Greg Clark

For other people named Gregory Clark, see Gregory Clark (disambiguation).
The Right Honourable
Greg Clark
MP
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Assumed office
14 July 2016
Prime Minister Theresa May
Preceded by Sajid Javid (Business, Innovation and Skills)
Amber Rudd (Energy and Climate Change)
President of the Board of Trade[lower-greek 1]
In office
15 July 2016 – 19 July 2016
Prime Minister Theresa May
Preceded by Sajid Javid
Succeeded by Liam Fox
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
In office
11 May 2015 – 14 July 2016
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by Eric Pickles
Succeeded by Sajid Javid
Minister of State for Universities, Science and Cities
In office
15 July 2014 – 11 May 2015
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by David Willetts
Succeeded by Jo Johnson (Universities and Science)
Minister of State for Cities and Constitution
In office
7 October 2013 – 11 May 2015
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by Chloe Smith (Undersecretary of State for Political and Constitutional Reform)
Succeeded by Vacant
Financial Secretary to the Treasury (City Minister)
In office
4 September 2012 – 7 October 2013
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by Mark Hoban
Succeeded by Sajid Javid
Minister of State for Decentralisation
In office
13 May 2010 – 4 September 2012
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Nicholas Boles
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
In office
6 October 2008 – 11 May 2010
Leader David Cameron
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Ed Miliband
Member of Parliament
for Tunbridge Wells
Assumed office
5 May 2005
Preceded by Archie Norman
Majority 22,874 (44.5%)
Personal details
Born (1967-08-28) 28 August 1967
Middlesbrough, England
Political party Social Democrats (Before 1988)
Conservative (1988–present)
Spouse(s) Helen Clark
Alma mater Magdalene College, Cambridge
London School of Economics
Website Official website

Gregory David Clark[4] PC MP (born 28 August 1967) is a British Conservative Party politician who is the MP for Tunbridge Wells and Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Clark was born in Middlesbrough and studied Economics at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he was president of Cambridge University Social Democrats. He then gained his PhD from the London School of Economics. Clark worked as a business consultant before becoming the BBC's Controller for Commercial Policy and then Director of Policy for the Conservative Party from 2001 until his election to parliament in 2005.

Between July 2014 and May 2015, he held the post of Minister for Universities, Science and Cities.[5] Clark was previously Financial Secretary to the Treasury, the minister responsible for cities policy, and Minister of State in the Department for Communities and Local Government and then was Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government from May 2015 until July 2016.[6]

In July 2016, he was appointed as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy by new Prime Minister Theresa May. He is described as an "economically liberal Conservative with a social conscience".[7]

Early life

Greg Clark was born in Middlesbrough and attended St Peter's Roman Catholic School in South Bank. His father and grandfather were milkmen running the family business, John Clark and Sons,[8] while his mother worked at Sainsburys.[9]

Clark read Economics at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He joined the Social Democratic Party while at Cambridge and was an executive member of its national student wing, Social Democrat Youth and Students (SDYS) and, in 1987, president of Cambridge University Social Democrats. He then studied at the London School of Economics, where he was awarded his PhD in 1992 with a thesis entitled, The effectiveness of incentive payment systems: an empirical test of individualism as a boundary condition.[10]

Career

Clark first worked as a business consultant before becoming special advisor to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Ian Lang, between 1996 and 1997. Subsequently, he was appointed the BBC's Controller, Commercial Policy and was Director of Policy for the Conservative Party from 2001 until his election to parliament in 2005. Between 2002 and 2005 he was also a councillor on Westminster City Council serving as Cabinet Member for Leisure and Lifelong Learning.

Member of Parliament

Clark was elected at the 2005 general election for the parliamentary constituency of Tunbridge Wells after Archie Norman stood down as the MP. He was elected with a majority of 9,988 and made his maiden speech on 9 June 2005,[11] in which he spoke of the (then) forthcoming 400th anniversary of Dudley, Lord North's discovery of the Chalybeate spring and the foundation of Royal Tunbridge Wells, a town to which the royal prefix was added in 1909 by King Edward VII. He also noted with pride that Royal Tunbridge Wells had elected the country's first Jewish Member of Parliament.[12]

Shadow Cabinet

Clark was appointed to the front bench in a minor reshuffle in November 2006 by David Cameron, becoming Shadow Minister for Charities, Voluntary Bodies and Social Enterprise. Shortly after his appointment he made headlines by saying the Conservative party needed to pay less attention to the social thinking of Winston Churchill, and more to that of columnist on The Guardian, Polly Toynbee.[7]

In 2007, Clark campaigned to save Tunbridge Wells Homeopathic Hospital.[13] In October 2008, Clark was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet, shadowing the new government position of Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

Minister of State for Decentralisation

Clark was appointed a Minister of State in the Department for Communities and Local Government from May 2010, with responsibility for overseeing decentralisation, a key policy of the Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition. In this role he called for the churches and other faith communities to send him their ideas for new social innovations for all,[14] and made a major speech on "turning government upside down" jointly to the think tanks CentreForum and Policy Exchange. He was accused of hypocrisy, having staunchly opposed house-building while in opposition, while threatening to impose it as a government minister.[15]

However, since announcing the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) he has been praised by heritage NGOs and Simon Jenkins of the National Trust.

From July 2011, he was responsible for cities policy since July 2011 as Minister for Cities.[16] In this role he tried to promote the urban economies of the North, West and Midlands.[17]

In November 2015, in his capacity of Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Clark called in the decision making power in the appeal against the Lancashire County Council's decision regarding a shale gas fracking application made by Cuadrilla Resources.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury

In a cabinet reshuffle in September 2012, Clark was appointed Financial Secretary to the Treasury, while retaining the ministerial brief responsible for cities policy.[18]

Minister for Universities, Science and Cities

On 15 July 2014 Clark was appointed to the role of Minister for Universities, Science and Cities, replacing David Willetts who was generally praised for his service in the post.[5][19] The new portfolio combined the universities and science brief held by Willetts with the cities policy already handled by Clark.[20]

His appointment was met with concerns about securing future funding for universities[21] and questions over his public support for homoeopathic treatments.[19]

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

Clark returned to the Department of Communities and Local Government as Secretary of State on 11 May 2015, appointed in David Cameron's first cabinet reshuffle following the 2015 general election.[22]

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Clark was appointed Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 14 July 2016 in Theresa May's first cabinet.[23]

President of the Board of Trade

At the Privy Council meeting ratifying May's cabinet appointments on 15 July 2016, Clark was mistakenly appointed as the President of the Board of Trade instead of Liam Fox. The error was corrected 4 days later.[1][2][3]

Personal life

He and his wife Helen have three children.[24] They live in Royal Tunbridge Wells.

Notes

  1. ↑ Appointed by the Privy Council in error for 4 days before the mistake was rectified.[1][2][3]

References

  1. 1 2 May, Callum (22 July 2016). "Minister Greg Clark was briefly given wrong job". BBC News. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 Tilbrook, Richard (15 July 2016). "Business Transacted and Orders Approved at the Privy Council Held by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on 15th July 2016" (PDF). Privy Council Office. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  3. 1 2 Tilbrook, Richard (19 July 2016). "Business Transacted and Orders Approved at the Privy Council Held by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on 19th July 2016" (PDF). Privy Council Office. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 59418. p. 8743. 13 May 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Michael Gove moved to chief whip in cabinet reshuffle". BBC News. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Ministers - GOV.UK".
  7. 1 2 "A Conservative Who's Who". Financial Times. 10 May 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "Greg Clark MP – From Middlesbrough to Minister for Giving Power to the People". Platform 10. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "Paul Goodman interviews Greg Clark". Conservative Home. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  10. ↑ Clark, David Gregory (1 January 1992). "The effectiveness of incentive payment systems: an empirical test of individualism as a boundary condition.". PhD thesis 1992 LSE – via librarysearch.lse.ac.uk.
  11. ↑ "9 Jun 2005 : Column 1440". Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "Greg Clark maiden speech". theyworkforyou.com. 9 June 2005. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  13. ↑ "Postcode lottery for homeopathic treatment". Kent News. 12 October 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  14. ↑ Clark, Greg (30 July 2010). "It's time for Government to stop getting in your way". Catholic Herald. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  15. ↑ Countryside (24 August 2011). "Rural Britain prepares for the bulldozers". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  16. ↑ McCann, Kate (20 July 2011). "Greg Clark appointed minister for cities". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  17. ↑ Clark, Greg (9 December 2011). "A genuine New Deal is on offer for cities which take up our challenge". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  18. ↑ "Greg Clark – About Greg". gregclark.org.
  19. 1 2 Ghosh, Pallab (15 July 2014). "Science minister has tough job to follow". BBC News. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  20. ↑ Watt, Nicholas; Wintour, Patrick (15 July 2014). "Michael Gove demoted to chief whip as Cameron shows no sentimentality". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  21. ↑ Shaw, Claire; Ratcliffe, Rebecca (15 July 2014). "Greg Clark appointed universities and science minister". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  22. ↑ "Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government The Rt Hon Greg Clark MP". gov.uk. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  23. ↑ "May adds energy policy to Business department". BBC News. BBC News. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  24. ↑ Merrick, Jane (4 October 2009). "Greg Clark: Global warming is not on our back burner". Independent. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
News articles
Video clips
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Archie Norman		 Member of Parliament
for Tunbridge Wells
2005–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
New office Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
2008–2010 		Succeeded by
Ed Miliband
Minister of State for Decentralisation
2010–2012 		Succeeded by
Nicholas Boles
Preceded by
Mark Hoban		 Financial Secretary to the Treasury (City Minister)
2012–2013 		Succeeded by
Sajid Javid
Preceded by
Chloe Smith
as Undersecretary of State for Political and Constitutional Reform		 Minister of State for Cities and Constitution
2013–2015 		Vacant
Preceded by
David Willetts		 Minister of State for Universities, Science and Cities
2014–2015 		Succeeded by
Jo Johnson
as Minister of State for Universities and Science
Preceded by
Eric Pickles		 Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
2015–2016 		Succeeded by
Sajid Javid
Preceded by
Sajid Javid		 President of the Board of Trade
2016 		Succeeded by
Liam Fox
Preceded by
Sajid Javid
as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills		 Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
2016–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by
Amber Rudd
as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
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