Ben Lake
Ben Morgan Lake[2] (born 22 January 1993) is a Plaid Cymru politician and a member of the UK Parliament for the Ceredigion constituency.[3]
Ben Lake | |
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Lake in 2020 | |
Member of Parliament for Ceredigion | |
Assumed office 8 June 2017 | |
Preceded by | Mark Williams |
Majority | 6,329 (15.8%) |
Personal details | |
Born | Ben Morgan Lake 22 January 1993 Glangwili, Lampeter, Ceredigion, Wales [1] |
Political party | Plaid Cymru |
Alma mater | Trinity College, Oxford |
Background
Lake was born and brought up in Lampeter, the son of a policeman and a council worker.[4] He attended Ffynnonbedr Primary School and Ysgol Bro Pedr.[5] After graduating from Trinity College, Oxford with an undergraduate degree in History and Politics, and a master's degree in Modern British and European History,[6] he became a Research Officer in the National Assembly for Wales.[7] He is a fluent Welsh speaker.[8]
Political career
In the 2017 general election, Lake won the Ceredigion constituency, gaining the seat from Liberal Democrat Mark Williams with 11,623 votes (29.2% of the overall vote).[9] In the 2019 general election, Lake retained his seat with 15,208 votes (37.9% of the overall vote). He is currently the youngest MP in Wales.[10][11]
Lake is currently the Plaid Cymru spokesperson at Westminster for the Environment, Food, Rural Affairs, Education, Skills, Health, Communities, Local Government, Culture, Media, Sport and Constitutional Affairs.[12] Lake was appointed a member of the Welsh Affairs Committee in September 2017.[13] He is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on State Pension Inequality for Women.[14] He supported Rhun ap Iorwerth in the 2018 Plaid Cymru leadership election.[15]
In December 2017, Lake was awarded the ‘Politician to Watch’ prize as part of the ITV Welsh Politician of the Year Awards 2017.[16] In August 2019, Lake was nominated for the MP of the Year Award, acknowledging MPs who actively work with under-represented and disadvantaged communities across the UK.[17]
Political views
Lake gave his support to a second referendum on the terms of Brexit.[18] In March 2019, he voted for an amendment tabled by members of The Independent Group for a second public vote on EU membership.[19]
References
- "Lake, Ben Morgan". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. 2018 (February 2018 online ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. Retrieved 13 February 2018. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
- "No. 61961". The London Gazette. 19 June 2017. p. 11786.
- "Ben Lake MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- Shipton, Martin (25 July 2018). "Listen to the latest Martin Shipton Meets podcast". walesonline. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
- "Ysgol Bro Pedr". bropedr.ceredigion.sch.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- "Unheard Oxford: Andrei, Trinity rower and assistant steward". Cherwell.org. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- "Wales' battlegrounds: Ceredigion". Nation Cymru. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- "Ben Lake MP's Maiden Speech". The Party of Wales. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
- "Ceredigion parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
- "Who Is Ben Lake, Plaid Cymru's Youngest Ever MP?". WalesOnline. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- "No Liberal MP in Wales for the first time since 1859". BBC News. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- "Plaid Cymru announces Westminster spokespeople". The Party of Wales. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
- "Membership - Welsh Affairs Committee". UK Parliament. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
- Parkinson, Dave (15 July 2018). "Ceredigion MP backing women's pension rights". Tivyside Advertiser. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- "Rhun ap Iorwerth on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- "MP recognised with award on TV politics show". Cambrian News. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- Parksinson, Dave (14 August 2019). "Ceredigion MP needs your support in MP of the Year Awards". Tivyside Advertiser. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- Evans, Greg (26 July 2018). "The list of every MP that has backed a referendum on the final Brexit deal". The Independent. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- Mosalski, Ruth (14 March 2019). "Brexit latest: The Welsh MPs who voted for a second referendum". Wales Online.
External links
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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Preceded by Mark Williams |
Member of Parliament for Ceredigion 2017–present |
Incumbent |