Robert Buckland
| Robert Buckland QC MP | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Solicitor General for England and Wales | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 15 July 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Oliver Heald |
| Member of Parliament for South Swindon | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Anne Snelgrove |
| Majority | 3,544 (7.5%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 September 1968 Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Sian |
| Alma mater | Inns of Court School of Law, University of Durham |
| Occupation | Barrister, Crown Court Recorder |
| Website | www |
Robert James Buckland QC[1] (born 22 September 1968)[2] is a British barrister and Conservative Party politician. He is the current Solicitor General for England and Wales and is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Swindon South, having won the seat from the Labour Party at the 2010 general election. Buckland is a supporter of Britain's membership of the European Union.
Biography
Robert Buckland was born in Llanelli in 1968, and was educated at St Michael's School in the town and at Hatfield College, Durham, where he became Secretary of the Junior Common Room and President of the Durham Union Society. He graduated in Law in 1990. He was a member of Dyfed County Council from 1993 to 1996. Buckland became the Conservative Candidate for South Swindon in 2004, but he lost to Anne Snelgrove in the 2005 General Election, who won by a narrow majority of 1,353 votes
Islwyn by-election, 1995
Buckland stood for the Conservatives in the by-election for the Welsh constituency of Islwyn caused by the appointment of Neil Kinnock as European Commissioner. The by-election was held at a time of unpopularity for the Major government, and was won by the Labour candidate, Don Touhig. Buckland came fourth and lost his deposit after polling 3.9%.
2005 general election
In 2005, Buckland was selected as the Conservative Party's prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Swindon South, replacing former MP Simon Coombs who had represented Swindon between 1983 and 1997, and had unsuccessfully contested the seat in 2001. At the 2005 general election, Buckland lost to Labour candidate Anne Snelgrove, who polled 17,534 votes to his 16,181.
2010 general election
In the 2010 general election, Buckland won the South Swindon seat with a majority of 3,544 votes, a swing of 5.51% to the Conservatives, defeating the incumbent MP Anne Snelgrove. He obtained 19,687 votes, (41.8% of the total) compared to 16,143 votes for Snelgrove.
Parliament
In 2010, Buckland was elected, to the Justice Select Committee. 2012, Buckland along with fellow Tory MP Stuart Andrew, called for prisoners' mobile phones to be destroyed or sold in order to raise money for victims' charities, saying that mobiles in prison were a "menace" and that selling them would provide a service to the country, as it costs £20,000 a year to store criminals' phones. They were both supported by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Legal Aid and Legal Services Jeremy Wright and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Sadiq Khan.[3] He is Chair of the All Party Group on Autism. He is a supporter of the Free Enterprise Group.[4]
On 4 December 2012 Buckland was elected Joint Secretary of the influential 1922 Backbench Committee. He is also Chair of the Conservative Human Rights Commission. On 15 July 2014, Buckland was appointed Solicitor General for England and Wales, replacing Oliver Heald as part of a wide-ranging government reshuffle.[5] Shortly after the reshuffle, his appointment attracted criticism[6][7] from the opposition over a censure he had received from the Bar of England and Wales. His Labour shadow, Emily Thornberry claimed that his appointment "makes a mockery of that position to have it occupied by someone who has been found guilty of professional misconduct". In response, the Attorney General's office argued that Buckland's breach had been "minor" and that the censure "was removed from the Bar records after two years and therefore Mr Buckland was not required to declare it upon appointment as Solicitor General."[8]
References
- ↑ "The London Gazette". London-gazette.co.uk. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- ↑ "Robert Buckland MP". BBC Democracy Live (BBC). Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ↑ "BBC News - MP bids to allow prisoners' mobile phones to be sold off". Bbc.co.uk. 14 September 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- ↑ "Welcome | Free Enterprise Group". Freeenterprise.org.uk. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28303750
- ↑ http://annesnelgrove.org.uk/blog/2014/07/anne-snelgrove-press-statement-robert-buckland-mp-and-witness-statements-attack-henry
- ↑ http://press.labour.org.uk/post/92333538609/david-cameron-needs-to-set-out-what-background-checks
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28393743
External links
- Robert Buckland's weblog
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Electoral history and profile at The Guardian
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Anne Snelgrove |
Member of Parliament for Swindon South 2010–present |
Incumbent |