Chris Pincher facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable Chris Pincher
Official portrait, 2020
Government Deputy Chief Whip Treasurer of the Household
In office 8 February 2022 – 30 June 2022
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Stuart Andrew
Succeeded by	Kelly Tolhurst
In office 9 January 2018 – 25 July 2019
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Esther McVey
Succeeded by	Amanda Milling
Minister of State for Housing
In office 13 February 2020 – 8 February 2022
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Esther McVey
Succeeded by	Stuart Andrew
Minister of State for Europe and the Americas
In office 25 July 2019 – 13 February 2020
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Alan Duncan
Succeeded by	Wendy Morton
Senior Whip Comptroller of the Household
In office 15 June 2017 – 5 November 2017
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Mel Stride
Succeeded by	Chris Heaton-Harris
Member of Parliament for Tamworth
In office 6 May 2010 – 7 September 2023
Preceded by	Brian Jenkins
Succeeded by	Sarah Edwards
Personal details
Born	(1969-09-24) 24 September 1969 (age 55) Walsall, Staffordshire, England
Political party	Independent (since 2022)
Other political affiliations	Conservative (1987–2022)
Alma mater	London School of Economics
Occupation	IT consultant

Christopher John Pincher (born 24 September 1969) is a British former politician. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamworth from 2010 until he resigned in 2023.

Pincher held important roles in the government. He was the Government Deputy Chief Whip and Treasurer of the Household twice. The first time was from 2018 to 2019, and then again from February to June 2022. He was first elected as a Conservative MP in the 2010 general election. He won the seat from the Labour Party.

In 2017, Pincher resigned from a government role after some concerns were raised about his behavior. However, he was reappointed to a senior position in 2018 by Prime Minister Theresa May. Later, under Prime Minister Boris Johnson, he became Minister of State for Europe and the Americas and then Minister of State for Housing. In February 2022, he returned to his role as Government Deputy Chief Whip.

In June 2022, Pincher resigned from his Deputy Chief Whip role due to new concerns about his conduct. The Conservative Party also removed his whip, meaning he was no longer officially part of the party in Parliament. This event led to a major scandal and a government crisis. It eventually resulted in Boris Johnson's resignation as Prime Minister. Pincher remained an MP for another year but did not speak in Parliament. In April 2023, he announced he would not run for re-election. A report from the Commons Select Committee on Standards in July 2023 criticized his actions. The committee said his behavior damaged Parliament's reputation and was an abuse of power. They recommended he be suspended from Parliament for eight weeks. He resigned as an MP on 7 September 2023, which led to a special election in Tamworth.

Early Life and Political Beginnings

Pincher was born in Walsall, England. He grew up in Wombourne, Staffordshire. He joined the Conservative Party in 1987. He became interested in politics during the 1984–85 miners' strike.

He held early roles in the Conservative Party. He was deputy director of the Conservative Collegiate Forum. He also chaired the Islington North Constituency Association. This area was represented by Jeremy Corbyn.

Pincher first ran for Parliament in 1997 in the Warley area. He came in second place. In 2001, he supported Iain Duncan Smith in his successful campaign to become the leader of the Conservative Party. Pincher first tried to win the Tamworth seat in the 2005 election. He did not win, but he felt he had made progress on local issues.

Community Campaigns

While running for office, Pincher worked on local issues. He campaigned against the closure of Queen Elizabeth's Mercian School. The school was supposed to close under a program called Building Schools for the Future. In 2009, the decision was made to keep the school open. Pincher called this a "victory for people power."

He also helped local residents by putting pressure on a company called Persimmon. This company needed to finish building the Tame Alloys Estate in Wilnecote.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

Pincher was chosen again to run for Tamworth in the 2010 election. This time, he won the seat. He received 45.8% of the votes. His majority over the previous MP, Brian Jenkins, was 6,090 votes.

Early Work in Parliament

Pincher gave his first speech in the House of Commons in June 2010. In his first 10 months as an MP, he had one of the highest attendance rates among MPs from the West Midlands. He spoke in 94 debates in his first year. This was the most among the 11 MPs from Staffordshire.

He voted in favor of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. This law made same-sex marriage legal in England and Wales.

Key Campaigns as MP

Pincher campaigned against the building of High Speed 2 (HS2). This high-speed railway was planned to go near Tamworth. He argued that the business case for HS2 was "significantly flawed." In December 2010, he said any route through Mile Oak or Hopwas was "just not acceptable." Soon after, the route through Hopwas Ridge was changed. Pincher and local campaigners welcomed this decision.

In January 2011, he supported closer ties with Latvia. He met with the Latvian Prime Minister, Valdis Dombrovskis. He also met with the Latvian ambassador to set up a special parliamentary group for Latvia. He was against moving the clocks forward permanently to Central European Time.

In 2011, he was part of a special committee. This committee looked at the bill that became the Armed Forces Act 2011. He also tried to get the Olympic Torch to pass through Tamworth during the 2012 Summer Olympics torch relay, but he was not successful.

Supporting Soldiers

In 2013, Pincher organized a campaign for local people to knit "beanie hats" for soldiers. These hats were for the 3rd Battalion of The Staffords. The soldiers were preparing to go to Afghanistan. In the same year, he helped organize the Tamworth Support our Soldiers (TamworthSOS) campaign. This campaign sent welfare boxes to soldiers for Christmas 2014.

Re-election and Government Roles

In the 2015 general election, Pincher was re-elected. His majority increased to 11,302 votes. He received 50.04% of the votes cast.

In January 2018, Pincher rejoined the British government as Treasurer of the Household. He was appointed to the Privy Council in November 2018. Prime Minister Boris Johnson then appointed Pincher as Minister of State for Europe and the Americas in July 2019. During a government reshuffle in February 2020, Pincher became the Minister of State for Housing.

On 8 February 2022, during another government reshuffle, Pincher moved back to his previous role. He became the Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons. Stuart Andrew took over his role as Minister of State for Housing. In July 2022, nearly 2,000 people in Pincher's Tamworth area signed a petition asking for him to be removed as an MP.

Honours and Recognition

Pincher became a member of the Privy Council at Buckingham Palace on 12 December 2018. This honor means he can use the special title "The Right Honourable" for the rest of his life.

External Links

• Official Website: http://www.christopherpincher.com/
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou

See also

In Spanish: Christopher Pincher para niños