Brendan Clarke-Smith
MP
Official portrait, 2019
Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office
In office
8 September 2022 – 27 October 2022
Prime MinisterLiz Truss
Rishi Sunak
Preceded byHeather Wheeler
Succeeded byAlex Burghart
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families
In office
8 July 2022 – 7 September 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byWill Quince
Succeeded byKelly Tolhurst
Member of Parliament
for Bassetlaw
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byJohn Mann
Majority14,013 (27.6%)
Personal details
Born (1980-08-17) 17 August 1980[1]
Clifton, Nottingham, England
Political partyConservative
Children2
Alma materNottingham Trent University
OccupationPolitician

Brendan Clarke-Smith (born 17 August 1980)[1] is a British politician and former teacher. A member of the Conservative Party, he has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bassetlaw since 2019, having been elected in the 2019 general election.[2][3] He served under Liz Truss as Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office from September and October 2022[4][5][6] and under Boris Johnson as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families from July to September 2022.[7][8]

Early life and career

Clarke-Smith was born in Clifton, Nottingham in 1980. He grew up on Clifton Grove, next to the Clifton council estate in Nottingham. He went to secondary school in East Leake, and was the first member of his family to go to university, studying politics at Nottingham Trent University and later gaining a PGCE in religious education. He became a teacher at an international school in Romania.[9][10]

Political career

Clarke-Smith first stood as a Conservative Party candidate in 2003 when he was elected as a councillor for the Clifton North ward of Nottingham City Council. He was re-elected to this position in 2007 and subsequently contested the neighbouring Clifton South Ward in 2011 but failed to be elected by a margin of 676 votes.[11] He stood as one of the Conservative Party candidates for the European Parliament elections in 2014 and 2019 in the East Midlands region but was not elected. Clarke-Smith campaigned to leave the EU in the 2016 EU referendum and was a member of the Vote Leave campaign.[12] In May 2019, Clarke-Smith overturned a Labour majority in Boughton and Walesby to be elected as a councillor on Newark & Sherwood District Council.[13] He is the chair of the British-Finnish all-party parliamentary group.[14]

He was selected as the Conservative party candidate for Bassetlaw in the 2019 general election when the sitting MP John Mann stood down. He overturned a 4,852 Labour majority to a 14,013 Conservative majority, the biggest swing that election.[15] This is the first time Bassetlaw has been represented by a party other than Labour since Malcolm MacDonald won the seat in 1929.[16] When elected, Clarke-Smith said his three main priorities were getting Brexit done, improving Bassetlaw Hospital and attracting more money for Retford and Worksop town centres.[17]

In December 2019, Clarke-Smith became one of the members of the eurosceptic European Research Group.[18]

In March 2020, Clarke-Smith was appointed to the International Development Committee in Parliament.[19]

Clarke-Smith has received media attention for his views on food banks and public provision of free school meals for children from more economically deprived families. He has described food banks as a "political weapon", saying it is "simply not true" that "people can't afford to buy food on a regular basis" and "If you keep saying to people that you're going to give stuff away, then you're going to have an increase I'm afraid."[20] In October 2020, he opposed a Labour Party opposition day motion to extend free school meals over holidays until Easter 2021. Campaigning on the issue of free school meals was led by the footballer Marcus Rashford. Clarke-Smith said: "We need to get back to the idea of taking responsibility. This means less celebrity virtue signalling on Twitter by proxy and more action to tackle the real causes of child poverty."[21][22]

Following an interim report on the connections between colonialism and properties now in the care of the National Trust, including links with historic slavery, Clarke-Smith was among the signatories of a letter to The Telegraph in November 2020 from the "Common Sense Group" of Conservative Parliamentarians. The letter accused the National Trust of being "coloured by Cultural Marxist dogma, colloquially known as the 'woke agenda'".[23]

He has expressed concern over plans to close the mental health facilities at Bassetlaw Hospital and move provision to Mansfield,[24] campaigned for the Robin Hood train line to be extended to Retford[25] and was a signatory to the successful East Midlands bid to be one of ten Freeports.[26]

In June 2021, Clarke-Smith opposed the England football team's intention to take the knee at the forthcoming European championship, saying: "Fans understand [racism] perfectly well – they are just sick and tired of being preached and spoken down to. They are there to watch a football match, not to be lectured on morality."[27]

In November 2021, he became an advocate of the Down Syndrome Bill, which would recognise people with Down syndrome as a specific minority group.[28]

In May 2022, when asked by Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman if he was "content to back a law-breaker in office", he replied: "I certainly am. And I think the Prime Minister's done many achievements so far. I think he's still got a long time in office as well."[29] Clarke-Smith later took issue with being quoted on the matter, asking Cathy Newman on Twitter: "Not sure why your sub-editor is using quotation marks here".[30]

On 6 June 2022, after a vote of no confidence in the leadership of Boris Johnson was called, Clarke-Smith announced that he would be supporting the Prime Minister, describing the vote as "one of the most ridiculous acts of self-harm I have witnessed in a long time".[31] The following day, Clarke-Smith was criticised on social media following an appearance on Jeremy Vine, during which he accused people of "using personal tragedies" during the COVID-19 pandemic for "party political agendas".[32]

Brendan Clarke-Smith briefly served as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Children and Families) at the Department for Education between 8 July and 7 September 2022.[33]

In February 2023, Clarke-Smith was part of a delegation of UK Parliamentarians consisting of several MPs and members of the House of Lords who visited Northern Cyprus and controversially met with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) government.[34][35] The TRNC is not internationally recognised as a legitimate government, and their annexation of Northern Cyprus is considered illegal by the UN, under international law.[36]

Clarke-Smith 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.[37]

Personal life

Clarke-Smith lives in the market town of Retford – in Bassetlaw, with his Romanian wife, who is a doctor at Bassetlaw Hospital. They have a son.[38][3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Brendan Clarke-Smith - Candidate for Bassetlaw in UK Parliament elections". Democracy Club. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  2. ↑ "Bassetlaw parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News.
  3. 1 2 Pridmore, Oliver (14 December 2019). "Meet the new Bassetlaw MP who used to be a headteacher in Transylvania". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  4. ↑ "Parliamentary Secretary - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  5. ↑ "Brendan Clarke-Smith MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  6. ↑ "Ministerial Appointments: September 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  7. ↑ "Ministerial appointments: July 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  8. ↑ "Brendan Clarke-Smith MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  9. ↑ "Class of 2019: Meet the New MPs". The House. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  10. ↑ "Fresh Tory Faces Make Their Way to Westminster". The Times. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  11. ↑ "Nottingham City Council Election Results 1997-2011" (PDF). Plymouth University. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  12. ↑ "Serving Councillor Bidding to Become Tory MP In Bassetlaw, Worksop Guardian". 15 November 2019.
  13. ↑ "Serving Councillor Bidding to Become Tory MP In Bassetlaw". Worksop Guardian. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  14. ↑ "House of Commons - Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups as at 28 June 2023: Finland". Parliament UK. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  15. ↑ Wright, Mike (13 December 2019). "Conservatives take Bassetlaw with biggest swing of night - ending 90 years of Labour dominance". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  16. ↑ "Bassetlaw voters reject Labour in 'gigantic' swing to Tories at General Election". Lincolnshire Live. 13 December 2019.
  17. ↑ "Retford's new Conservative MP reveals his priorities after shock election win". Lincolnshire Live. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  18. ↑ "Why New MPs Are Rushing To Join The European Research Group". The Week. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  19. ↑ "New appointments this week in UK politics, the civil service and public affairs". PoliticsHome. 9 March 2020.
  20. ↑ Syal, Rajeev; Mason, Rowena (16 December 2019). "Who are the Conservatives' most controversial new MPs?". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  21. ↑ "Conservative MP quits government job over free school meals". BBC News. 22 October 2020.
  22. ↑ "Boris Johnson should backtrack on free school meals. But the damage is done". The Guardian. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  23. ↑ "Britain's heroes". Letter to the Daily Telegraph. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2022.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  24. ↑ Jack Flintham (11 February 2021). "Plans for Bassetlaw Hospital's mental health ward to close and move to Mansfield". Lincolnshire Live.
  25. ↑ Jack Flintham (6 February 2021). "Residents give their views on Retford being connected to the Robin Hood train line". Lincolnshire Live.
  26. ↑ Zena Hawley (10 February 2021). "MPs back bid for East Midlands freeport and 60,000 new jobs". Derby Telegraph.
  27. ↑ Murray, Jessica (6 June 2021). "Tory MP to boycott England games in row over taking the knee". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  28. ↑ "Brendan Clarke-Smith Column: Delighted to show support for new Down's Syndrome Bill". www.worksopguardian.co.uk. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  29. ↑ "Brendan Clarke-Smith backs lawbreaking Boris Johnson on Channel 4 News". The National. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  30. ↑ @Bren4Bassetlaw (24 May 2022). "Not sure why your sub-editor is using quotation marks here @cathynewman" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  31. ↑ Brendan Clarke-Smith MP [@Bren4Bassetlaw] (6 June 2022). "I have no interest in massaging egos and participating in one of the most ridiculous acts of self-harm I have witnessed in a long time. I will be supporting our Prime Minister 100%. He is a winner and represents the will of the British public far better than his critics ever will" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. ↑ O'Hare, Mia (7 June 2022). "Notts MP under fire over claims people use 'personal tragedies with Covid' for 'political agendas'". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  33. ↑ "Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Children and Families) Brendan Clarke-Smith MP". Gov.uk. Department for Education. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  34. ↑ "Foreign Minister receives Parliamentary Group, News". Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. 15 February 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  35. ↑ "President meets Parliamentary Group, News". Cyprus Scene. 15 February 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  36. ↑ "FCDO department response, News". Cypriot Federation. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  37. ↑ House of Commons Committee of Privileges. "Matter referred on 21 April 2022: Co-ordinated campaign of interference in the work of the Privileges Committee". committees.parliament.uk. House of Commons. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  38. ↑ "About Brendan Clarke-Smith MP". Brendan Clarke-Smith MP for Bassetlaw. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
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