Benjamin Walter Jack Spencer (11 December 1981)[2] is a British psychiatrist and Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Runnymede and Weybridge since 2019.
Ben Spencer | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Shadow Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology | |
| Assumed office 6 November 2024 | |
| Leader | Kemi Badenoch |
| Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care | |
| In office 19 July 2024 – 6 November 2024 | |
| Leader | Rishi Sunak |
| Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party | |
| In office 25 November 2023 – 5 July 2024 | |
| Leader | Rishi Sunak |
| Member of Parliament for Runnymede and Weybridge | |
| Assumed office 12 December 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Philip Hammond |
| Majority | 7,627 (15.8%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Benjamin Walter Jack Spencer[1] 11 December 1981 Liverpool, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | Official website |
Early life and career
editBen Spencer was born on 11 December 1981 in Liverpool. He attended a state grammar school in the West Midlands. He has a master's in mental health law and a PhD on Decision-Making Capacity.[3]
Spencer worked for ten years as a doctor for the NHS, specialising in mental health.[3]
Parliamentary career
editAt the snap 2017 general election, Ben Spencer stood in Camberwell and Peckham, coming second with 12.8% of the vote behind the incumbent Labour MP Harriet Harman.[4][5][6]
Spencer was elected to Parliament at the 2019 general election as MP for Runnymede and Weybridge with 54.9% of the vote and a majority of 18,270.[7]
He is a former member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee.[8]
On 3 October 2022, he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister without Portfolio and Chairman of the Conservative Party Jake Berry.[9] On 25 November 2023, he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party for Campaigning and Candidates – Disability and Diversity.[10]
At the 2024 general election, Spencer was re-elected as MP for Runnymede and Weybridge with a majority of 7,627.[11]
On 19 July 2024, he was appointed as Shadow Minister of State for Mental Health, Prevention and Public Health.[12]
Following the election of Kemi Badenoch in the 2024 Conservative Party leadership election, Spencer was made Shadow Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology.
References
edit- ^ "No. 62862". The London Gazette. 20 December 2019. p. 23192.
- ^ Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. HarperCollins Publishers Limited. p. 317. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
- ^ a b "Reforming the Mental Health Act". Dr Ben Spencer MP for Runnymede and Weybridge. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ "Camberwell & Peckham parliamentary constituency". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
- ^ "Camberwell & Peckham general election results 2017". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 January 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
- ^ "Commons Briefing Paper 7979. General Election 2017: results and analysis" (PDF) (Second ed.). House of Commons Library. 29 January 2019 [7 April 2018]. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2019.
- ^ "Runnymede & Weybridge Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "11 current committee members". Work and Pensions Committee, House of Commons. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ "I am delighted that @DrBenSpencer is joining @conservatives, as my Parliamentary Private Secretary. Looking forward to working with him!". Twitter. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ "Latest civil service and public affairs moves – December 4". Civil Service World. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ "Runnymede and Weybridge - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ "Shadow Department of Health and Social Care". UK Parliament.
External links
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