Mark Jenkinson

Mark Jenkinson was born in Whitehaven, Cumbria,General Register Office; United Kingdom; Reference: Volume 1, Page 0669 and raised in Workington. He lived on Victoria Road in Workington during his childhood with his parents. Ian Jenkinson (Mark's father) worked as a refuse collector. Mark has a sister called Laura.

He was educated at St Joseph's Catholic High School, Workington and Newton Rigg College, Penrith, where he briefly pursued agricultural studies, and then joined British Steel as an apprentice for a period of months.

Prior to becoming an MP, he worked as a self-employed contractor in the nuclear supply chain.{{cite web |title=About Mark Jenkinson |url=https://www.mark-jenkinson.co.uk/about |access-date=21 July 2020 |website=Mark Jenkinson}}

Jenkinson was the UK Independence Party candidate for Workington in 2015,{{cite news |title=Workington parliamentary constituency – Election 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/constituencies/E14001053 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213015333/https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/constituencies/E14001053 |archive-date=13 December 2019 |work=BBC News|access-date=13 December 2019}} coming third with 19.6% of the vote behind the Labour candidate Sue Hayman and the Conservative candidate.{{cite web |title=Election Data 2015 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017112223/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt |archive-date=17 October 2015 |access-date=17 October 2015 |publisher=Electoral Calculus}}{{cite news |title=Workington |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14001053 |access-date=11 May 2015 |work=BBC News}} He was previously a member of the Conservative Party.{{cite web |last=Jenkinson |first=Mark |date=24 October 2016 |title=Mark Jenkinson: May is bringing Conservatives home. |url=https://conservativehome.com/2016/10/24/mark-jenkinson-theresa-may-is-bringing-conservatives-home/ |access-date=28 March 2023 |website=Conservative Home}} Jenkinson 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.{{cite web |title=UKIP's Mark Jenkinson quits party |url=https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/17027544.ukips-mark-jenkinson-quits-party/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219122853/https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/17027544.ukips-mark-jenkinson-quits-party/ |archive-date=19 December 2019 |access-date=19 December 2019 |website=Times and Star|date=10 May 2016 }}

After rejoining the Conservative Party, Jenkinson was elected in 2015 for the Seaton and Northside Ward of Allerdale Borough Council, where he became deputy leader in 2019.{{cite web |title=Allerdale's deputy leader to stand as Tory candidate in next general election |url=https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/17966983.allerdales-deputy-leader-mark-jenkinson-stand-tory-candidate-next-general-election/ |website=Times and Star|date=14 October 2019 }} He was also chairman of Seaton Parish Council but stood down after being elected as MP.{{cite web |title=Workington MP stands down as chairman of Seaton Parish Council |url=https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/18183057.workington-mp-stands-chairman-seaton-parish-council/ |website=Times and Star|date=24 January 2020 }}

Jenkinson was elected to the House of Commons at the 2019 general election, winning with 49.3% of the vote and a majority of 4,176.{{cite news |title=Workington parliamentary constituency – Election 2019 |work= BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/politics/constituencies/E14001053}} 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."{{cite web |title=Nigel Farage personally congratulated Workington MP on election victory |url=https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/18104324.congrats-farage/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219122851/https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/18104324.congrats-farage/ |archive-date=19 December 2019 |access-date=19 December 2019 |website=News and Star|date=16 December 2019 }} The constituency was seen as symbolic at the 2019 election, with a political think tank coining the term 'Workington Man' to represent the type of swing voter the Conservatives needed to win from Labour.{{cite news |date=13 December 2019 |title=Election results 2019: Conservatives win Workington from Labour |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50748773 |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=BBC News}}

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 are sold or traded for drugs".{{cite news |last=O'Reilly |first=Luke |date=24 October 2020 |title=Tory MPs Ben Bradley, Mark Jenkinson and Selaine Saxby spark outrage with free school meal remarks |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/tory-mps-ben-bradley-crack-den-brothel-free-school-meal-vouchers-a4572832.html |access-date=26 October 2020 |work=Evening Standard}}

In 2021, Jenkinson came out in defence of a controversial proposal to build a new coal mine in the Copeland constituency.{{cite news |date=11 February 2021 |title=Workington MP Mark Jenkinson blasts Labour over coal mine |url=https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/19079524.workington-mp-mark-jenkinson-blasts-labour-coal-mine/ |access-date=9 March 2021 |work=Times and Star}} The plan to create Woodhouse Colliery was "called in" for government consideration, and The Guardian reported in March 2021 that Jenkinson was one of a number of Conservative backbench MPs on a potential collision course with the prime minister Boris Johnson when a decision was made to put it on hold.{{cite news |date=12 March 2021 |title=Boris Johnson could clash with backbenchers over coalmine |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/12/boris-johnson-could-clash-with-backbenchers-over-coalmine |access-date=25 March 2021 |work=The Guardian}} Eventually, Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, approved the application in December 2022,{{cite news |date=7 December 2022 |title=First UK coal mine in decades approved despite climate concerns |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-63892381 |access-date=28 March 2023 |work=BBC News}} although the decision was subject to legal challenges which were ongoing at the time of the 2024 United Kingdom general election.

The Workington constituency was abolished and its territory split between Whitehaven and Workington and Penrith and Solway.

On 4 February 2023, Jenkinson announced that he had been selected by Conservative Party members for Penrith and Solway, which was considered to be the safer of the two seats.{{cite web |date=5 February 2023 |title=Mark Jenkinson selected as Conservative candidate for new Penrith and Solway seat – Cumberland and Westmorland Herald |url=https://cwherald.com/news/mark-jenkinson-selected-as-conservative-candidate-for-new-penrith-and-solway-seat/ |access-date=28 March 2023}} In the event, none of the Cumbrian constituencies returned a Conservative candidate in the general election of 2024.

Jenkinson was elected to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee in March 2020, serving until October 2022.{{cite web |title=Parliamentary career of Mark Jenkinson |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/4752/career}} He returned to the committee on 8 November 2022.{{cite web |date=8 November 2022 |title=Commons Business papers for Tuesday 8 November 2022 |url=https://commonsbusiness.parliament.uk/Document/60424/Html?subType=Standard#_idTextAnchor008}} In June 2023, changes were made to Select Committees to mirror the changes in departmental names and responsibilities. Jenkinson move to the new Energy Security and Net Zero Committee.{{cite web |title=Energy Security and Net Zero Committee – Membership |url=https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/664/energy-security-and-net-zero-committee/membership/}}

In December 2022, he joined the Women and Equalities Committee.{{cite web |date=1 December 2022 |title=Workington MP appointed to Women and Equalities committee |url=https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/23159847.workington-mp-joins-women-equalities-committee/ |access-date=29 July 2023 |website=News and Star}}

Jenkinson served as the Vice-Chair of the Conservative backbench Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) committee; as a Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Upland Farming, a Vice-Chair of the APPG Nuclear and as Treasurer of the APPG Cyprus.{{cite web |title=About Mark Jenkinson |url=https://www.mark-jenkinson.co.uk/about |access-date=29 July 2023 |website=Mark Jenkinson}}

Jenkinson was one of 10 parliamentarians personally named in a Commons Select Committee of Privileges special report on the "Co-ordinated campaign of interference in the work of the Privileges Committee", published 28 June 2023. The report detailed how said parliamentarians "took it upon themselves to undermine procedures of the House of Commons" by putting pressure on the Commons Privileges Committee investigation into Boris Johnson.{{cite web |last=House of Commons Committee of Privileges |title=Matter referred on 21 April 2022: Co-ordinated campaign of interference in the work of the Privileges Committee |url=https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/40679/documents/198237/default/ |access-date=17 July 2023 |website=committees.parliament.uk |publisher=House of Commons}} Jenkinson maintains that the tweet referenced in the report as evidence, was not about the committee.{{cite web |title=Privileges Committee Special Report |url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2023-07-10a.33.0 |access-date=29 July 2023 |website=TheyWorkForYou}}

In February 2022, Jenkinson was made parliamentary private secretary for DEFRA,{{cite web |title=Workington's Mark Jenkinson MP made parliamentary private secretary for Defra |date=11 February 2022 |url=https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/19917789.mark-jenkinson-mp-made-parliamentary-private-secretary-defra/}} and from September 2022 to October 2022 he was an Assistant Government Whip.{{cite web |title=Ministerial Appointments: September 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-september-2022 |access-date=21 September 2022 |website=GOV.UK}}{{cite web |title=Workington MP Mark Jenkinson talks Rishi Sunak and reshuffle |date=3 November 2022 |url=https://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/23095932.workington-mp-mark-jenkinson-talks-rishi-sunak-reshuffle//}}

He was made parliamentary private secretary to the Scotland Office in February 2023.{{cite web |title=LinkedIn |url=https://uk.linkedin.com/in/markjenkinsonmp}}

Responding to Essex Police marking Transgender Day of Remembrance, Jenkinson questioned whether they had planning permission for the flag they were flying.{{cite tweet |number=1462084640471228420 |user=markjenkinsonmp |title=I hope you've got planning consent for that flag, it's not legal to fly it without. |first=Mark |last=Jenkinson |date=20 November 2021}}

Writing on the website Conservative Home in November 2021, he said that erasing the notion of biological sex would cause harm to women and the "LGB community". He criticised the UK's gender recognition system and expressed concern that the proposed Gender Conversion Therapy Bill would see practitioners and parents who did not affirm their child's chosen gender convicted, writing that "we can't put male-bodied rapists in female prisons can we?"{{cite web |date=22 November 2021 |title=Mark Jenkinson: My Twitter monstering. I never thought that saying there are two biological sexes would cause such a stir. |url=https://www.conservativehome.com/platform/2021/11/mark-jenkinson-my-twitter-monstering-i-never-believed-that-saying-there-were-two-biological-sexes-would-cause-such-a-stir.html |access-date=22 November 2021 |website=Conservative Home}}

Jenkinson has expressed his belief that transgender men are not men and transgender women are not women; in a 2022 tweet Jenkinson said "I don't get to call myself a chicken if I cover myself in feathers". In 2023, he criticised Scotland's gender recognition reforms, describing them as "terrifying".{{cite web |last=Kelleher |first=Patrick |date=14 January 2023 |title=Tory MP Mark Jenkinson thinks trans teens wanting to change gender is 'abhorrent' |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/01/14/mark-jenkinson-tory-mp-trans-scotland-gender-bill/ |access-date=24 May 2023 |website=PinkNews}}{{cite web |last=Smedley |first=Sam |date=24 May 2022 |title=Tory MP slammed for 'bigoted' tweets on social media |url=https://www.lancs.live/news/local-news/tory-mp-mark-jenkinson-slammed-24048073 |access-date=24 May 2023 |website=LancsLive}}

Jenkinson is married to Dawn and has four children. They live in Seaton He is a former smoker{{cite web |last=Jenkinson |first=Mark |date=8 March 2023 |title=Quitting smoking is tough but we should maximise products that help |url=https://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/1743798/quitting-smoking-alternative-products-vaping-comment |access-date=28 March 2023 |website=Express.co.uk}} and is teetotal.{{cite web |title=Hansard |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2022-01-31/debates/6B412B49-AB7D-4FE3-9F82-B9EAE93FB6AC/SueGrayReport?highlight=sobriety#contribution-CF0F4B49-89AC-472B-BBD4-5B0D3BD6103A}}

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| before = Sue Hayman

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| title = Member of Parliament for Workington

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Category:1982 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Workington

Category:UK MPs 2019–2024

Category:Cumbria MPs

Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies

Category:Politics of Cumberland (unitary authority)

Category:UK Independence Party parliamentary candidates

Category:People from Seaton, Cumbria