John Baron | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Basildon and Billericay Billericay (2001–2010) | |
| Assumed office 7 June 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Teresa Gorman |
| Majority | 12,398 (29.8%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 June 1959 Redhill, Surrey, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | Jesus College, Cambridge |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch/service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1984–1987 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers |
| Battles/wars | Northern Ireland Cyprus Germany |
John Charles Baron (born 21 June 1959) is a British Conservative politician and the Member of Parliament for Basildon and Billericay.
Early life
Baron was born in Redhill, Surrey and educated at Queen's College, Taunton, Jesus College, Cambridge and at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He joined the British Army in 1984 and was a captain serving with The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Germany. He left the Army in 1987 and became a merchant banker, working as a fund manager then director of Henderson Private Investors Ltd (now Henderson Global Investors) and Rothschild Asset Management.
Parliamentary career
In 1995 John Baron became the treasurer of the Streatham Conservative Association. In 1997 David Amess decided not to risk standing again in his ultra marginal Conservative seat of Basildon and was successfully selected and subsequently elected for the safer seat of Southend West. Baron won the Conservative nomination to defend Basildon at the 1997 General Election, but Amess's judgement proved accurate and Angela Smith won the seat for Labour comfortably.
In November 1999 Teresa Gorman announced that she intended to stand down at the next general election from her seat in Billericay, the neighbouring constituency to Basildon.[1] Baron was selected to defend Billericay at the 2001 General Election and he held the seat with a majority of more than 5,000, which he doubled at the 2005 General Election. He made his maiden speech on 20 July 2001.[2]
John Baron was a member of Iain Duncan Smith's frontbench team, but resigned in March 2003 in protest at Duncan Smith's support of the Iraq War.[3] He was re-appointed by Duncan Smith as a health spokesman four months later,[4] a position he held until July 2007 when he was moved to the Conservative Whip's Office.
Baron was a strong backer of David Davis in the most recent Conservative leadership election, having also supported him in the 2001 leadership contest won by Iain Duncan Smith.[5]
John Baron was the only Tory among just 15 MPs[6] who voted against British participation in the attack on Libya in the Commons on 21 March 2011.
In June 2012, Baron delivered a letter, signed by over 100 Tory MPs, to the Prime Minister David Cameron urging him "to place on the Statute Book before the next General Election a commitment to hold a referendum during the next Parliament on the nature of our relationship with the European Union".[7]
He is also to set up an all-party parliamentary group for an EU referendum.[8]
Baron was one of 296 MPs who voted against an investigation into hunger and increased foodbank use in the UK in December 2013[9].
Personal life
Baron is married with two daughters.
References
- ^ Waugh, Paul (29 November 1999). "Gorman to stand down at the next election". The Independent. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons, Westminster (20 July 2001). "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 20 Jul 2001 (pt 3)". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ Tom Happold (1 July 2003). "War rebels return in Tory reshuffle". Guardian. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ "The Tory Leadership contest, Candidate Profiles". BBC News. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ "BBC News - The full list of how MPs voted on Libya action". bbc.co.uk. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ "100 Tory MPs call for Cameron to prepare legislation for EU referendum". conservativehome.blogs.com. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ "'Where's my letter?' MP demands Cameron reply to Europe demands". blogs.spectator.co.uk. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ http://agirlcalledjack.com/2013/12/19/the-296-mps-who-voted-against-investigating-food-banks-use-and-uk-hunger-the-list/
External links
- John Baron MP official website
- 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