – coupled with our commitment to push ahead with electrifying the vital TransPennine route – will help the region realise its full economic potential, ensuring it has a modern 21st century transport system." [21]

McLoughlin's efforts to meet and pacify Cumbrian residents of Pooley Bridge and Soulsby following the 2015 floods were ridiculed in The Independent when the ministerial party arrived on the wrong side of the collapsed bridge. The paper compared the event to a scene from the BBC comedy The Thick of It . [22]

McLoughlin oversaw the beginning of the £15 billion road upgrade package to improve routes and add lanes. [23]

After the resignation of David Cameron as Prime Minister following the UK's vote to leave the European Union on 23 June 2016, McLoughlin was made Conservative Party chairman by new Prime Minister Theresa May on 14 July 2016. He was appointed Knight Bachelor in the 2016 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours, by his colleague in the Conservative Party, for political and public service. [24]

Chairman of the Conservative Party

In a 24 July 2016 interview on the Andrew Marr Show , Patrick McLoughlin said "Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty will be triggered before the next general election. It's very clear that Brexit means Brexit. Brexit means that we're coming out of the European Union. We want to see our own borders under our own control." [25]

McLoughlin stepped down as Chairman of the Conservative Party on 8 January 2018, saying that he had had "a very good run" and was replaced by Brandon Lewis. He also resigned as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, with David Lidington being his successor. Prior to his resignation, McLoughlin had come under increasing pressure to resign from colleagues in the Conservative Party over the disappointing performance of the party in the 2017 general election and various issues with the most recent party conference. [26] [27]

After the Commons

McLoughlin was appointed Chairman of Visit Britain. He is to serve until 2023.

In January 2022, McLoughlin was appointed as Chair of Transport for the North. At the time of the appointment, he said: "I believe firmly in the potential of the North of England and know from my personal experience and professional career just how vital reliable, cost-effective and sustainable transport is to people and business." [28]

Peerage

McLoughlin was nominated for a life peerage in the 2019 Dissolution Honours. He was created Baron McLoughlin, of Cannock Chase in the County of Staffordshire on 8 September 2020. Lord McLoughlin made his maiden speech on 11 November 2020, remembering his time as a whip, meeting Lord Comack & being a member of the cabinet in the Cameron/Clegg Years. [29]

Personal life

He is married to Lynn McLoughlin, whom he employed as a Senior Parliamentary Assistant on a salary up to £40,000. [30] His son James was also employed by the Conservative Party as a Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Theresa May. [31]

Styles

Honours

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References

  1. ↑ "Mcloughlin, Rt Hon. Sir Patrick (Allen), (born 30 Nov. 1957), PC 2005; MP (C) Derbyshire Dales, since 2010 (West Derbyshire, May 1986–2010); Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, since 2016; Chairman, Conservative Party, since 2016". Who's Who . 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.26080.
  2. ↑ "Representatives of society". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  3. ↑ "BBC News LIVE: David Cameron's Cabinet reshuffle: Live". BBC News. 4 September 2012.
  4. ↑ "Ministerial appointment July 2016: Conservative Party Chairman and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster". gov.uk. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  5. ↑ Coulter, Martin (8 January 2018). "Cabinet reshuffle latest: names emerge in PM's new top team as Tories tweet Chris Grayling is new chairman". London Evening Standard . Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  6. ↑ "Lord McLoughlin confirmed as Chair of Transport for the North". Transport for the North. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  7. ↑ Dalton, Catherine (6 September 2012). "Journey from miner to major ministerial role". Express & Star. No. 41, 641. p. 5. ISSN   0959-8588.
  8. 1 2 Murphy, Joe (4 September 2012). "Airport expansion 'back on table' as McLoughlin takes over Greening as Transport Secretary". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  9. ↑ "Tory conference: Cash announced for regional road plans". BBC News. 8 October 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  10. ↑ "UK General Election results 1983; Wokingham – York". Richard Kimber's political science resources. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  11. ↑ "Matthew Parris". Q&A . C-SPAN. 12 December 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin; biography". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  13. ↑ "Speaker John Bercow reprimands Chief Whip Patrick McLoughlin". BBC News. 7 December 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  14. ↑ Osborne, Alistair (6 October 2012). "West Coast Main Line: scrapped bid reveals chaos at the heart of government". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  15. ↑ "Plans for £38 billion investment in railways unveiled". Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  16. ↑ "HS2 – The story so far". 5 November 2015. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  17. ↑ "Transport Secretary confirms government is forging ahead on high-speed rail and a Northern Powerhouse – News stories". Government of the United Kingdom. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  18. ↑ "Rail growth through competition: the success of the UK model". Government of the United Kingdom. 12 November 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  19. ↑ "An illusion of success: The consequences of British rail privatisation". Accounting Forum.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  20. ↑ "Rail privatisation: legalised larceny". The Guardian. 4 November 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  21. ↑ "Massive boost to rail services brings Northern Powerhouse to life". Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  22. ↑ Hall, John (4 January 2016). "Government ministers meet flooded locals 20 minutes late and on the wrong side of a collapsed bridge" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  23. ↑ "Biggest upgrade to roads in a generation". Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  24. ↑ "No. 61678". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 August 2016. p. RH2.
  25. ↑ Yeung, Peter (24 July 2016). "Brexit: Article 50 will be triggered before next general election, Tory chairman says" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  26. ↑ "'Somebody has to take responsibility': Tories call for party chairman to quit after Theresa May speech shambles". London Evening Standard. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  27. ↑ "Tories turn on party chairman Patrick McLoughlin over election losses". Politics Home. 15 July 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  28. ↑ "Lord McLoughlin confirmed as Chair of Transport for the North". Transport for the North. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  29. ↑ "Crown Office". The London Gazette. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  30. ↑ "Search MP by name". Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  31. ↑ "List of Special Advisers in Post" (PDF). Gov UK. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for West Derbyshire
1986–2010 		Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament
for Derbyshire Dales
2010–2019 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Shadow Chief Whip of the House of Commons
2005–2010		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief Whip of the House of Commons
2010–2012		Succeeded by
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
2010–2012
Preceded by Secretary of State for Transport
2012–2016		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
2016–2018		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Conservative Chief Whip of the House of Commons
2005–2012		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the Conservative Party
2016–2018		Succeeded by
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gentlemen
Baron McLoughlin		Followed by
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