Andrew Selous

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Andrew Selous

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Official portrait of Andrew Selous MP crop 2.jpg

| caption = Official portrait, 2019

| office = Second Church Estates Commissioner

| primeminister = Boris Johnson
Liz Truss
Rishi Sunak

| predecessor = Dame Caroline Spelman

| successor = Marsha de Cordova

| term_start = 10 January 2020

| term_end = 5 July 2024

| office2 = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice

| primeminister2 = David Cameron

| predecessor2 = Jeremy Wright

| successor2 = Sam Gyimah

| term_start2 = 15 July 2014

| term_end2 = 17 July 2016

| office3 = Member of Parliament
for South West Bedfordshire

| parliament3 =

| term_start3 = 7 June 2001

| term_end3 = 30 May 2024

| majority3 =

| predecessor3 = David Madel

| successor3 = Constituency abolished

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|04|27|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Marylebone, London, England

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = British

| spouse = Harriet Marston

| party = Conservative

| relations =

| children = 3

| residence =

| education = Eton College

| alma_mater = London School of Economics

| occupation = MP

| profession = Business, Industry, Trade

| signature =

| website = {{URL|andrewselous.org.uk}}

| footnotes =

| module = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes

| allegiance = {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| branch = {{army|United Kingdom}}

| serviceyears = 1981-1996

| servicenumber = 533612

| rank = Lieutenant

| unit = Honourable Artillery Company
Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

| commands =

| battles =

| awards =

}}

Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous ({{IPAc-en|s|ə|ˈ|l|uː}}; born 27 April 1962){{cite web|url=http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=40557&dmp=826 |last=The Public Whip |title=Andrew Selous compared to 'Homosexuality - Equal rights' |website=The Public Whip |date=2019 |access-date=30 November 2020}} is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Bedfordshire from 2001 until 2024, when the constituency was abolished. Selous stood for the new Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency however the seat was won by the Labour candidate Alex Mayer. Selous lives in Studham[https://www.leightonbuzzardonline.co.uk/news/politics/leighton-buzzards-mp-confirms-he-will-stand-again-as-general-election-announced-4639347 Leighton Buzzard's MP confirms he will stand again as general election announced] in the constituency of Luton South.[https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/info/32/electoral_registration_and_elections/1503/new_parliamentary_constituencies New parliamentary constituencies for Central Bedfordshire]

A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Minister of State for Prisons from 2014 to 2016 in the government of Prime Minister David Cameron.

Early life

Selous was born in Marylebone to Gerald and Mary Selous (née Casey).{{Cite web|url=http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=ObzV5t3AQjmvY9BqSMKO%2FQ&scan=1|title=Index entry|access-date=20 December 2017|work=FreeBMD|publisher=ONS}} He was privately educated both at West Downs School and Eton College. He then studied at the London School of Economics, receiving a BSc in Industry and Trade in 1984.

In 1981, Selous joined the Honourable Artillery Company as a soldier. On 1 October 1989, he was commissioned in the Queen's Division, Territorial Army, as a second lieutenant (on probation);{{London Gazette |issue=51942 |date=20 November 1989 |page=13430 |supp=y}} he then served with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.{{London Gazette |issue=53356 |date=28 June 1993 |page=10973 |supp=y}} He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 October 1991.{{London Gazette |issue= 52713 |date= 11 November 1991 |page= 17249 |supp= y }} He was transferred to the London Regiment on 20 April 1993. He moved to the Regular Army Reserve of Officers in January 1996, thereby ending his active service.{{London Gazette |issue=54328 |date=26 February 1996 |page=2933 |supp=y}}

From 1988 until 1994, he was a director of his family firm CNS Electronics (now CNS Farnell). Then, from 1991 until 2001, he was an underwriter at Great Lakes Reinsurance (UK) PLC.{{cite book |title=Selous, Andrew Edmund Armstrong |url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-41957 |website=Who's Who 2020 |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=14 January 2020 |date=1 December 2019|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U41957 |isbn=978-0-19-954088-4 }}

Parliamentary career

Selous was first elected to the House of Commons in 2001, and had previously contested the Sunderland North seat in 1997. He is a director and prominent member of the Conservative Christian Fellowship.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2052411.stm |title=Andrew Selous |work=BBC News |date=23 October 2002 |access-date=26 June 2013}}

In 2006, Selous was promoted to Shadow Minister for Work and Pensions.{{cite news|title=UK Political Database: Andrew Selous |url=http://ukpolitics.telegraph.co.uk/Bedfordshire+South+West/Andrew+Selous |location=London |work=The Daily Telegraph |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430203459/http://ukpolitics.telegraph.co.uk/Bedfordshire%2BSouth%2BWest/Andrew%2BSelous |archive-date=30 April 2010 |url-status=dead }}

In the Coalition government, he was the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, from 28 May 2010 to 16 July 2014.{{cite news |url=http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/local/parliamentary_post_for_sw_beds_mp_1_1037157 |title=Parliamentary post for SW Beds MP |work=Bedfordtoday.co.uk |date=28 May 2010 |access-date=26 June 2013}} On 16 July 2014, he was appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice with responsibility for Prisons and Probation and retained this role following the 2015 general election.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Number10gov/status/489386883366289408|title=UK Prime Minister on Twitter|work=Twitter}} However he was asked to step down from the government by Theresa May after she became Prime Minister in July 2016.{{cite news |url=http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/south-west-bedfordshire-mp-andrew-selous-asked-to-step-down-as-prisons-minister-by-theresa-may/story-29523769-detail/story.html |title=Andrew Selous asked to step down as Prisons Minister by Theresa May |work=Bedfordshirenews.co.uk |date=18 July 2016 |access-date=8 August 2016}}

He attracted criticism in 2014 for reportedly stating at a Centre for Social Justice fringe meeting that "disabled people work harder because they're grateful to have a job". Selous subsequently said that he had simply been trying to convey the message that disabled people were valued by employers, and his observation that disabled people often work harder was supported by a spokesperson for Disability Rights UK.{{cite news|title=Andrew Selous: 'Disabled are grateful so work harder,' says Tory minister|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/disabled-are-grateful-so-work-harder-says-tory-minister-9804276.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/disabled-are-grateful-so-work-harder-says-tory-minister-9804276.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=7 April 2015|newspaper=Independent|date=19 October 2014}}{{cbignore}}

Selous chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Strengthening Couple Relationships, and argues that cross-party efforts to prevent family breakdown can relieve pressure on the care system.{{cite news|last1=Selous|first1=Andrew|title=Comment: Silver splitters are putting significant pressure on care system, MP warns|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/10690591/Comment-Silver-splitters-are-putting-significant-pressure-on-care-system-MP-warns.html|access-date=7 April 2015|date=11 March 2014}}

He was opposed to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, arguing that it was directly contrary to what Jesus said.{{cite news|title=Voices of dissent: Gay marriage opponents attack|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/voices-of-dissent-gay-marriage-opponents-attack-8406636.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/voices-of-dissent-gay-marriage-opponents-attack-8406636.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=7 April 2015|newspaper=Independent|date=11 December 2012}}{{cbignore}}

He served as Second Church Estates Commissioner, responsible for representing the Church Commissioners in Parliament and in the General Synod of the Church of England, from 2020 to 2024.{{cite web |url=https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/news/church-commissioners-welcome-announcement-andrew-selous-second-church |title=The Church Commissioners for England have today welcomed the Crown appointment of Mr Andrew Selous MP as Second Estates Commissioner, succeeding the Rt Hon Dame Caroline Spelman. |date=10 January 2020 |publisher=The Church of England |access-date=10 January 2020}}

References

External links

[http://www.andrewselous.org.uk/ Andrew Selous MP] Official site
{{UK MP links |parliament=andrew-selous/1453 |hansardcurr=641 |hansard=mr-andrew-selous |publicwhip=Andrew_Selous |theywork=andrew_selous}}
[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/6109/andrew-selous Andrew Selous: Electoral history and profile] The Guardian
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/25301.stm Andrew Selous MP] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510222334/http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/25301.stm |date=10 May 2012 }} BBC Democracy Live, 5 June 2010
{{C-SPAN|1001191}}

=News items=

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/3245999.stm Concerns over housing growth] BBC News, 6 November 2003
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2952123.stm Swiss assisted suicide 'may be illegal'] BBC News, 16 April 2003
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1782648.stm MP challenges Guides' age policy] BBC News, 25 January 2002

{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for South West Bedfordshire|years=2001–2024}}

Category:1962 births

Category:Living people

Category:Military personnel from the City of Westminster

Category:People educated at Eton College

Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics

Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies

Category:Honourable Artillery Company soldiers

Category:Royal Regiment of Fusiliers officers

Category:UK MPs 2001–2005

Category:UK MPs 2005–2010

Category:UK MPs 2010–2015