Nick Hurd
Nicholas Richard Hurd (born 13 May 1962) is the Member of Parliament for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner since 2005. He was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering at the Cabinet Office in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government until July 2014. In November 2015, Hurd was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for international development following the resignation of Grant Shapps. In July 2016, he was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for Industry and Climate change at the newly created Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. On 12 June 2017, it was announced he would become Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Service.
Early life
After attending Sunningdale School and Eton College and Exeter College, Oxford (where he was a member of the Bullingdon Club),[2] Hurd ran his own business and represented a British bank in Brazil. In 2002, he set up the Small Business Network to advise the Conservative Party on business policy. More recently, he worked as Chief of Staff to Tim Yeo MP, who at the time was Shadow Secretary of State for Environment and Transport, and in the Conservative Research Department.
Parliamentary career
The Hon Nick Hurd MP is currently Minister of State for Climate Change and Industry. He was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for International Development from November 2015 following the resignation of Grant Shapps [3] until the reshuffle following the appointment of Theresa May as Prime Minister in July 2016. During the coalition government he was Minister for Civil Society from May 2010 until July 2014,[4] during which time he led the work on setting up the National Citizen Service and Big Society Capital.[5]
He was Chairman of the Climate Change sub-group of the Conservative Party's Quality of Life policy review commission, 2006–2008. He has also served as a member of the Environmental Audit Select Committee (EAC) before becoming a minister. In May 2016, he was given the Green Ribbon Political Award as Parliamentarian of the year (MP), citing his work on the EAC and in promoting action against climate change while at DFID where he led the Energy Africa initiative promoting greater access to sustainable energy.[6]
Hurd came top in the Private Member's Bill ballot in November 2006, and introduced the Sustainable Communities Bill into the House of Commons. This achieved its third reading in June 2007 and after being passed by the House of Lords, the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 received Royal Assent in October 2007.[7]
In 2016, Hurd supported remain at the United Kingdom European Union referendum, 2016.
Hurd was promoted by David Cameron to the Opposition Whips' office in July 2007. He served as Opposition Whip until his appointment as Shadow Minister for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering in October 2008.
Personal life
Hurd is eldest son of the Conservative Life Peer, Douglas Hurd, Baron Hurd of Westwell, a former Member of Parliament, Foreign Secretary under Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and a candidate in the 1990 leadership election. He is the fourth generation in the male line of his family to be elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative, following his father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
Hurd met his first wife Kim Richards at Oxford University, and they married at Eton Chapel in 1988. The couple had two sons and two daughters together.[8] In 2008, they divorced after twenty years of marriage.[9] In 2010, he married Clare Kerr, daughter of the Conservative politician Michael Ancram (now Marquess of Lothian), after meeting at a party the previous year.[10] On 17 May 2012, Clare Hurd gave birth to a baby girl, Leila.[11] A son, Caspar Jamie Hurd, was born 30 September 2014.[12] Hurd's wife is heir presumptive to the Lordship Herries of Terregles, currently held by her mother the Marchioness of Lothian; the couple's son is second in the line of succession to the lordship.
He is a governor of Coteford Junior School,[13] a Freeman of the City of London and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Grocers.
Notes
- ↑ "Queen approves new members of the Privy Council: 14 November 2017".
- ↑ "In the red corner, and in the blue corner". Third Sector. 15 October 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
- ↑ Resignation of Grant Shapps Sky News. Retrieved 8 August 2016
- ↑ "Governance - Civil Society". www.civilsociety.co.uk.
- ↑ Official biography Gov.uk website. Retrieved 8 August 2016
- ↑ 2016 Green Ribbon Winners - CIWEM website. Retrieved 8 August 2016
- ↑ "Sustainable Communities Act 2007". www.opsi.gov.uk.
- ↑ "Who's Who". Ukwhoswho.com. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
- ↑ "Hurd's boy ends his love Tory". Dailymail.co.uk. 12 June 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
- ↑ "Tory clans to unite at Monteviot for wedding". The Southern Reporter. 25 August 2010. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
- ↑ Cracknell, James (18 May 2012). "MP Nick Hurd becomes a dad again". Uxbridge Gazette. Archived from the original on 20 May 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
- ↑ "Caspar Jamie Hurd (born 2014)". Peerage News. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- ↑ "Coteford Junior School". Coteford-jun.hillingdon.sch.uk. Archived from the original on 31 August 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
External links
- Nick Hurd MP official site
- Blog at Conservative Home
- Nick Hurd at the Cabinet Office
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 2010–present
- Contributions in Parliament during 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 at Hansard Archives
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
- Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
- Maiden speech in the House of Commons, 15 June 2005 (Hansard)
- Debrett's People of Today
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Wilkinson |
Member of Parliament for Ruislip-Northwood 2005–2010 |
Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner 2010–present |
Incumbent |