Ben Wallace (politician)

Ben Wallace MP
Member of Parliament
for Wyre and Preston North
Lancaster and Wyre (2005-2010)
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 May 2005
Preceded by Hilton Dawson
Majority 15,844 (30.9%)
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for North East Scotland
In office
6 May 1999 – 1 May 2003
Personal details
Born 15 May 1970 (1970-05-15) (age 41)
Farnborough, Kent, England
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Liza Wallace[1]
Alma mater Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Profession Army
Website www.benwallacemp.com
Military service
Service/branch British Army
Years of service 1991–1998
Unit Scots Guards

Robert Ben Lobban Wallace (born 15 May 1970), known as Ben Wallace, is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wyre and Preston North since the 2010 general election, having been the MP for Lancaster and Wyre from 2005 to 2010.

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Early life

Wallace was born in the London Borough of Bromley at Farnborough and educated at Millfield School.[2]

He attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and served in the Scots Guards from 1991-8, serving in Northern Ireland and Central America.

After leaving the army, he became in 1999 a Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament as a list MSP for North East Scotland, before standing down in 2003. From 2003 to 2005 he was a director of QinetiQ, the UK's part-privatised national defence laboratory.[2]

Parliamentary career

Wallace has a close relationship with the Preston branch of the Conservative Future movement. Lancaster CF campaigned with Wallace in his 2005 General Election campaign for the Lancaster and Wyre constituency; one that saw a 481 vote (0.92%) Labour majority swing to a 4171 vote (8.00%) Conservative majority. The overall swing was 4.50% from Labour to Conservative. This constituency was number nine on the 2005 Conservative 'target list'.

He was the Shadow Minister of State for Scotland and Chair of the British–Iran Parliamentary Group.

On 13 November 2008, Wallace was elected Campaigner of the Year in the Spectator/Threadneedle Parliamentarian awards, for his work promoting transparency of MPs expenses.

Following his re-election to Parliament, Wallace was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, Ken Clarke.

Personal life

He is married to Liza and has three children. He currently resides in Hornby, on the River Lune. He also used to want to be a ski instructor (an ambition he later fulfilled in Austria). He has said that he became interested in politics at the age of 16, but this interest was neglected until later in life.

References

External links

News articles
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Hilton Dawson
Member of Parliament for Lancaster and Wyre
20052010
Constituency Abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament for Wyre and Preston North
2010–present
Incumbent