Rory Palmer
{{Short description|British politician (born 1981)}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Rory Palmer
| image = Rory Palmer MEP (cropped).jpg
| office = Member of the European Parliament
for the East Midlands
| term_start = 3 October 2017
| term_end = 31 January 2020
| predecessor = Glenis Willmott
| successor = Office abolished
| office1 = Deputy Mayor of Leicester
| 1blankname1 = Mayor
| 1namedata1 = Peter Soulsby
| term_start1 = 10 May 2011
| term_end1 = 3 October 2017
| predecessor1 = Office established
| successor1 = Adam Clarke
| office2 = Member of Leicester City Council
for Eyres Monsell
| term_start2 = 3 May 2007
| term_end2 = 3 October 2017
| successor2 = Elaine Pantling
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1981|11|19}}
| birth_place = Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England
| party = Labour
| education = University of York (BA)
| website = {{official URL}}
| caption = Palmer in 2014
}}
Rory Palmer (born 19 November 1981) is a British politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands from 2017 to 2020. A member of the Labour Party, he was also the Labour candidate in the 2024 Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner election.
Early life and career
Palmer was born on born 19 November 1981.[https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/oOSivt3alHgGLXuupnCR6qXFgrQ/appointments Companies House] He attended Hartland School in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. He studied Social Policy at the University of York from 2000 to 2003.{{cite web|url= https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rory-palmer|title=Rory Palmer|publisher=Linkedin|access-date=10 March 2021}}
Palmer briefly worked for the Institute for Public Policy Research as a research assistant, before working for nearly five years as a parliamentary assistant to the Labour MPs John Mann and Peter Soulsby.{{cite web|url= https://www.prweek.com/article/1700950/former-labour-mep-takes-charity-public-affairs-role|title=Former MEP takes charity role|publisher=PR Week|access-date=21 February 2021}} Having first been elected for the Labour Party as a councillor for the Eyres Monsell ward of Leicester City Council in May 2007, he became one of the council's deputy mayors in May 2011.{{cite web|title=Councillor Rory Palmer|url=http://www.cabinet.leicester.gov.uk:8071/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=442|accessdate=6 July 2017}}{{Cite news |date=2011-05-09 |title=Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby announces cabinet |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-13341194 |access-date=2024-04-30 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}
Palmer worked as senior policy, public affairs and campaigns manager at the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. After leaving the European Parliament, he became network lead for the Trussell Trust East Midlands.{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/politico-london-influence/party-poopers-lewis-lobbying-common-people-2/ |title=London Influence: Party poopers - Lewis lobbying - Common people |last=Honeycombe-Foster |first=Matt |website=Politico |date=23 June 2022 |access-date=7 March 2024}}
Political career
In the 2010 general election, he unsuccessfully stood as the Labour Party candidate in the Bosworth constituency in Leicestershire.{{cite web |title=Election Data 2010 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt |publisher=Electoral Calculus |access-date=17 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726162034/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt |archive-date=26 July 2013}} In the 2014 European Parliament election, he was second on the Labour party list in the East Midlands constituency{{cite web |last=Cook |first=David |title=Statement of Persons Nominated |url=http://www.kettering.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/5950/statement_of_parties_and_individual_candidates_nominated |publisher=Kettering Borough Council |date=24 April 2014 |access-date=3 May 2014}} but was not elected. After the Labour MEP Glenis Willmott announced in July 2017 that she would stand down in October of that year, Palmer succeeded her and became an MEP.{{cite news |last=Fagan |first=Ciaran |title=Leicester Deputy Mayor Rory Palmer to become an MEP |url=http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/leicester-deputy-mayor-rory-palmer-to-become-an-mep/story-30426111-detail/story.html |work=Leicester Mercury |date=5 July 2017 |access-date=6 July 2017}} He remained in this role, being elected in his own right at the 2019 election, until the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU on 31 January 2020.{{cite web |title=Rory Palmer |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/190099/Rory_PALMER_home.html |website=European Parliament |access-date=7 October 2017}}
Palmer is a member of the Fabian Society and spent two years on the Executive Committee of the Society from 2019 to 2021.{{cite web |title=East Midlands Young Fabians meet Rory Palmer |url=https://www.youngfabians.org.uk/east_midlands_young_fabians_meet_rory_palmer |website=Young Fabians |access-date=7 March 2024}} In the 2024 England and Wales police and crime commissioner elections, Palmer was Labour's candidate for Leicestershire, coming second.{{cite news |last=Richardson |first=Hannah |title=Rory Palmer pledges crackdown on knife crime in bid for top police job |url=https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/rory-palmer-pledges-crackdown-knife-8557175 |website=Leicester Mercury |date=28 June 2023 |access-date=7 March 2024}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Rory}}
Category:Alumni of the University of York
Category:Councillors in Leicestershire
Category:Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
Category:Politicians from Leicester
Category:Labour Party (UK) MEPs
Category:MEPs for England 2014–2019
Category:MEPs for England 2019–2020
{{UK-MEP-stub}}