Simon Hoare
MP
Official portrait, 2017
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government
Assumed office
13 November 2023
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak
Preceded byLee Rowley
Chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee
In office
12 June 2019 – 13 November 2023
Preceded byAndrew Murrison
Succeeded byRobert Buckland
Member of Parliament
for North Dorset
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded byRobert Walter
Majority24,301 (43.3%)
Personal details
Born (1969-06-28) 28 June 1969
Cardiff, Wales
Political partyConservative
SpouseKate Hoare
Children3 daughters
Alma materGreyfriars, Oxford

Simon James Hoare (born 28 June 1969) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Dorset since May 2015. He has served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government since November 2023.[1][2]

Education

Hoare was educated at the Bishop Hannon High School, Cardiff, a Roman Catholic comprehensive school, then Greyfriars, Oxford, where he gained a BA degree in Modern History.[3]

Professional career

Hoare worked at Conservative Central Office before becoming the personal assistant to the Conservative leader of Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council. Hoare has worked as a political officer at the Bow Group and is a member of the Tory Reform Group.

He began his public relations career in the 1990s when he joined Charles Barker. Following that he worked as head of property at Ketchum, as an account director at PPS Group and as an external affairs director at the Environmental Services Association.[4]

Following this, Hoare began his own public relations and lobbying company, Community Connect, of which he was managing director.[3][4] Following the 2010 general election, Hoare became a director in the public affairs arm of Four Communications.[5]

Hoare has also been a member of the Council of Governors of the South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust.[6]

In July 2021 Hoare made a tweet about bonfires that appeared to be mocking Northern Ireland Unionists. The tweet received widespread condemnation.[7]

Political career

Hoare was a Conservative cabinet member on West Oxfordshire District Council, a councillor on Oxfordshire County Council and was also a member of the executive of Witney Conservative Association working alongside the then Prime Minister David Cameron.[3][8] He contested Cardiff West at the 1997 general election, and Cardiff South and Penarth at the 2010 general election, coming second to Labour's Alun Michael.[3]

Hoare was elected Member of Parliament for North Dorset at the 2015 general election, increasing his predecessor, Robert Walter's, majority from 7,625 to 21,118 votes.[9]

Hoare was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum.[10]

In September 2018 Hoare was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid.[11]

In June 2019, Hoare was elected as the chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee.[12]

In May 2020 he asked Dominic Cummings to consider his position as the PM's advisor due to Cummings travelling from London to Durham during a nationwide coronavirus lockdown.[13]

In November 2021, he was one of 13 Conservative MPs who voted against a government-supported amendment to defer the suspension of Conservative MP Owen Paterson who was found to have breached lobbying rules.[14]

In May 2023 Hoare was asked to repay four motoring fines of £80 each issued in November 2019, which he had previously claimed on his parliamentary expenses.[15]

Election literature

In 2015, Private Eye reported that on his election leaflets Hoare said that "My family and I live in the constituency, use local schools and are part of the community." He had only recently moved to the constituency by the time that the leaflets had been distributed.[3] It was stated that he was only selected to contest the seat in January and as late as 11 April 2015, an article in the Bournemouth Daily Echo reported that he was planning to move to the constituency.[16][3] It was also reported that Hoare told the Bournemouth Daily Echo that he was "not a professional politician", which was contrary to his employment history in various pro-Conservative Party organisations.[3][8]

He was similarly criticised by the South Wales Echo when he stood in Cardiff South and Penarth at the 2010 general election.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Ministerial appointments: November 2023". GOV.UK. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  2. ↑ Weakley, Kirsty (14 November 2023). "Former councillor named as new local government minister". Local Government Chronicle (LGC). Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The New Boys and Girls: No. 5 Simon Hoare". Private Eye. No. 1396. Pressdram Ltd. 10 July 2015. p. 11.
  4. 1 2 "Moves: Senior Tory consultant Simon Hoare strengthens Four Politics' management team". Communicate Magazine. 1 October 2010. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "Public Affairs: The Week in Lobbying". PR Week. 8 October 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  6. ↑ "Council of Governors Register of Interests" (PDF). South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 July 2015.
  7. ↑ James, Liam (6 July 2021). "Tory MP on Northern Ireland Committee apologises for offence caused by loyalist bonfire tweet". The Independent.
  8. 1 2 "Meet the councillor from Witney hoping to be North Dorset's next Conservative MP". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "Dorset North Parliamentary constituency". Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  10. ↑ Goodenough, Tom (16 February 2016). "Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?". The Spectator. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
  11. ↑ "New appointments this week in UK politics, the civil service and public affairs". PoliticsHome. Dods Parliamentary Communications. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  12. ↑ "Simon Hoare elected NI Affairs Committee chairman". BBC News. 12 June 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  13. ↑ "Every Conservative MP who has condemned Dominic Cummings as lockdown row escalates". Politics Home. 25 May 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  14. ↑ "Committee on Standards – in the House of Commons at 12:49 pm on 3rd November 2021". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  15. ↑ "MPS asked to repay driving fines claimed on expenses". BBC News. 28 May 2023.
  16. ↑ "Vote 2015: See who's standing as a parliamentary candidate for North Dorset". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  17. ↑ James, David (18 March 2010). "'Local' Cardiff candidate is Oxfordshire councillor". Wales Online.
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