Steve Baker (UK politician)
Encyclopedia
Steven John Baker is a British
Conservative Party
politician. He is the Member of Parliament
MP for Wycombe
, having been elected in the 2010 general election.
, Steve Baker was educated at Poltair School
and St Austell Sixth Form College, followed by the University of Southampton
where he studied Aerospace Engineering. He later studied at St Cross College, Oxford
.
. Later working as a consulting software engineer and manager. He was head of consulting and product manager with DecisionSoft Ltd in Oxford
, 2000-01. He was appointed as Chief Technical Officer at BASDA Ltd, Great Missenden
in 2002, a position he held until 2007. For a year from 2005 he was director of product development at CoreFiling Ltd, Oxford. He was the chief architect of global financing and asset service platforms at Lehman Brothers
, 2006-08. He has been principal of Ambriel Consulting Ltd since 2001. He is a founding member of the Cobden Centre, an educational charity promoting honest money. He is an associate consultant with the Centre for Social Justice
since 2008.
Baker is rated as one of the Conservatives' top 10 most rebellious MPs of the 2010 intake. He has also been nominated as a 'Newcomer of the Year' on Conservative Home by journalist Harry Phibbs
as a policy, stating, "While clearly it has been breached repeatedly, the Kellogg-Briand pact
of 1929 renounced war for the settlement of international disputes. It remains in force.". Coupled with this, Baker is in favour of nuclear deterrents, on the grounds of "Van Creveld
's argument that nuclear weapons make total war
impossible".
Regarding parliamentary procedures, Baker wants to reform Early Day Motions (EDMs), possibly replacing them with 'Members' Motions' on the grounds that EDMs 'are used to publicise the views of individual MPs', whereas a system such as 'Members' Motions' could be 'debated by the House'.
Baker describes his political inspiration as being Richard Cobden
, founding the Cobden Centre under the motto
: 'Peace
will come to earth
when the people have more to do with each other and governments less'.
Despite being MP for a constituency through which High Speed 2
is not planned to run, Baker opposes the construction of the line against the party Whip. He argues that the plan does not 'make sense for the whole country', and, while believing that the route should not run through Buckinghamshire
, campaigns to scrap the plans altogether, rather than re-routing them outside the county.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservative Party
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...
politician. He is the 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 Wycombe
Wycombe (UK Parliament constituency)
Wycombe is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It currently elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of elections....
, having been elected in the 2010 general election.
Education
Born in St AustellSt Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
, Steve Baker was educated at Poltair School
Poltair School
Poltair School, located on the site of the former St Austell Grammar School, is a specialist Sports College.-Admissions:It has educational links with schools in Dithmarschen, Germany, notably the Gymnasium Heide-Ost...
and St Austell Sixth Form College, followed by the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
where he studied Aerospace Engineering. He later studied at St Cross College, Oxford
St Cross College, Oxford
St Cross College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is an all-graduate college, sharing attractive, traditional-style buildings on a central site in St Giles', just south of Pusey Street...
.
Early career
From 1989, Baker served ten years as an Engineering Officer in the Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. Later working as a consulting software engineer and manager. He was head of consulting and product manager with DecisionSoft Ltd in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, 2000-01. He was appointed as Chief Technical Officer at BASDA Ltd, Great Missenden
Great Missenden
Great Missenden is a large village in the Misbourne Valley in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England, situated between the towns of Amersham and Wendover. It closely adjoins the villages of Little Missenden and Prestwood. The narrow High Street is bypassed by the main A413 London to...
in 2002, a position he held until 2007. For a year from 2005 he was director of product development at CoreFiling Ltd, Oxford. He was the chief architect of global financing and asset service platforms at Lehman Brothers
Lehman Brothers
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. was a global financial services firm. Before declaring bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth largest investment bank in the USA , doing business in investment banking, equity and fixed-income sales and trading Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (former NYSE ticker...
, 2006-08. He has been principal of Ambriel Consulting Ltd since 2001. He is a founding member of the Cobden Centre, an educational charity promoting honest money. He is an associate consultant with the Centre for Social Justice
Centre for Social Justice
The Centre for Social Justice is an independent, not-for-profit thinktank set up by the Rt. Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP, to advance the education of the public in the subject of social justice and to promote the role of the voluntary sector...
since 2008.
Parliamentary career
Baker held the seat for the Conservative Party after former Tory MP Paul Goodman stood down. He received 23,423 votes – a vote share of 48.6%. Under Goodman, the Conservatives vote share increased from the 42.4% and 45.8% it received in the 2001 and 2005 general elections. In 2010 he was appointed to the Transport Select Committee.Baker is rated as one of the Conservatives' top 10 most rebellious MPs of the 2010 intake. He has also been nominated as a 'Newcomer of the Year' on Conservative Home by journalist Harry Phibbs
Harry Phibbs
Harry Phibbs is a councillor and Cabinet Member for Community Engagement in the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.As an activist in the Federation of Conservative Students, he was arrested for distributing dissident literature in Red Square, Moscow....
Political positions
Baker rejects warWar
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
as a policy, stating, "While clearly it has been breached repeatedly, the Kellogg-Briand pact
Kellogg-Briand Pact
The Kellogg–Briand Pact was an agreement signed on August 27, 1928, by the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Weimar Germany and a number of other countries.The pact renounced war , prohibiting the use of war...
of 1929 renounced war for the settlement of international disputes. It remains in force.". Coupled with this, Baker is in favour of nuclear deterrents, on the grounds of "Van Creveld
Martin van Creveld
Martin Levi van Creveld is an Israeli military historian and theorist.Van Creveld was born in the Netherlands in the city of Rotterdam, and has lived in Israel since shortly after his birth. He holds degrees from the London School of Economics and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he has...
's argument that nuclear weapons make total war
Total war
Total war is a war in which a belligerent engages in the complete mobilization of fully available resources and population.In the mid-19th century, "total war" was identified by scholars as a separate class of warfare...
impossible".
Regarding parliamentary procedures, Baker wants to reform Early Day Motions (EDMs), possibly replacing them with 'Members' Motions' on the grounds that EDMs 'are used to publicise the views of individual MPs', whereas a system such as 'Members' Motions' could be 'debated by the House'.
Baker describes his political inspiration as being Richard Cobden
Richard Cobden
Richard Cobden was a British manufacturer and Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with John Bright in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League as well as with the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty...
, founding the Cobden Centre under the motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
: 'Peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
will come to earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
when the people have more to do with each other and governments less'.
Despite being MP for a constituency through which High Speed 2
High Speed 2
High Speed 2 is a proposed high-speed railway between London and the Midlands, the North of England, and potentially at a later stage the central belt of Scotland. The project is being developed by High Speed Two Ltd, a company established by the British government...
is not planned to run, Baker opposes the construction of the line against the party Whip. He argues that the plan does not 'make sense for the whole country', and, while believing that the route should not run through Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, campaigns to scrap the plans altogether, rather than re-routing them outside the county.
External links
- Steven Baker MP personal website
- Steven Baker MP Conservative Party profile
- Wycombe Conservatives