Chris Clarkson (politician)

Christopher Mark Clarkson (born November 12, 1982) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Heywood & Middleton since the 2019 general election.[3] Prior to entering Parliament, Clarkson was a Salford City Councilor for Worsley.

Chris Clarkson

MP
Clarkson in 2020
Member of Parliament
for Heywood and Middleton
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byLiz McInnes
Majority663 (1.4%)
Personal details
Born
Christopher Mark Clarkson[1]

(1982-11-12) 12 November 1982
Wegberg, North Rhine-Westphalia [2]
Political partyConservative
Alma materUniversity of Dundee

Early career

Clarkson is from Ribble Valley,[4] studied law at Dundee University and worked for IRIS Legal and Virgin as a corporate development manager and consultant respectively. He is a member of the Countryside Alliance and a supporter of Brexit.[5] He identifies as a One Nation Conservative as well as a member of the Tory Reform Group.

Prior to being elected to Parliament, he was a Salford City Councillor between 2011 and 2019,[6] and had unsuccessfully contested the Heywood and Middleton seat in the 2017 general election and Wallasey in the 2015 general election.

Parliamentary career

On 22 October 2020, in a debate where Clarkson was criticising Mayor of Greater Andy Burnham over his disagreements with the Government concerning financial support for stricter COVID-19 restrictions, accusing Burnham of "opportunism". In response, Clarkson was called "scum" by Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner in Parliament.[7][8] She later apologised, issuing a statement stating "I apologise for the language that I used in a heated debate in Parliament earlier."[9]

On 10 November 2020, Clarkson was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Ministry of Justice.[10]

Personal life

Clarkson is gay.[11]

References
  1. "No. 62862". The London Gazette. 20 December 2019. p. 23182.
  2. "Clarkson, Christopher Mark". www.ukwhoswho.com.(subscription required)
  3. "Heywood & Middleton parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  4. "Class of 2019: Meet the new MPs". PoliticsHome.com. 16 December 2019. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  5. "Class of 2019: Meet the new MPs". PoliticsHome.com. 16 December 2019. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  6. "Councillor Christopher Clarkson". Salford City Council. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  7. "Chris Clarkson called 'scum' by Deputy Labour leader when speaking in House of Commons". Rochdale Online. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  8. Reade, Brian (23 October 2020). "The scum in my bath definitely deserves an apology for being likened to Clarkson". The Mirror. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  9. "Angela Rayner apologises for 'scum' remark in Commons". BBC News. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  10. McGuire, Patrick (10 November 2020). "Flurry of new government PPS moves tonight". Twitter. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  11. "The new UK Parliament reportedly has the highest number of LGBTQ MPs in the world". Attitude.co.uk. 16 December 2019. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Liz McInnes		 Member of Parliament
for Heywood and Middleton
2019–present		 Incumbent


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