Mark Reckless
Mark Reckless | |
---|---|
Brexit Party in Wales | |
In office 15 May 2019 – 19 October 2020 | |
Leader | Nigel Farage |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Nathan Gill (Reform UK) |
Member of the Senedd for South Wales East | |
In office 5 May 2016 – 29 April 2021 | |
Preceded by | William Graham |
Succeeded by | Natasha Asghar |
UKIP Spokesperson for Economics | |
In office 18 August 2015 – 6 April 2017 | |
Leader | Nigel Farage Diane James Paul Nuttall |
Preceded by | Patrick O'Flynn |
Succeeded by | Patrick O'Flynn |
Member of Parliament for Rochester and Strood | |
In office 20 November 2014 – 30 March 2015 | |
Preceded by | himself |
Succeeded by | Kelly Tolhurst |
In office 6 May 2010 – 30 September 2014 | |
Preceded by | Bob Marshall-Andrews (Medway) |
Succeeded by | himself |
Personal details | |
Born | Mark John Reckless 6 December 1970 London, England |
Political party | The University of Law Columbia Business School |
Website | Official website |
Mark John Reckless (born 6 December 1970) is a British lawyer and former politician who served as a Member of the Senedd (MS) for South Wales East from 2016 until 2021, having previously served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Rochester and Strood from 2010 to 2015. Initially a member of the Conservative Party, he crossed the floor to join the UK Independence Party (UKIP) in September 2014. He has since changed parties a further three times.
While a member of the
A
Early life and career
Born in
In the mid-1990s, Reckless worked for
Member of Parliament
Between 2002 and 2004, Reckless was a member of the policy unit at
Reckless was elected as Member of Parliament for
Reckless was elected to the Home Affairs Select Committee in 2010[14] often appearing on Newsnight and other political programmes, arguing for the deportation of clerics Abu Hamza[15] and Abu Qatada.[16] He was one of parliament's most rebellious MPs and was the 13th-most rebellious Conservative MP between 2010 and 2014, casting 56 votes against the whip.[17][18] He was one of only six Conservative MPs to vote against increase of university tuition fees,[19][20] and was a critic of the government's energy policy, arguing that the government's Energy Bill introduced in December 2012 was "a sad retreat for Conservatives".[21]
In July 2010, Reckless apologised for missing a vote on the budget because he was drunk. He said that he "did not feel it was appropriate to take part in the vote because of the amount he had drunk".[22]
In 2011, he abstained on the military intervention in Libya.[23]
A Eurosceptic,[24] Reckless is also a critic of the European Court of Human Rights, saying it erodes "British freedom and democracy".[25]
He was chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Georgia.[26] The group's aims are "to facilitate greater parliamentary awareness of developments in Georgia".
On 30 September 2014, Reckless applied for the
European Union budget rebellion
On 31 October 2012, Reckless led a rebellion of 53 Conservative MPs which inflicted the first House of Commons defeat (307 votes to 294) on the
Defection to UKIP
On 27 September 2014, Reckless defected to the UK Independence Party at its party conference in Doncaster, and announced his resignation in order to seek re-election at a by-election.[31] He became the second Conservative MP in the space of a month to defect to UKIP, the first being his close friend Douglas Carswell. In a speech delivered to the conference, Reckless claimed that the Conservative leadership was 'not serious about real change on Europe', and that 'Britain could be better'.[31]
Although he won the by-election on 20 November 2014 as a UKIP candidate, in the 2015 general election Reckless lost his seat to the Conservative candidate, Kelly Tolhurst.
In June 2015, Reckless was made Director of Policy Development by UKIP.
Member of the Senedd
In March 2016, Reckless was announced as UKIP's lead candidate for the regional seat of South Wales East despite having no previous links to Wales.[32] He was elected on 5 May 2016.
On 6 April 2017, Reckless left UKIP to join the Conservative Group; however, he did not rejoin the Conservative Party. This move made the Conservative group the second-largest in the
On 14 April 2019, Reckless left the Conservative Party Group over the party's failure to deliver Brexit. He then sat as an independent member[38] before joining the Brexit Party the following month.[1]
On 15 May 2019, Reckless stated his intention to form a new
At the 2021 Senedd election, Reckless was the Abolish the Welsh Assembly candidate in Monmouth, where he came seventh, with 1,174 votes (3.3%). He was also his party’s lead candidate on the South Wales East list, but was not elected.
Electoral history
- 2016 Welsh Assembly Election, South Wales East
Rochester and Strood, 2015
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Kelly Tolhurst | 23,142 | 44.1 | -5.1 | |
UKIP | Mark Reckless | 16,009 | 30.5 | N/A | |
Labour | Naushabah Khan | 10,396 | 19.8 | -8.7 | |
Green | Clive Gregory | 1,516 | 2.9 | +1.4 | |
Liberal Democrats | Prue Bray | 1,251 | 2.4 | -13.9 | |
TUSC | Dan Burn | 202 | 0.4 | +0.4 | |
Majority | 7,133 | 13.6 | |||
Turnout | 52,516 | 66.5 | |||
Conservative gain from UKIP | Swing | -17.8 |
- Rochester and Strood 2014
See 2014 Rochester and Strood by-election
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
UKIP | Mark Reckless | 16,867 | 42.1 | N/A | |
Conservative | Kelly Tolhurst | 13,947 | 34.8 | -14.4 | |
Labour | Naushabah Khan | 6,713 | 16.8 | -11.7 | |
Green | Clive Gregory | 1,692 | 4.2 | +2.7 | |
Liberal Democrats | Geoff Juby | 349 | 0.9 | -15.5 | |
Monster Raving Loony | Hairy Knorm Davidson | 151 | 0.4 | N/A | |
Independent | Stephen Goldsborough | 69 | 0.2 | N/A | |
People Before Profit | Nick Long | 69 | 0.2 | N/A | |
Britain First | Jayda Fransen | 56 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Independent | Mike Barker | 54 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Independent | Charlotte Rose | 43 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Patriotic Socialist Party | Dave Osborn | 33 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Independent | Christopher Challis | 22 | 0.1 | N/A | |
Majority | 2,920 | 7.3 | |||
Turnout | 40,065 | 50.6 | -14.3 | ||
UKIP gain from Conservative | Swing | 28.3% |
- Rochester and Strood 2010
The Rochester and Strood seat was fought for the first time at the 2010 general election. Following its boundary review of parliamentary representation in
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Mark Reckless | 23,604 | 49.2 | +6.6 | |
Labour | Teresa Murray | 13,651 | 28.5 | −13.1 | |
Liberal Democrats | Geoff Juby | 7,800 | 16.3 | +3.9 | |
English Democrat
|
Ron Sands | 2,182 | 4.5 | N/A | |
Green | Simon Marchant | 734 | 1.5 | N/A | |
Majority | 9,953 | 20.7 | |||
Turnout | 47,971 | 64.9 | +2.5 | ||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +9.8 |
- Medway 2005
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Bob Marshall-Andrews | 17,333 | 42.2 | -6.8 | |
Conservative | Mark Reckless | 17,120 | 41.7 | +2.5 | |
Liberal Democrats | Geoffrey Juby | 5,152 | 12.5 | +3.2 | |
UKIP | Bob Oakley | 1,488 | 3.6 | +1.1 | |
Majority | 213 | 0.5 | |||
Turnout | 41,093 | 61.1 | 1.6 | ||
Labour hold | Swing | -4.6 |
- Medway 2001
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Bob Marshall-Andrews | 18,914 | 49.0 | +0.1 | |
Conservative | Mark Reckless | 15,134 | 39.2 | +2.3 | |
Liberal Democrats | Geoffrey Juby | 3,604 | 9.3 | -0.8 | |
UKIP | Nikki Sinclaire | 958 | 2.5 | +1.6 | |
Majority | 3,780 | 9.8 | |||
Turnout | 38,610 | 59.5 | -12.8 | ||
Labour hold | Swing |
Personal life
Reckless is a grandson of Henry McDevitt, who served as a Fianna Fáil TD for Donegal East in Dáil Éireann, the Irish parliament, from 1938 until 1943.[50] His mother emigrated to the UK when she was 17 to train as a nurse; however, Reckless has said that he does not see his mother as an "immigrant" and stated "I don't consider myself to have an immigrant background".[51]
He married Catriona Brown at Westminster Cathedral on 1 October 2011; the reception was held in the Palace of Westminster.[52] His best man was Daniel Hannan MEP.[53] Reckless had been the best man at Hannan's wedding.[54]
In May 2015 Catriona Brown-Reckless was elected as a UKIP Councillor for Strood South in Medway. She resigned in September 2016.[55] In May 2022 she was elected as a Conservative Councillor for the ward of Pentyrch and St Fagans in Cardiff.[56]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Assembly members join forces with Farage". 15 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ "Welsh Parliament election 2021". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021.
- ^ "John Evelyn: Barking". Cherwell. Vol. 199, no. 1. 11 January 1991. p. 11.
- ^ Columbia Spectator, 1 October 2014
- ^ Mark Reckless: Government borrowing is preventing private lending ConservativeHome 28 November 2008.
- ^ Mark Reckless MP Your Local Guardian 26 September 2012.
- ^ Solicitors stand as MP Archived 1 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine The Law Society Gazette 29 April 2012.
- ^ Home-Affairs-Committee-Formal-Minutes Tuesday 15 May 2012
- ISBN 978-0-9544917-7-2.
- ^ Mark Reckless MP: Police and Crime Commissioners are one of the great reforms of this Conservative-led government ConservativeHome 27 May 2012.
- ^ LIST OF MEMBERS RETURNED TO SERVE IN PARLIAMENT AT THE GENERAL ELECTION 2010. The London Gazette, 13 May 2010
- ^ "Councillor details - Councillor Mark Reckless". democracy.medway.gov.uk. 20 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ISBN 978-0-00-735158-9.
- ^ Members of the Home Affairs Select Committee, November 2010
- ^ Mark Reckless MP welcomes Abu Hamza deportation, retrieved 20 February 2024
- ^ Mark Reckless: Deport Abu Qatada now!, retrieved 20 February 2024
- ^ "Order, order! Why the newest Tories are a major headache for Cameron". The Independent. 30 December 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Cowley, Philip; Stuart, Mark. "The Four Year Itch" (PDF). University of Nottingham. p. 49. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- ^ The Tories Who Rebelled Over Tuition Fees, Financial Times, 9 December 2010.
- ^ Voting Record Tuition Fees, Public Whip, 9 December 2010.
- ^ The Energy Bill is a sad retreat for Conservatives, ConservativeHome, 19 December 2012
- ^ "Mark Reckless MP sorry for being 'too drunk to vote'". BBC News. 11 July 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "The full list of how MPs voted on Libya action". BBC News. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ Wintour, Patrick (30 October 2011). "Conservative Eurosceptics turn fire on UK negotiator". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ^ "European Court of Human Rights 'gets out begging bowl'". The Telegraph. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ All Party Parliamentary Group on Georgia, House of Commons Register, December 2012.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Watt, Nicholas (31 October 2012). "David Cameron suffers Commons defeat on EU budget". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- ^ Mark Reckless Named Pin Up of the Year Archived 13 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Rochester People, 27 December 2012
- ^ Backbencher of the year, ConservativeHome, 27 December 2012
- ^ a b "Mark Reckless defects to UKIP from Tories". BBC News. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ "Mark Reckless's political journey from UKIP back to Tory fold". BBC News. 17 September 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ "New Ukip turmoil as Conservative defector Mark Reckless quits and rejoins Tories". The Daily Telegraph. 6 April 2017.
- ^ Servini, Nick (6 April 2017). "UKIP's Mark Reckless to join Conservatives in assembly". BBC News. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- ^ "Mark Reckless quits Ukip to rejoin Conservatives". ITV News. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
- ^ Reckless, Mark [@MarkReckless] (6 April 2017). "Job done: Why I am joining the Conservative Group in the Welsh Assembly" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 April 2017 – via Twitter.
- ^ "New Ukip turmoil as Conservative defector Mark Reckless quits and rejoins Tories". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "Reckless leaves Tories in Cardiff Bay". BBC News. BBC News. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ Robert Harries (13 July 2020). "Mutiny by Brexit Party volunteers after leader Mark Reckless says he wants to abolish the Senedd". WalesOnline. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ^ Grimes, Darren (20 October 2020). "Mark Reckless: From Brexit To Abolish The Welsh Assembly Party". Reasoned. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Mark Reckless quits Brexit Party to joins Senedd abolition party". BBC News. 19 October 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ "Reform UK: Brexit party to rebrand as anti-lockdown voice". the Guardian. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- ^ "UK Polling Report".
- ^ "Mark Reckless wins Rochester by-election for Ukip with 2,900 majority". The Daily Telegraph. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ^ "UKIP's Reckless wins Rochester seat". BBC News. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- ISBN 978-0-10-170322-2. Archived from the original(PDF) on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
- ^ "Rochester & Strood". BBC News. 7 May 2010.
- University of Keele. 11 March 2008. Archived from the originalon 6 March 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
- University of Keele. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
- ^ Over A Third Of Irish Want To Leave Euro For Pound | Mark Reckless MP Archived 19 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Markreckless.com. Retrieved on 6 February 2012.
- ^ Ukip's Mark Reckless on the party’s ‘Irish policy’ The Irish Post. Retrieved on 21 November 2014.
- ^ Rochester and Strood MP Mark Reckless weds Catriona Brown at Westminster Cathedral 3 October 2011
- ^ Mark Reckless MP Wedding, Kent Online, 3 October 2011
- ^ Mark Reckless the best kind of MP Dan Hannan, The Daily Telegraph blog, 28 July 2008.
- ^ Hunter, Chris. "Strood South Cllr Catriona Brown-Reckless resigns". Kent Online. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Shipton, Martin. "Former Brexit Party Leader in Wales advocates for social insurance system to pay for health care". Retrieved 21 August 2023.
External links
- Mark Reckless MP Conservative Party official biog
- TheyWorkForYou Voting Record
- Public Whip Voting Record
- BBC Democracy Live Archived 27 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine MP Profile
- [1] MP Website (old)
- Appearances on C-SPAN