Mark Jenkinson

Mark Ian Jenkinson (born 28 January 1982) is a British Conservative Party[2] politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Workington since 2019.

Mark Jenkinson

MP
Jenkinson in 2020
Member of Parliament
for Workington
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded bySue Hayman
Majority4,176 (10.1%)
Personal details
Born (1982-01-28) 28 January 1982[1]
Whitehaven, Cumbria, England
NationalityBritish
Political partyConservative
Other political
affiliations		UKIP (before 2016)
Children4
OccupationPolitician
Websitewww.mark-jenkinson.co.uk

Early life and career

Jenkinson was born and raised in Workington and was educated at St Joseph's Roman Catholic High School, Workington and Newton Rigg College, Penrith, where he pursued agricultural studies, before joining British Steel as an apprentice. Prior to becoming an MP, he worked as a self-employed contractor in the nuclear supply chain.[3]

Political career

Jenkinson ran as the UK Independence Party candidate for Workington in 2015.[4] He was a founding member of UKIP's West Cumbria branch but quit in 2016, citing disagreements about the party's approach to the EU referendum and concerns over internal democracy.[5]

After joining the Conservative Party, Jenkinson became active in local government, representing the Seaton and Northside Ward of Allerdale Borough Council, where he became deputy leader in 2019.[6] He was also chairman of Seaton Parish Council and stood down from this role after being elected an MP.[7]

Jenkinson was first elected to the House of Commons in the 2019 general election, defeating Shadow Environment Secretary Sue Hayman with a majority of 4,136 votes.[8]

Following his victory, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage congratulated Jenkinson on Twitter, writing "A personal congratulations to Mark Jenkinson. He was an excellent UKIP candidate in 2015."[9] Jenkinson's win marked the first time since the 1970s that Workington had elected a Conservative MP.[10] Until then, the Labour Party had won the seat in every general election since 1979. The Conservatives had only been elected once in Workington since World War II, at a 1976 by-election.[11]

In October 2020, Jenkinson was criticised by Labour MP Jess Phillips after he stated that in his constituency in a "tiny" minority of cases food parcels, not vouchers, were "sold or traded for drugs".[12]

Personal life

Jenkinson is married to Dawn and has four children. They live in the village of Seaton.[3]

References
  1. "Members' Names Data Platform query". UK Parliament. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "About Mark Jenkinson". Mark Jenkinson. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  4. "Workington parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  5. "UKIP's Mark Jenkinson quits party". Times and Star. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  6. "Allerdale's deputy leader Mark Jenkinson to stand as Tory candidate in next general election".
  7. "Workington MP stands down as chairman of Seaton Parish Council".
  8. "Workington parliamentary constituency – Election 2019".
  9. "Nigel Farage personally congratulated Workington MP on election victory". News and Star. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  10. "Workington turns blue for the first time in decades". ITV News. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  11. "A vision of Britain website – general elections section". Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  12. O'Reilly, Luke (24 October 2020). "Tory MPs Ben Bradley, Mark Jenkinson and Selaine Saxby spark outrage with free school meal remarks". Evening Standard. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Sue Hayman		 Member of Parliament for Workington
2019–present		 Incumbent
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