Paul Maynard

Paul Maynard
MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
for Transport
Assumed office
17 July 2016
Prime Minister Theresa May
Sec. of State Chris Grayling
Preceded by Claire Perry
Member of Parliament
for Blackpool North and Cleveleys
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded by Constituency Created
Majority 3,340 (8.5%)
Personal details
Born Paul Christopher Maynard
(1975-12-16) 16 December 1975[1]
Crewe, Cheshire, England, United Kingdom[2]
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Alma mater University College, Oxford
Religion Roman Catholic
Website paulmaynard.co.uk

Paul Christopher Maynard[3] (born 16 December 1975) is a British Conservative Party politician. He was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Blackpool North and Cleveleys. In July 2016 he was made Rail Minister by new PM Theresa May.

Early life

Born in Crewe, Cheshire, Maynard was left with cerebral palsy when he was strangled by the umbilical cord at birth, and he was also left with a speech defect.[4] He attended a special school between the ages of three and five before transferring to a local primary school. He attended St. Ambrose College, in Altrincham, and obtained a First Class History degree at University College, Oxford.[4]

Maynard was a lay reader at his local church and was also a governor at his local Catholic primary school.[5]

Political career

Maynard worked as an adviser to Liam Fox and as a speechwriter for William Hague, and stood as the Conservative Party candidate for Twickenham in the 2005 general election, finishing second with 32.4% of the vote.[6]

Maynard was selected for Blackpool North and Cleveleys despite having no connection to the Fylde nor Blackpool in December 2006, having been on the "A-List".[7] He moved to Blackpool before being elected and has remained living in the constituency since. Maynard was elected to the House of Commons in the 2010 general election with a majority of 2,150.[8] He is the second person who has cerebral palsy to become a British MP after Terry Dicks.[9]

Taunting controversy

During February 2011, Maynard told The Times about abuse he suffered from Labour Party MPs, who mocked his disability. He said "some were pulling faces at me, really exaggerated gesticulations and faces. Only they know for certain whether they were taking the mick out of my disability. But it certainly felt like it. That is why politics is held in such low esteem." The Mail on Sunday reported a senior Labour MP as saying "What they did was disgusting. It was obvious that Paul was upset but they sensed a weakness and went for the kill like a pack of hyenas." When Maynard refused to give way in a Parliamentary debate to Stella Creasy, male Labour MPs started mocking Mr Maynard openly by pulling faces and imitating his speech and mannerisms.[4]

Subsequently, Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow issued a written statement warning MPs that such abuse was unacceptable. However, it was revealed Bercow had known about the incident for more than three months and did not speak to Maynard about it.[10]

Fuel Prices

Maynard has been an active campaigner on keeping fuel prices low. He regularly pressed the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to freeze the price of fuel duty on petrol.[11] This came to fruition in the Autumn Statement 2013 when the Chancellor delivered on his promise to continue freezing fuel duty [12]

Apprenticeships Taskforce

Maynard has long been an advocate for disabilities, with active links to the RDA,[13] Scope and Trailblazers.[14] In May 2016 Paul Maynard played an active role in improving accessibility of apprenticeships for people with learning disabilities. Engaging with a task force he produced a list of recommendations to be reviewed by the BIS and DWP for future consideration.[15]

Rail Minister

In July 2016, new Prime Minister Theresa May appointed Maynard to replace Claire Perry as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Transport. He will have responsibility for major rail projects, rail safety and security, passenger services, transport funding, accessibility, and rail fares and ticketing.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Paul Maynard MP". Democracy Live. BBC News. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  2. ↑ Profile, ukwhoswho.com; accessed 12 May 2015.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 59418. p. 8743. 13 May 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 Walters, Simon; Carlin, Brendan (6 February 2011). "Labour MPs who mocked disabled Tory Paul Maynard like 'hyenas going for kill'". Mail Online. London. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  5. ↑ "Paul Maynard". Conservative Party. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  6. ↑ "Twickenham". London, UK: Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "Where are the original A-Listers now? The 27 who have been selected for target seats". ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  8. ↑ "Election 2010 – Blackpool North & Cleveleys". BBC News. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  9. ↑ Rentoul, John (6 June 2010). "Unaccustomed as they are....". London, UK: Independent. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
  10. ↑ Sparrow, Andrew (7 February 2011). "Politics live blog – Monday 7 February". London: guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  11. ↑ https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2013-11-05/debates/13110557000016/FuelDuty
  12. ↑ https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2013-12-05/debates/13120554000002/AutumnStatement#contribution-13120554000362
  13. ↑ http://www.rdanorthwest.org.uk/#!stories/fpgvm
  14. ↑ http://www.musculardystrophyuk.org/news/news/paul-maynard-mp-wins-award-for-work-with-trailblazers/
  15. ↑ http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeships-improving-access-for-people-with-learning-disabilities/paul-maynard-taskforce-recommendations. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ↑ http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/blackpool-mp-given-top-government-job-1-8018418

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency Member of Parliament for Blackpool North and Cleveleys
2010–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by
Claire Perry		 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
2016–present 		Incumbent
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