- Matthew Hancock
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Matthew Hancock MP Member of Parliament
for West SuffolkIncumbent Assumed office
6 May 2010Preceded by Richard Spring Majority 13,050 (27.1%) Personal details Born 2 October 1978
Chester, CheshireNationality British Political party Conservative Alma mater University of Cambridge
University of OxfordThis article is about the UK politician. For the character from the soap opera "Neighbours", see Matt Hancock.Matthew John David Hancock[1] (born 2 October 1978) is a British Conservative Party politician who was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for West Suffolk at the general election in May 2010.
Contents
Early life
Hancock was born in and grew up on a farm in rural Cheshire, in a farming family. Hancock was educated at Farndon County Primary School, in Farndon, Cheshire and The King's School, an independent school in Chester in Cheshire.[2] He gained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford, and a Master's Degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge.[2] Hancock has been a member of the Conservative Party since 1999.[3]
Career
After university, Hancock briefly worked for his family’s computer software company,[4] before moving to London to work as an economist at the Bank of England, specialising in the housing market.[5] In 2005 he became an economic adviser to the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, later becoming Osborne's chief of staff.[2].
He stepped down from his role with the party in February 2010 after being selected for the final six potential candidates for the West Suffolk constituency in the 2010 general election. Hancock narrowly won the selection contest, which took place in Mildenhall, after four rounds of voting, beating Natalie Elphicke by 88 votes to 81 votes in the final round of voting.[6]
Parliament
Hancock won the West Suffolk seat with 24,312 votes, 13,050 votes ahead of Liberal Democrat candidate, Belinda Brooks-Gordon.[7] In June, Hancock was elected to the Public Accounts Committee, the select committee responsible for overseeing government expenditures to ensure they are effective and honest.[8]
Personal life
He lives in the constituency in Little Thurlow[6] with his wife Martha and daughter and son.
References
- ^ http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U251113/
- ^ a b c Candidate biography, Conservative homepage
- ^ http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/matthew-hancock/84378
- ^ http://elections.edelman.co.uk/2010/04/candidate-of-the-day-matthew-hancock-west-suffolk/
- ^ The Times, 26 March 2006
- ^ a b Newmarket Journal, 11 March 2010, accessed 9 May 2010
- ^ 2010 election results, BBC News 7 May 2010
- ^ http://conservativehome.blogs.com/parliament/2010/06/members-of-the-2010-intake-dominate-the-conservative-membership-of-select-committees.html
External links
Categories:- 1978 births
- Living people
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs
- Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies
- UK MPs 2010–
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