The Honourable Ben Gummer MP
File:Gummer.JPG
Member of Parliament for Ipswich
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2010
Preceded by	Chris Mole
Majority	2,079 (4.4%)
Personal details
Born	Ben Gummer (1978-02-19) 19 February 1978 (age 46) London
Nationality	United Kingdom
Political party	Conservative
Relations	John Gummer (father) Peter Gummer (uncle)
Residence	Ipswich/London
Alma mater	Peterhouse, Cambridge
Occupation	Politician
Website	www.bengummer.com

The Hon. Benedict Michael (Ben) Gummer^[1] is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ipswich. His father is the former Conservative Cabinet minister John Gummer,^[2] who was the MP for the nearby constituency of Suffolk Coastal until the 2010 general election.

Early life and education

Gummer is the eldest child of John Gummer, Baron Deben and Penelope Jane Gardner.^[3] He attended St Saviour's Church of England Primary School in Ealing, west London. Between 1987 and 1991 he was a chorister at St John's College, Cambridge, where he sang under George Guest and Christopher Robinson. Gummer was a music scholar at Tonbridge School in Kent. Having won the Vellacott Historical Essay Prize he took a starred double first in History at Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he was an exhibitioner and scholar.^[4]

Business career

After graduating, Gummer became director of ICWL, a small engineering firm handling water-cooled refrigerators,^[5][6] and between 2005 and 2010 was Managing Director of family-owned Sancroft International; in his five-year tenure the company's size more than doubled.^[7]

Historian

Gummer published his history of the Black Death, The Scourging Angel, in 2009.^[8][9] The book received mostlyfavourable reviews. In The Times Literary Supplement, Jonathan Sumption commented that Gummer "establishes the facts more thoroughly than any of his predecessors".^[4] Louise Foxcroft, a historian and journalist reviewing for the Rationalist Association, was more critical however, saying: "There is a frustrating absence of expansive humanity. Gummer is tone deaf to absurdity, and any hint of a human story is quickly suffocated by scholarly diligence."^[10]

Politician

Gummer was selected by open primary as the Conservative candidate in August 2007 for the Ipswich constituency.^[11][12] He campaigned largely on public service issues, particularly the retention of services at Ipswich Hospital, although Gummer has been powerless to stop the loss of major vascular surgery, and head and neck cancer surgery at Ipswich Hospital ^[13]. Gummer defeated incumbent MP Chris Mole and became MP for the Ipswich constituency in the general election of 2010, enjoying the largest majority of any Conservative in Ipswich since 1935.^[14]

Member of Parliament for Ipswich

Gummer claims to have won £72.9m of investment in his first year as the town's MP.^[15]

In March 2013 Gummer backed a call^[16] to improve the Ipswich waterfront through Ipswich Borough Council selling assets including selling the freehold on the Portman Road stadium to Ipswich Town F.C. Gummer said: "I don't want to tell the council what they should or should not sell, but we know the football club is keen to buy the freehold of Portman Road."^[17] The idea was denounced by a local Labour Councillor as "stupid and naive."^[18] In September 2013 the football ground was registered as an Asset of Community Value by the council, meaning that "any future administration of the council would have to give the local community six months to raise money to buy the ground before selling the freehold."^[19]

Parliamentary interests

In parliament, Gummer has spoken on a wide range of issues,^[20] although he has shown a particular interest in prisons policy. Gummer was one of 296 MPs who voted against an investigation into hunger and increased foodbank use in the UK ^[21]. Between 2010 and 2012 he was a member of the Justice Select Committee^[22] and the Regulatory Reform Select Committee.^[23]

Gummer is also a member of the UK parliamentary delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and a patron of the Longford Trust.^[24]

Political views

Gummer used his maiden speech to argue for rapid deficit and debt reduction and penal reform.^[25] Gummer has spoken strongly against sovereignty being transferred to the European Union^[26] and against votes for prisoners,^[27] but in favour of more constructive prison and probation sentences.^[28] He also takes a keen interest in defence and transport matters.^[20] He has described himself as "a libertarian" and has said that he has "absolutely no problem" with gay marriage,^[29] and voted for it in Parliament.^[30] He also added his name to an amendment to clause one of the Protection of Freedoms Bill, which calls for the word 'insulting' to be dropped from section 5 of the Public Order Act.^[31]

Tax Statements

Gummer is responsible for the introduction of annual tax statements to UK taxpayers, due for introduction in 2014. These will show shares of government spending in proportion to the amount of tax the taxpayer paid in the year.^[32] it was opposed by the Labour Party.^[32] Gummer’s proposal was favorably received by the press. He became The Sun's Westminster "hero of the week".^[33][34] He has written widely for national and international titles, including the Times,^[35] The Sun,^[34] the Daily Express^[36][37] and The Wall Street Journal Europe.^[38] It was included in the 2012 Budget with George Osborne calling it "an excellent idea".^[39] The TaxPayers' Alliance subsequently honoured Gummer as their 'Pin-Up of the Month'.^[40] It also got the support of the Prime Minister.^[41]

Public Debt Management Bill

Gummer is promoting the Public Debt Management Bill, a Private Member’s Bill, which had its Second Reading on 9 November 2012.^[42] It proposes a constitutional limit on public debt, as well as a deficit brake to force governments to run a balanced budget over the course of the business cycle. Unusually, Gummer secured parliamentary time not through the customary ballot held at the beginning of the session but by queuing through the night outside the House of Commons Table Office.^[43]

In the financial dailies City AM^[44] and the Financial Times^[45] he called for a Swedish style fiscal rules.

Parliamentary Private Secretary

In May 2012, Gummer was appointed Parliamentary Adviser to Lord Andrew Feldman, the Conservative Party co-chairman, helping him to develop the relationship between Conservative Campaign Headquarters and Conservative MPs.^[46] He stood down when he beame Parliamentary Secretary to Alan Duncan in September 2012.

In September 2012 Gummer was promoted to PPS to Alan Duncan, Minister of State for International Development, in the government reshuffle.^[47] Duncan is responsible for Asia, the Middle East, Caribbean and Overseas Territories, International Finance, International Relations (except the EU), Trade, and Corporate Performance Divisions.

In October 2013 he became PPS to the Education Secretary, Michael Gove.^[48]

Personal life

Gummer lives in Ipswich, not far from Portman Road.^[24] He is also associate governor of Ravenswood Primary School.^[48] He is a member of The Ipswich Society, the Ipswich Maritime Trust.^[24]

Works

• The Scourging Angel: The Black Death in the British Isles. London: The Bodley Head. 4 June 2009. ISBN 9780224077675.

References

External links

• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou

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