William Wragg

William Wragg
MP
Member of Parliament
for Hazel Grove
Assumed office
8 May 2015
Preceded by Andrew Stunell
Majority 5,514 (12.5%)
Personal details
Born (1987-12-11) 11 December 1987
Hazel Grove, United Kingdom
Political party Conservative
Alma mater University of Manchester
Website Official website

William Peter Wragg[1] (born 11 December 1987) is a British Conservative Party politician. He was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hazel Grove in May 2015.[2]

Early life

Wragg was born on 11 December 1987 in Manchester and attended Poynton High School in Cheshire, before gaining a first in History from the University of Manchester.[3]

Wragg became a school governor in 2008 and went on to volunteer as a student mentor.[4] He unsuccessfully stood as the Conservative candidate in the Hazel Grove ward of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council in 2010[5], but was subsequently elected in the same ward a year later in 2011.[6] He completed the Teach First programme, a scheme to encourage top graduates into the teaching profession, in 2014 and went on to work as a primary school teacher. However, he left the profession after less than a year to work as a caseworker for a Conservative MP and campaign for the 2015 General Election.[3]

Parliamentary career

Wragg was first elected as the MP for Hazel Grove at the 2015 general election, winning the seat from the Liberal Democrats on a swing of 15.2% and becoming the first Conservative MP there since 1997. He stood down as a councillor and, in 2016, the Liberal Democrats won the Hazel Grove ward seat back.[7],

He campaigned for Brexit in the 2016 EU membership referendum and, following the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron, campaigned for Andrea Leadsom in the 2016 Conservative leadership election.

Wragg held his seat at the 2017 General Election with a slightly reduced majority. He had been targeted by the successor to the remain campaign, Open Britain, for his support of a hard Brexit.[8]

In Parliament, Wragg currently serves on the Procedure, Education and Backbench Business Committees and previously served on the Finance Committee.[9]

Controversy

Wragg became nationally known in 2016 after it emerged that he had moved back to his parents' house in order to save money for a deposit on buying a house. This was despite earning a salary of £74,000, nearly three times the national average, with his London accommodation costs covered separately by expenses.[10][11]

In May 2016, it emerged that Wragg was one of a number of Conservative MPs being investigated by police in the United Kingdom general election, 2015 party spending investigation, for allegedly spending more than the legal limit on constituency election campaign expenses; he was interviewed under caution in 2017, after which police passed his file to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).[12] However, in May 2017, the CPS decided that no criminal charges would be brought.[13]

Personal life

Wragg lives in Hazel Grove and London.[14] He is openly gay.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "No. 61230". The London Gazette. 18 May 2015. p. 9117.
  2. ↑ "Hazel Grove Parliamentary Constituency Results". bbc.co.uk.
  3. 1 2 "William Wragg's CV". Democracy Club. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "About William". William Wragg. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  5. ↑ "Election Results". Stockport Borough Council. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  6. ↑ Fitzgerald, Todd (23 June 2015). "'Who's Hazel Grove'? William Wragg delivers geography lesson during maiden speech to parliament". Manchester Evening News.
  7. ↑ "Election Results". Stockport Borough Council. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  8. ↑ "Open Britain Attack List Of Brexit-Backing MPs Drawn Up Ahead Of General Election | HuffPost UK". huffingtonpost.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  9. ↑ "William WraggM MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  10. ↑ Todd Fitzgerald. "Tory MP William Wragg moves back in with his parents because he says he can't afford to buy a house - Manchester Evening News". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  11. ↑ "Tory MP admits he has moved back into his parent's home to save up for a deposit - Telegraph". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  12. ↑ "Two Tory MPs reveal CPS is reviewing their election spending". Guardian. 16 March 2017.
  13. ↑ "CPS announces no charges in Conservative Party election spending investigation". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  14. ↑ "About William". William Wragg. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  15. ↑ "William Wragg MP on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Andrew Stunell		 Member of Parliament
for Hazel Grove
2015–present		 Incumbent
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