Steve Double

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Steve Double

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Official portrait of Steve Double MP crop 2.jpg

| office = Lord Commissioner of the Treasury

| predecessor =

| primeminister = Rishi Sunak

| term_start = 28 October 2022

| term_end = 13 November 2023

| term_start2 = 7 May 2015

| termend2 = 30 May 2024

| predecessor2 = Steve Gilbert

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|12|19|df=y}}

| birth_place = St Austell, Cornwall, England

| death_date =

| death_place =

| spouse = {{marriage|Anne Bird|1986}}

| children = 2

| party = Conservative

| website = {{url|stevedouble.org.uk|Official website}}

| caption = Official portrait, 2020

| office2 = Member of Parliament
for St Austell and Newquay

| successor =

| termend =

| office1 = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment

| termstart1 = 8 July 2022

| termend1 = 8 September 2022

| predecessor1 = Rebecca Pow

| successor1 = Trudy Harrison

| primeminister1 = Boris Johnson

| successor2 = Noah Law

}}

Stephen Daniel Double{{London Gazette |issue=61230 |date=18 May 2015 |page=9120}} (born 19 December 1966) is a British Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for St Austell and Newquay from 2015 until 2024 when he was defeated in the 2024 United Kingdom general election by Labour candidate Noah Law. He served as a junior Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from 28 October 2022 to 13 November 2023.{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/steve-double/4452|title=Steve Double profile|publisher=parliament.uk|access-date=10 May 2015}}

Double served on Cornwall Council and as a town councillor and deputy mayor of St Austell before his selection as Conservative candidate for St Austell and Newquay in the general election.{{cite news |url=http://www.westbriton.co.uk/Conservative-Party-selects-Steve-Double-stand-St/story-18002936-detail/story.html |title=Conservative Party selects Steve Double to stand for St Austell and Newquay seat at next election |work=West Briton |date=30 January 2013 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web | url=https://www.staustell-tc.gov.uk/Mayors_Gallery_16515.aspx | title=Mayor }}

Early life and career

Stephen Double was born on 19 December 1966 in St Austell. The son of the evangelist Don Double, he was state educated at the town's Poltair School,{{Who's Who|title=DOUBLE, Stephen Daniel|id=U283920|volume=2018|edition=online}} which was a comprehensive school at the time he attended.

He worked in Cornwall across a variety of sectors, including working for a bank, local church and charity.{{cite web|url=https://www.stevedouble.org.uk/about-steve-double|title=About Steve|publisher=Personal website|access-date=3 September 2018}} From May 2001, he was Director of Bay Direct Media Ltd, a direct marketing company. In May 2011, he additionally became Director of Phoenix Corporate Ltd, a company selling branded merchandise; he remains as Director and primary shareholder of both companies since becoming an MP.{{cite web|url=https://uk.linkedin.com/in/steve-double-50166b86|title=Steve Double Profile|publisher=Linkedin|access-date=3 September 2018}}

At its establishment in 2009, Double was one of four candidates elected onto St Austell Town Council for the Poltair Ward; he was re-elected in 2013 and served as deputy mayor of the town. He declined to stand at the following election in 2017, having since become an MP. Double was also elected as the Conservative Party candidate onto the new unitary Cornwall Council in 2009 for the St Austell Poltair division, but the seat was subsequently won by the Liberal Democrats candidate at the following election in 2013. Double did not stand for re-election to Cornwall Council in 2013.{{cite web|url=https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/elections/election-results-and-information/2017-cornwall-council-and-parish-and-town-council-elections/parish-and-town-councils-for-election-4-may-2017/st-austell-town-council-poltair-ward/|title=Cornwall Election Results 2017|publisher=Cornwall Council|access-date=3 September 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://democracy.cornwall.gov.uk/mgElectionAreaResults.aspx?XXR=0&ID=90&RPID=506534191/st-austell-town-council-poltair-ward/|title=Cornwall Election Results 2013|publisher=Cornwall Council|access-date=3 September 2018|date=4 June 2009}}{{cite web|url=https://democracy.cornwall.gov.uk/mgElectionAreaResults.aspx?ID=358&RPID=506534345/|title=Cornwall Election Results 2009|publisher=Cornwall Council|access-date=3 September 2018|date=2 May 2013}}

Parliamentary career

At the 2015 general election, Double was elected to Parliament as MP for St Austell and Newquay with 40.2% of the vote and a majority of 8,173.{{cite web |title=Election Data 2015 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt |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=St Austell & Newquay Parliamentary constituency |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000961 |access-date=16 May 2015 |work=Election 2015 |publisher=BBC News}}{{cite web |title=UK Polling Report |url=http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/staustellandnewquay/}}

Double previously chaired the now defunct All Party Parliamentary Group Ocean Conservation, working with Cornish charity Surfers Against Sewage. The group had campaigned against marine litter and sought to protect the coastline.{{cite web|url=https://www.sas.org.uk/news/campaigns/protect-our-waves-all-party-parliamentary-group/|title=Protect Our Waves - All Party Parliamentary Group • Surfers Against Sewage|date=19 June 2015}}

Double supported Brexit in the 2016 EU membership referendum.{{cite web |date=16 February 2016 |title=Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence? - Coffee House |url=http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/02/which-tory-mps-back-brexit-who-doesnt-and-who-is-still-on-the-fence/}}

Double has helped secure Government backing for a new link road between the A30 and St Austell.{{cite web |date=22 March 2017 |title=Roche route confirmed as preferred A30 link - St Austell Voice |url=http://www.staustellvoice.co.uk/news/73/article/6312/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329140048/http://www.staustellvoice.co.uk/news/73/article/6312 |archive-date=29 March 2017 |access-date=24 May 2017 |website=www.staustellvoice.co.uk}}

Double was vice-chair of the Parliamentary Beer Group which works to support pubs and breweries. In this role, he had been able to promote the work of St Austell Brewery, who operate from his constituency. He was also a member of the now defunct Ceramics All Party Parliamentary Group which represented the ceramics industry, including China Clay. He also sat on the Parliamentary Space Committee where he promoted Newquay as a frontrunner for the location of the UK's first spaceport.{{cite web|url=http://www.newquayvoice.co.uk/news/5/article/6432/|title=Transport minister visits possible spaceport site - Newquay Voice|website=www.newquayvoice.co.uk|date=10 May 2017}}

At the snap 2017 general election, Double was re-elected as MP for St Austell and Newquay with an increased vote share of 49.5% and an increased majority of 11,142.{{cite news |title=St Austell & Newquay Parliamentary constituency |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000961 |access-date=16 May 2015 |work=Election 2015 |publisher=BBC News}}{{cite web |title=UK Polling Report |url=http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/staustellandnewquay/}}

Double has served in Parliament as a Member of the Petitions Committee, the European Scrutiny Committee and the Transport Committee.{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/steve-double/4452|title=Parliamentary Profile|website=Parliament|access-date=3 September 2018}}

In December 2018, during the no-confidence vote against Theresa May as leader of the party, Double said he would vote against the then-Prime Minister.{{cite news |title=How Tory MPs say they will vote in no confidence vote |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-46544294 |work=BBC News |access-date=12 December 2018}}

In August 2019, Double was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Department of Health and Social Care.{{cite news|url=https://cornishstuff.com/2019/08/29/double-given-government-position/|title=Double given government position|date=29 August 2019|access-date= 24 October 2019|via=cornishstuff.com|newspaper=Cornish Stuff}}

At the 2019 general election, Double was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 56.1% and an increased majority of 16,526.{{cite web |title=Statement of Persons Nominated |url=https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/media/41143703/st-austell-and-newquay-statement-as-to-persons-nominated-and-notice-of-poll.pdf}}

On 17 September 2021, Double was appointed an Assistant Government Whip in the second cabinet reshuffle of the second Johnson ministry.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-september-2021|title=Ministerial appointments: September 2021|date=16 September 2021}}

In July 2022, he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.{{Cite web |last=Vergnault |first=Olivier |date=2022-07-12 |title=Cornish MP explains why he changed his mind on Government role |url=https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/cornwall-mp-steve-double-explains-7323341 |access-date=2022-07-12 |website=Cornwall Live |language=en}} He was sacked in September 2022 by new Prime Minister Liz Truss.{{Cite web |title=Cornwall MP axed by Truss regime told he 'no longer has a place in government' |url=https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/21229266.steve-double-mp-axed-uk-prime-minister-liz-truss/ |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=Falmouth Packet |date=8 September 2022 |language=en}} He joined a number of colleagues in calling for Truss's resignation, after confusion over a vote on fracking.{{cite news |last1=Denton |first1=Maxine |title=Cornish MPs call for Liz Truss to resign |url=https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/liz-truss-called-resign-prime-7724818 |access-date=20 October 2022 |work=CornwallLive |date=20 October 2022 |language=en}}

On 28 October 2022, Double was appointed Lord Commissioner of the Treasury (Government Whip) covering the Ministry of Defence by new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak,{{cite web | url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/steve-double | title=Steve Double MP }}

Personal life

Double has been married to Anne Bird since 1986; they have two sons. Double employed his wife as a Senior Caseworker on a salary up to £30,000.{{cite web|url=http://www.theipsa.org.uk/mp-costs/your-mp/steve-double/|title=IPSA|publisher=GOV.UK |access-date=3 September 2018}} He was listed in an article in The Daily Telegraph which criticised the practice of MPs employing family members, on the lines that it promotes nepotism.{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/11706561/One-in-four-MPs-employs-a-family-member-the-full-list-revealed.html|title=One in five MPs employs a family member: the full list revealed|date=29 June 2015|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=3 September 2018}} Although MPs who were first elected in 2017 have been banned from employing family members, the restriction is not retrospective – meaning that Double's employment of his wife is lawful.{{cite news|title=MPs banned from employing spouses after election in expenses crackdown|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/mps-banned-from-employing-spouses-after-election-in-expenses-crackdown-a3520036.html|newspaper=London Evening Standard|access-date=3 September 2018|date=21 April 2017}}{{cite news|last1=Mason|first1=Rowena|title=Keeping it in the family: new MPs continue to hire relatives as staff|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jun/29/mps-continue-hire-relatives-as-staff|access-date=21 July 2015|work=The Guardian|date=29 June 2015}}

In June 2016, Double admitted an extra-marital affair with a married 26-year-old aide.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/06/tory-mp-hints-at-infidelity-with-statement-apologising-for-behav/|title=Married Christian Tory MP apologises for behaving 'completely inappropriately' amid reports of 'tryst' with blonde assistant, 26|work=Daily Telegraph|author=Harry Yorke and Sophie Jamieson|date=6 June 2016|access-date=7 June 2016}}| Double had reportedly kept this secret from his wife of 30 years.{{Cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/married-christian-tory-mp-49-apologises-for-behaving-completely-inappropriately-amid-reports-of-tryst-with-assistant-26/ar-BBtXomr|title=Married Christian Tory MP, 49, apologises for behaving 'completely inappropriately' amid reports of 'tryst' with assistant, 26|website=www.msn.com|access-date=7 July 2016|archive-date=4 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904052323/http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/married-christian-tory-mp-49-apologises-for-behaving-completely-inappropriately-amid-reports-of-tryst-with-assistant-26/ar-BBtXomr|url-status=dead}} The BBC later reported that Double's constituency party deputy chairman had resigned, suggesting Double, who had claimed to promote family life, should do the same. They also examined the public's changing view of morality and quoted political historian Matt Cole who said that whilst the public was now more tolerant of infidelity, it did object to hypocrisy.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36468511|title=Why MP sex scandals no longer shock|author=Rachael Thorn|work=BBC News|date=11 June 2016|access-date=11 June 2016}}

Double is an evangelical Christian.