Mike Penning

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Michael Alan Penning (born 1957) is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Hemel Hempstead.

Penning was born in London and raised in Essex. After high school he joined the British Army, serving in the Grenadier Guards. Penning subsequently worked as a firefighter, attended Reading University, and worked as a political journalist and latterly as a media consultant.

Penning was Sir Teddy Taylor's election agent during the 1997 general election. He stood for election in the safe Labour seat of Thurrock in the 2001 general election, coming second behind Andrew MacKinlay.

Following this he became a chief advisor to former Conservative leader William Hague, most notably touring on the 'Keep the Pound' bus together, a move which in part caused tention within the Conservative Party over Britain's relationship with Europe. He later became the Conservative Party's deputy head of media under the brief and unpopular party leadership of Iain Duncan Smith. He was seen as one of his most trusted aides.

In the 2005 general election he stood in Hemel Hempstead, and narrowly defeated the Labour incumbent Tony McWalter. Penning overturned McWalter's 2001 majority of 3,742 votes, winning (after a partial recount) by 499 votes.

In October 2005 he was among the MPs who backed David Davis in the Conservative Leadership Contest that saw David Cameron chosen to lead the party.