Mark Pawsey

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Mark Pawsey

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Official portrait of Mark Pawsey MP crop 2.jpg

| office1 = Member of Parliament
for Rugby

| parliament1 =

| majority1 =

| term_start1 = 6 May 2010

| term_end1 = 30 May 2024

| predecessor1 = Constituency re-established

| successor1 = John Slinger

| birth_name = Mark Julian Francis Pawsey

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1957|01|16}}

| birth_place = Binley Woods, Warwickshire, England

| death_date =

| death_place =

| residence = Grandborough, Warwickshire, England
London, England

| nationality = British

| party = Conservative

| relations = Jim Pawsey (father)

| alma_mater = Reading University

| profession = Businessman

| website = {{Official URL}}

}}

Mark Julian Francis Pawsey{{London Gazette |issue=59418 |date=13 May 2010 |page=8745}} (born 16 January 1957){{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/35411.stm|title=Mark Pawsey MP|work=BBC Democracy Live|publisher=BBC|accessdate=25 July 2010|archive-date=28 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428181751/http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/35411.stm|url-status=dead}} is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rugby from the 2010 general election until stepping down at the 2024 general election.{{Cite web | url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/mark_pawsey/rugby | title=Mark Pawsey MP, Rugby}}{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/d79.stm|title=UK > England > West Midlands > Rugby|date=7 May 2010|work=Election 2010|publisher=BBC|accessdate=12 May 2010}} He is a member of the Conservative Party.

His father, Jim Pawsey, was the MP for Rugby from 1979 to 1983 and then for Rugby and Kenilworth until 1997, when he lost the seat in the general election to Labour's Andy King.

On 5 December 2022 Pawsey announced his intention not to stand for re-election in the 2024 general election.

{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/MarkPawsey/status/1599793050364309505|title=Mark Pawsey's Twitter}}

Education and early career

Mark Pawsey grew up in Binley Woods, Warwickshire, England, and was educated at Lawrence Sheriff School in Rugby. He later attended the University of Reading, where he earned a degree in estate management. In 1982, he founded a company with his brother, supplying products to the catering trade, which was later bought by an FTSE 100 company. {{Citation needed|date=September 2013}}

Local government

Pawsey was elected as a Councillor for the Conservative Party for Dunchurch and Knightlow on the Rugby Borough Council in 2002. He served on planning, borough development and housing panels and was portfolio holder and cabinet member for Housing.

House of Commons

Pawsey resigned from his position as a councillor upon selection in January 2007 for the new parliamentary constituency of Rugby and was a member of the A-List.[http://conservativehome.blogs.com/goldlist/2009/04/where-are-the-original-alisters-now-the-27-who-have-been-selected-for-target-seats.html In re A-List], conservativehome.blogs.com, April 2009. Pawsey was first elected to the House of Commons in 2010 for Rugby with a majority of 6,000 votes.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/d42.stm|title=UK> England> West Midlands> Rugby|date=7 May 2010|work=Election 2010|publisher=BBC|accessdate=11 May 2010}} He was reelected in 2015 and 2017 with majorities of 10,345 and 8,212.

Pawsey served on the Communities and Local Government Committee, having taken over from George Freeman, between 2010 and 2015.{{Cite web | url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101129/debtext/101129-0004.htm#1011302000004 | title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 29 Nov 2010 (Pt 0004)}} He was also a member of the Public Bill Committee for the Defence Reform Act 2014{{cite web|url=http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2013-14/defencereform/committees/houseofcommonspublicbillcommitteeonthedefencereformbill201314.html|title=House of Commons Public Bill Committee on the Defence Reform Bill 2013–14 |publisher=Parliament of the United Kingdom |accessdate=17 September 2013}} and has been a member of the all-party groups on manufacturing, microbusinesses, packaging, small business, sewers and sewerage and rugby union. He played for the Lords & Commons rugby club{{Cite web | url=http://www.markpawsey.org.uk/about-mark | title=About Mark}} and is currently also secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Speedway Racing.

In December 2012, Pawsey spoke out against allowing same sex people to marry by suggesting that it may lead to lower levels of heterosexual people getting married. He said in the House of Commons: "Given that marriage rates in Spain and Holland collapsed after the introduction of same-sex marriage, does she [Maria Miller] not fear that in this country even fewer couples intending to have children will choose to marry?"{{cite news|title=Gay Marriage: Tory MP Says Fewer Straight People Will Marry If Gay People Can|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/12/11/gay-marriage-mark-pawsey_n_2277202.html|work=HuffPost|accessdate=28 March 2018|date=11 December 2012}} Research later showed that Pawsey's evidence base for making his suggestion was problematic.{{cite web|url=https://fullfact.org/news/will-fewer-straight-people-marry-if-gay-people-can/|title=Full Fact|date=12 December 2012 |publisher=Full Fact |accessdate= 28 March 2018}}

Since becoming an MP Pawsey has campaigned against various measures to limit the tobacco industry. In 2012 Pawsey set up, and became Chair, of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Packaging Manufacturing Industry, with one of objectives of this APPG is "to address issues facing the industry from regulation".{{cite web|url=https://www.markpawsey.org.uk/news/mark-pawsey-mp-takes-chairmanship-parliamentary-group|title=New role|date=17 May 2012 |publisher=Personal website|accessdate= 28 March 2018}}

Pawsey was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum.{{cite news|last1=Goodenough|first1=Tom|title=Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?|url=http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/02/which-tory-mps-back-brexit-who-doesnt-and-who-is-still-on-the-fence/|accessdate=11 October 2016|work=The Spectator|date=16 February 2016}}

In July 2017, Pawsey was accused of hypocrisy by opponents after he voted against an Opposition Party amendment to end a below inflation public sector pay cap – one week after saying concerns over wages needed to be addressed in a letter to his local newspaper. Pawsey defended voting against Labour's amendment, stating: "It was gesture politics by Labour as this was not a vote on primary legislation."{{cite news|title=Rugby MP's public sector pay vote draws criticism from opponents|url=https://rugbyobserver.co.uk/news/rugby-mps-public-sector-pay-vote-draws-criticism-from-opponents|work=Rugby Observer|accessdate=28 March 2018|date=5 July 2017}}

In 2017, he said that he would support repealing the ban on fox hunting.{{cite web|title=Rugby girl, 10, campaigns to get MP to change his mind on fox hunting|url=http://www.rugbyadvertiser.co.uk/news/rugby-girl-10-campaigns-to-get-mp-to-change-his-mind-on-fox-hunting-1-6827720|work=Rugby Advertiser|accessdate=5 July 2017|archive-date=25 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171125030851/http://www.rugbyadvertiser.co.uk/news/rugby-girl-10-campaigns-to-get-mp-to-change-his-mind-on-fox-hunting-1-6827720|url-status=dead}}

Personal life

He is married to Tracy and they live in the village of Grandborough, Warwickshire, and London. They have four children.{{Cite web | url=https://www.markpawsey.org.uk/about-mark |title = About Mark}}