Patrick McLoughlin

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For other people named Patrick McLoughlin, see Patrick McLoughlin (disambiguation).

David Maclean
Succeeded byNick Brown
Junior ministerial offices
Employment
In office
14 April 1992 – 27 May 1993
Prime MinisterJohn Major
Preceded byEric Forth
Succeeded byAnn Widdecombe
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Roads and Motoring
In office
25 July 1989 – 14 April 1992
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
John Major
Preceded byPeter Bottomley
Succeeded byKenneth Carlisle
Parliamentary offices
Life Peerage
Member of Parliament
for Derbyshire Dales
West Derbyshire (1986–2010)
In office
8 May 1986 – 6 November 2019
Preceded byMatthew Parris
Succeeded bySarah Dines
Personal details
Born
Patrick Allen McLoughlin

(1957-11-30) 30 November 1957 (age 66)
Stafford, Staffordshire, England
Political partyConservative
Spouse
Lynne Newman
​
(m. 1984)​
Children2
Alma materSouth Staffordshire College
Signature

Patrick Allen McLoughlin, Baron McLoughlin,

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

References

  1. 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. 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. ISSN 0959-8588
    .
  8. ^ a b 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. 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.

External links

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
David Maclean
 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
David Maclean
 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
The Lord Sarfraz
 Gentlemen
Baron McLoughlin 		Followed by
The Lord Moylan
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