Paul Maynard

Paul Maynard
Member of Parliament
for Blackpool North and Cleveleys
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded by Constituency Created
Majority 2,150 (5.3%)
Personal details
Born 16 December 1975[1]
Crewe, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom[2]
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Alma mater University College, Oxford
Religion Roman Catholic
Website www.paulmaynard.co.uk

Paul Christopher Maynard[3] (born 16 December 1975) is a British Conservative Party politician. He was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Blackpool North and Cleveleys.

Early life

Born in Crewe, Cheshire, Maynard was left with cerebral palsy when he was strangled by the umbilical cord at birth, and he was also left with a speech defect.[4] He attended a special school between the ages of three and five before transferring to a local primary school. He attended St. Ambrose College, in Altrincham, and obtained a First Class History degree at University College, Oxford.[4]

Maynard was a lay reader at his local church and was also a governor at his local Catholic primary school.[5]

Political career

Maynard worked as an adviser to Liam Fox and as a speechwriter for William Hague, and stood as the Conservative Party candidate for Twickenham in the 2005 general election, finishing second with 32.4% of the vote.[6]

Maynard was selected for Blackpool North and Cleveleys despite having no connection to the Fylde nor Blackpool in December 2006, having been on the "A-List".[7] Maynard was elected to the House of Commons in the 2010 general election with a majority of 2,150.[8] He is the second person who has cerebral palsy to become a British MP after Terry Dicks.[9]

Taunting controversy

During February 2011, Maynard told The Times about abuse he suffered from Labour Party MPs, who mocked his disability. He said "some were pulling faces at me, really exaggerated gesticulations and faces. Only they know for certain whether they were taking the mick out of my disability. But it certainly felt like it. That is why politics is held in such low esteem." The Mail on Sunday reported a senior Labour MP as saying "What they did was disgusting. It was obvious that Paul was upset but they sensed a weakness and went for the kill like a pack of hyenas." When Maynard refused to give way in a Parliamentary debate to Stella Creasy, male Labour MPs started mocking Mr Maynard openly by pulling faces and imitating his speech and mannerisms.[4] Subsequently, Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow issued a written statement warning MPs that such abuse was unacceptable. However, it was revealed Bercow had known about the incident for more than three months and did not speak to Maynard about it.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Paul Maynard MP". Democracy Live (BBC News). Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  2. ↑ http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U251252/
  3. ↑ "List of Members returned to serve in Parliament at the General Election 2010". London Gazette. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Walters, Simon; Carlin, Brendan (6 February 2011). "Labour MPs who mocked disabled Tory Paul Maynard like 'hyenas going for kill'". Mail Online (London). Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  5. ↑ "Paul Maynard". Conservative Party. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  6. ↑ "Twickenham". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  7. ↑ "Where are the original A-Listers now? The 27 who have been selected for target seats". ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  8. ↑ "Election 2010 - Blackpool North & Cleveleys". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  9. ↑ Rentoul, John (6 June 2010). "Unaccustomed as they are....". London: Independent. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
  10. ↑ Sparrow, Andrew (7 February 2011). "Politics live blog - Monday 7 February". London: guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2011.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency Member of Parliament for Blackpool North and Cleveleys
2010–present 		Incumbent