John Penrose
Encyclopedia
John David Penrose is the Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Weston-super-Mare
. He is Minister for Tourism & Heritage at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
.
, Suffolk
, he went to Ipswich School
. He studied at Downing College, Cambridge
, receiving a BA
in Law in 1986. He received an MBA
from Columbia University
in 1991.
at JP Morgan from 1986–90, then a management consultant at McKinsey & Company
from 1992-4. He was Commercial Director of the Academic Books Division at Thomson Publishing in Andover
from 1995-6, then Managing Director of Schools Book Publishing at Longman
(Pearson PLC
), publishing school textbooks for the UK and parts of Africa. He was chairman of Logotron Ltd in Cambridge
. (also owned by Pearson). In 1998, he was in charge of research at the Bow Group
.
, winning the seat from the Liberal Democrat Brian Cotter
and retained his seat in the 2010 general election. He had previously contested Weston-super-Mare unsuccessfully in 2001
, and Ealing Southall in 1997
.
He served on the Work and Pensions Committee
from July 2005 to January 2009, and in 2006 was appointed joint chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group
(APPG) on Further Education & Lifelong Learning. In 2006 he was also appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary
to Oliver Letwin
MP and in 2009 was promoted to Shadow Minister for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
. He is also President of Weston-super-Mare's YMCA, President of The Abbeyfield Weston-super-Mare Society, President of the League of Friends of the Weston-super-Mare Hospital, a governor of Weston College, a trustee of North Somerset Citizens Advice Bureau, and President of Weston-super-Mare and District Constitutional Club.
, daughter of Lord Harding, while both worked at McKinsey. The couple married in October 1995, and have two daughters. John splits his time between his home in the Weston-super-Mare constituency (Somerset), and a flat in London on the evenings when Parliament is sitting late. Harding is the current Chief Executive of TalkTalk
, and owns the 1998 Cheltenham Gold Cup
winning horse, Cool Dawn
.
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare (UK Parliament constituency)
Weston-super-Mare is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
. He is Minister for Tourism & Heritage at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
.
Early life
Born in SudburySudbury, Suffolk
Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, he went to Ipswich School
Ipswich School
Ipswich School is a co-educational public school for girls and boys aged 3 to 18. Situated in Suffolk, England in the town of Ipswich, it was founded in its current form as The King's School, Ipswich by Thomas Wolsey in 1528....
. He studied at Downing College, Cambridge
Downing College, Cambridge
Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1800 and currently has around 650 students.- History :...
, receiving a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Law in 1986. He received an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1991.
Professional career
He was a Bank Trading Floor Risk ManagerFinancial risk management
Financial risk management is the practice of creating economic value in a firm by using financial instruments to manage exposure to risk, particularly credit risk and market risk. Other types include Foreign exchange, Shape, Volatility, Sector, Liquidity, Inflation risks, etc...
at JP Morgan from 1986–90, then a management consultant at McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company, Inc. is a global management consulting firm that focuses on solving issues of concern to senior management. McKinsey serves as an adviser to many businesses, governments, and institutions...
from 1992-4. He was Commercial Director of the Academic Books Division at Thomson Publishing in Andover
Andover, Hampshire
Andover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
from 1995-6, then Managing Director of Schools Book Publishing at Longman
Longman
Longman was a publishing company founded in London, England in 1724. It is now an imprint of Pearson Education.-Beginnings:The Longman company was founded by Thomas Longman , the son of Ezekiel Longman , a gentleman of Bristol. Thomas was apprenticed in 1716 to John Osborn, a London bookseller, and...
(Pearson PLC
Pearson PLC
Pearson plc is a global media and education company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is both the largest education company and the largest book publisher in the world, with consumer imprints including Penguin, Dorling Kindersley and Ladybird...
), publishing school textbooks for the UK and parts of Africa. He was chairman of Logotron Ltd in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. (also owned by Pearson). In 1998, he was in charge of research at the Bow Group
Bow Group
The Bow Group is one of the oldest think tanks in the United Kingdom. Taking its name from the Bow area of London where it first met, it was founded in 1951...
.
Parliamentary career
He was elected in the 2005 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, winning the seat from the Liberal Democrat Brian Cotter
Brian Cotter, Baron Cotter
Brian Joseph Michael Cotter, Baron Cotter is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Weston-super-Mare, from the 1997 election until 2005.-Early life:...
and retained his seat in the 2010 general election. He had previously contested Weston-super-Mare unsuccessfully in 2001
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
, and Ealing Southall in 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
.
He served on the Work and Pensions Committee
Work and Pensions Committee
The Work and Pensions Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Work and Pensions and its associated public bodies.-Membership:As...
from July 2005 to January 2009, and in 2006 was appointed joint chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group
All-Party Parliamentary Group
An all-party parliamentary group is a grouping in the UK parliament that is composed of politicians from all political parties.-All-party parliamentary groups:...
(APPG) on Further Education & Lifelong Learning. In 2006 he was also appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to Oliver Letwin
Oliver Letwin
Oliver Letwin MP FRSA is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he is currently the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, and a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of West Dorset...
MP and in 2009 was promoted to Shadow Minister for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
Outside Parliament
Penrose is a Patron of the south west branch of domestic violence charity the Mankind InitiativeMankind Initiative
The ManKind Initiative is a domestic violence charity based in the United Kingdom and is at the forefront of providing support for male victims of domestic abuse and violence...
. He is also President of Weston-super-Mare's YMCA, President of The Abbeyfield Weston-super-Mare Society, President of the League of Friends of the Weston-super-Mare Hospital, a governor of Weston College, a trustee of North Somerset Citizens Advice Bureau, and President of Weston-super-Mare and District Constitutional Club.
Personal life
Penrose met the Hon. Dido (Diana) HardingDido Harding
The Hon. Diana "Dido" Harding is an English businessperson, the current Chief Executive of TalkTalk.Harding is the daughter of Lord Harding, and the grand daughter of Field Marshal John Harding, 1st Baron Harding of Petherton, who commanded the Desert Rats in World War II. Raised on the family pig...
, daughter of Lord Harding, while both worked at McKinsey. The couple married in October 1995, and have two daughters. John splits his time between his home in the Weston-super-Mare constituency (Somerset), and a flat in London on the evenings when Parliament is sitting late. Harding is the current Chief Executive of TalkTalk
TalkTalk
TalkTalk is a pay television, telecommunications and internet service provider company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
, and owns the 1998 Cheltenham Gold Cup
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles and 2½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...
winning horse, Cool Dawn
Cool Dawn
Cool Dawn was a National Hunt chaser of the 1990s who went from winning minor Point-to-Point races to winning the 1998 Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Blue Riband of National Hunt Racing.-1992/93 season:...
.
External links
- Official website
- John Penrose MP biography at the site of the Conservative Party
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: John Penrose MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - John Penrose MP
- Weston-Super-Mare Conservatives