Sir Michael Alan Penning (born 28 September 1957) is a British Conservative Party politician, who served as the member of parliament (MP) for Hemel Hempstead from 2005 to 2024.

Penning was the minister of state for the Armed Forces from 2016 to 2017, having previously served as the minister of state for justice and minister of state for policing from 2014 to 2016, the minister for disabled people from 2013 to 2014, the minister of state for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2013, and the minister of state for transport from 2010 to 2012.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24427138#|title=Michael Moore axed as Scottish secretary in coalition reshuffle|work=BBC News|access-date=23 October 2013}} Following his ministerial career he remained a backbencher until standing down in 2024.

Early life and career

Penning was born in Finchley, Middlesex,{{cite web|url=https://www.mikepenning.com/about|title=Sir Mike Penning Personal website|access-date=11 December 2018}} and raised in the county of Essex. He first went to school in South Benfleet before attending King Edmund School in Rochford.{{Cite web |title=The Rt Hon Sir Mike Penning MP |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/mike-penning |access-date=14 Oct 2023 |website=Government of the United Kingdom}} After leaving school, Penning enlisted in the British Army as a Grenadier Guardsman, and served several tours in Northern Ireland, Kenya and Germany. During his time in the Grenadiers, an officer, Captain Robert Nairac, GC, was abducted and murdered by the IRA.{{Cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080521/debtext/80521-0003.htm|title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 21 May 2008 (pt 0003)|website=publications.parliament.uk}}

After leaving the Army, Penning subsequently worked as a firefighter for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, before joining his family business and then becoming a political journalist.{{cite web|url=http://www.mikepenning.com/about|title=Mike Penning Personal website|access-date=10 April 2010}}

Political career

In the mid-1990s, Penning worked as a media adviser to the Euro-rebels who had had the Conservative Party whip removed by Prime Minister John Major during the Maastricht rebellion.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/sep/07/conservatives.uk1|title=Guardian 7/9/2001, – What's cooking in the Tory kitchen cabinet|access-date=15 April 2010 | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Benjamin | last=Wegg-Prosser | date=13 September 2001}} He was subsequently the election agent to Sir Teddy Taylor during the 1997 general election. He stood for election in Thurrock at the 2001 general election, coming second to Labour's Andrew MacKinlay. Following this, he was appointed as a chief adviser to William Hague as Leader of the Opposition, later becoming the Conservative Party's deputy head of media under the brief and unpopular leadership of Iain Duncan Smith.

=Member of parliament=

At the 2005 general election Penning stood in the Labour-held seat of Hemel Hempstead, narrowly defeating sitting MP Tony McWalter. Penning overturned McWalter's 2001 majority of 3,742 votes and won the seat (after a partial recount) by 499 votes. In July 2007, Penning was promoted by Conservative leader David Cameron to the post of shadow minister for public health.

The Buncefield fire occurred on 11 December 2005 and led to some 2,700 claims for compensation.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/4816058.stm|title=Buncefield victims in court move|publisher=BBC News|date=17 March 2006|access-date=17 May 2010}} In the words of neighbouring MP Peter Lilley, "There is something providential about the fact that the worst fire in western Europe since the Second World War should occur in a constituency represented by a fireman. It was undoubtedly in the interests of all his constituents and mine to have someone so knowledgeable, as well as so vigorous in their response, to represent their interests."{{cite web|title=Buncefield Debate Westminster Hall,Speaker=Peter Lilly|date=9 January 2008|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?gid=2008-01-09c.83.0|publisher=TheyWorkForYou.com}} Penning, who arrived on the scene within half an hour of the explosion, had himself been trained to deal with much smaller petroleum fires; the scenario was that one tank not twenty was affected.{{cite web|title=Buncefield Debate Westminster Hall,Speaker=Mike Penning|date=9 January 2008|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2008-01-09c.73.0|publisher=TheyWorkForYou.com|access-date=17 May 2010}}

Dexion workers, 700 of whom worked in the constituency,{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2008-07-22c.698.0&s=dexion+speaker%3A11626#g736.0|publisher=theyworkforyou|title=HC Deb, 22 July 2008|access-date=10 April 2010}} lost their pensions when the company went into receivership in 2003. Dexion played a prominent part in Ros Altmann's Pensions theft campaign.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/politics_show/4381202.stm|title=London: Pension crisis |publisher=BBC|date=28 October 2005|access-date=10 April 2010|first=Khevyn|last=Limbajee}} Penning, whose support for Dexion preceded his election, offered compensation from unclaimed assets in his 2005 Manifesto{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2007-04-18b.316.3&s=dexion+speaker%3A11626#g361.1|publisher=theyworkforyou|title=HC Deb, 18 April 2007, c361|access-date=10 April 2010}} and has spoken on the issue 26 times in Parliament.{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/search/?s=dexion&pid=11626|publisher=theyworkforyou|title=dexion speaker:Michael Penning|access-date=10 April 2010}} Dexion pensioners were featured celebrating a victory at the High Court in February 2007 which eventually led to increased compensation from the then-Labour government.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2804665/Pensioners-win-victory-in-High-Court.html|title=Pensioners win victory in High Court|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=21 February 2007|access-date=10 April 2010 | location=London | first=Ian | last=Cowie}}

According to Theyworkforyou.com, Penning spoke in an "above average" number of debates from 2009 to 2010 and replied to a "very high number" of messages. He also received replies to an "above average" number of written questions.{{cite web|title=Michael Penning|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/michael_penning/hemel_hempstead|access-date=18 March 2010}} The quality of those questions was disputed by a 2006 The Times article about the Theyworkforyou website which Penning used to email constituents.{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article735429.ece|title=The MPs who can't stop talking|publisher=Times Newspapers|date=27 February 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216112003/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article735429.ece|archive-date=16 February 2007|access-date=17 February 2011|location=London|first=Greg|last=Hurst}} His 624 questions in 10 months included one on sales of lost property in Royal Parks since records began. The newspaper suggested the objective was to increase ratings on the website, an allegation rejected by Penning.

Penning "occasionally rebelled", with two per cent of his votes being against the whip, and was "very strongly" in favour of a smoking ban. Penning's parliamentary expenses details have been published as part of a general publication of all MPs' expenses. In 2009, he claimed a total of £135,078, 502nd of all MPs. The Legg Report found no problem with his expenses.{{cite web | date = 4 February 2010 | title = Review of past ACA payments | url = https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmmemest/348/348.pdf | publisher = House of Commons Members Estimate Committee | access-date =5 February 2010 }} Penning did, however, voluntarily repay £2.99 for a dog bowl, which was the lowest recorded repayment by any MP.{{cite news|publisher=BBC |title=MPs' expenses in detail (repayments)|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8050351.stm|access-date=14 April 2010 | date=14 May 2009}}{{cite news|publisher=BBC |title=MPs' expenses in detail|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8104383.stm|access-date=18 March 2010 | date=7 September 2009}}

==Subsequent elections==

Penning achieved one of the largest increases in his majority of all MPs at the 2010 general election, when he took 50% of the vote share to hold the seat with a majority of 13,406.{{cite news|title=BBC News Election 2010 Constituency Hemel Hempstead|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/election2010/results/constituency/c12.stm|access-date=7 May 2010}} This result relegated Labour's Ayfer Orhan to third place behind the Liberal Democrat candidate Richard Grayson, representing the largest swing from the Labour Party to the Conservative Party (a 14.4% swing) in the country.{{cite news|url=http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/8158911.Re_elected_MP_achieves_largest_Labour_to_Conservative_swing_in_country/|work=Watford Observer|title=Re-elected Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning achieves largest swing from Labour to Conservative in the country|author=Amie Mulderrig|date=11 May 2010|access-date=16 May 2010}}{{cite news| title = How Britain voted| newspaper = Guardian Supplement| date = 8 May 2010| page = 8}}

In the 2015 general election, Penning increased his majority by 2.9% to 52.9% to hold his seat with a 14,420 majority.{{cite news|title=BBC News Election 2015 Constituency Hemel Hempstead|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000739|access-date=20 May 2015}} In the subsequent reshuffle, Penning was appointed as minister of state in the Home Office for policing and criminal justice.{{cite news|title=West Yorkshire Police Federation|url=http://www.wypf.polfed.org/2014/07/17/former-firefighter-mike-penning-is-new-police-minister/|access-date=20 May 2015}} In the June 2017 general election he held Hemel Hempstead with a reduced majority of 9,445, but with an increased share of the vote (55%). He was re-elected in the 2019 general election.{{Cite news |title=Hemel Hempstead parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 - BBC News |language=en-GB |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000739 |access-date=2022-05-20}}

On 17 May 2022, he announced that he would stand down at the 2024 general election.{{cite news |title=Hemel Hempstead MP Sir Mike Penning to retire at next election |work=BBC News |date=17 May 2022 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-61477200 |access-date=17 May 2022 }}

=Minister of state=

File:-WeProtect Children Online summit (15984468662).jpg

After the 2010 election, Prime Minister David Cameron appointed him a minister of state for transport, with roads and shipping being among his responsibilities.{{Cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/government-and-opposition1/her-majestys-government/|title=Her Majesty's Government|website=UK Parliament}} In his capacity as minister for shipping, Penning presented Efthimios Mitropoulos (immediate past-IMO secretary-general) with the insignia of {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCMG}} in Greece on behalf of the Queen.{{Cite web|url=https://www.greeknewsagenda.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5632|title=Greek News Agenda|website=www.greeknewsagenda.gr}} In his role as road safety minister, he suggested that the Dutch could learn about cyclist safety from the British. However, cycling ambassador Roelof Wittink said that although the UK had a lower death toll per head of population, the Dutch use bicycles far more and have one third of the fatalities per mile cycled.{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/england/london-travel/sorry-minister-it-is-the-brits-who-must-learn-from-the-dutch-on-cyclesafe-bzm9fmb3rk7|title=Sorry minister, it is the Brits who must learn from the Dutch on #cyclesafe|work=The Times|author=Roelof Wittink Executive Director, Dutch Cycling Embassy|date=24 April 2012|access-date=28 March 2014}}

In the reshuffle of 4 September 2012, Penning was moved to become minister of state for Northern Ireland, a position he held for just over a year until being promoted to become minister of state for disabled people on 7 October 2013.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/news/mp-penning-promoted-to-head-northern-ireland-security-1-4222358|title=MP Penning promoted to head Northern Ireland security|website=www.hemeltoday.co.uk}} He was subsequently promoted a second time on 15 July 2014 to serve as both the minister of state for policing and the minister of state for justice, and was also sworn of the Privy Council.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mikepenning.com/content/appointment-privy-council|title=Homepage | Sir Mike Penning MP - Member of Parliament for Hemel Hempstead}} Following the 2017 election, he was sacked as a minister by Prime Minister Theresa May.

Political positions

Penning was a supporter of Brexit during 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/|access-date=11 October 2016|work=The Spectator|date=16 February 2016}}

In May 2021, Penning tabled and was the sole signatory of an early day motion stating as the "UK has left the European Union, the UK should now leave the Eurovision Song Contest, calling on the BBC to no longer spend licence fee money on an event designed to humiliate the UK and notes that, if the winning song is to be broadcast on the public airwaves, it should be preceded by a public health warning."{{Cite web|title=Eurovision song contest - Early Day Motions - UK Parliament|url=https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/58535/eurovision-song-contest|access-date=2021-11-29|website=edm.parliament.uk|language=en}}{{primary-inline|date=February 2024}}

Penning resigned as vice chairman of the Conservative Party in order to publicly support Penny Mordaunt's campaign in the July 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.{{cite news |last1=Cowburn |first1=Ashley |title=Tory vice-chair resigns to publicly campaign for leadership candidate Penny Mordaunt |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tory-mike-penning-penny-mordaunt-b2122402.html |access-date=13 July 2022 |work=The Independent |date=13 July 2022 |language=en}}

Personal life

Penning lives in Hemel Hempstead with his wife Angela.{{cite web|url=http://www.penning4hemel.com/about|title=MP website|publisher=GOV.UK |access-date=7 February 2018}} He employs his wife as his Office Manager on an annual salary up to £40,000. He has two daughters.{{cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/11626/mike_penning/hemel_hempstead|title=They Work For You|publisher=GOV.UK |access-date=7 February 2018}}

He is a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur F.C.{{cite web|url=http://www.conservativehome.com/thecolumnists/2013/10/from-iaindale-ids-and-penning-only-sing-when-theyre-winning.html |title=Iain Dale: IDS and Penning only sing when they're winning |work=Conservative Home |date=11 October 2013 |access-date=2018-11-24}}

Honours

40px General Service Medal with ‘NORTHERN IRELAND’ Clasp
{{flag|United Kingdom}} Privy Counsellor (2014)
40px Knight Bachelor (2017){{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/knighthoods-michael-penning-and-robert-syms|title=Knighthoods: Michael Penning and Robert Syms|access-date=23 November 2018}}

References

External links

{{Official website|http://www.mikepenning.com }}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20050507001406/http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=people.person.page&personID=40334 Conservative Party – Mike Penning] biography
{{UK MP links |parliament=sir-mike-penning/1528 |hansardcurr=4833 |publicwhip=Mike_Penning |theywork=mike_penning |bbc=31734.stm}}
[http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-6143,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle: Mike Penning MP]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20130618213548/http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/p/24178/Michael+PENNING.aspx Debrett's People of Today]

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