Mark Harper facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mark Harper
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Official portrait, 2022
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| Secretary of State for Transport | |
| In office 25 October 2022 – 5 July 2024 |
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| Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | Anne-Marie Trevelyan |
| Succeeded by | Louise Haigh |
| Chief Whip of the House of Commons Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury |
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| In office 9 May 2015 – 14 July 2016 |
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| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Michael Gove |
| Succeeded by | Gavin Williamson |
| Minister of State for Disabled People | |
| In office 15 July 2014 – 8 May 2015 |
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| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Mike Penning |
| Succeeded by | Justin Tomlinson |
| Minister of State for Immigration | |
| In office 4 September 2012 – 8 February 2014 |
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| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Damian Green |
| Succeeded by | James Brokenshire |
| Parliamentary Secretary for Political and Constitutional Reform | |
| In office 11 May 2010 – 4 September 2012 |
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| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Chloe Smith |
| Shadow Minister for Disabled People | |
| In office 3 July 2007 – 11 May 2010 |
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| Leader | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Jeremy Hunt |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Curran |
| Member of Parliament for Forest of Dean |
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| In office 5 May 2005 – 30 May 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Diana Organ |
| Succeeded by | Matt Bishop |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mark James Harper
26 February 1970 Swindon, Wiltshire, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Margaret Harper |
| Alma mater | Brasenose College, Oxford |
Mark James Harper (born 26 February 1970) is a British politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Forest of Dean from 2005 to 2024. He belongs to the Conservative Party.
Harper held important roles in the government. He was the Chief Whip of the House of Commons from 2015 to 2016. Later, he served as Secretary of State for Transport from 2022 to 2024.
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Early Life and Education
Mark Harper was born and grew up in Swindon, Wiltshire. His father was a manual worker, and his mother worked for a book club.
He went to Headlands Comprehensive School and Swindon College. After that, he studied philosophy, politics and economics at Brasenose College, Oxford.
Early Career
After finishing university in 1991, Harper became an auditor at KPMG. He then became a chartered accountant. Later, he worked for Intel Corporation. In 2002, he started his own accountancy business.
Before becoming an MP, Harper was involved in local politics. He was the treasurer and vice-chairman of the Swindon Conservative Association.
Parliamentary Career
Mark Harper first tried to become an MP in 2001 for the Forest of Dean area. He came second in that election.
In 2005, he was elected as the MP for Forest of Dean. His wife, Margaret, also ran for election in a different area but did not win.
In Parliament, Harper focused on issues like education and support for armed forces veterans. He was known for being careful with public money. In 2007, he became the Shadow Minister for Disabled People. This meant he spoke for his party on issues affecting disabled people.
Junior Minister Roles
In 2010, Harper was re-elected as an MP. He then became the Parliamentary Secretary for Political and Constitutional Reform. In this role, he worked on changing how elections happen.
He also supported a plan to sell or lease public forests in England. However, many people in his local area, the Forest of Dean, were against this idea. There was a big public campaign called "Hands off our Forest." Because of this strong opposition, the government decided not to go ahead with the plan.
Immigration Minister
In 2012, Harper became the Minister of State for Immigration. This role involved managing who could enter and stay in the UK.
He resigned from this job in 2014. This was after he found out that his cleaner did not have the correct permission to work in the UK. He felt it was important to resign because of his role as Immigration Minister.
Minister for Disabled People
In July 2014, Harper returned to government. He became the Minister of State for Disabled People. In this job, he was in charge of important benefits like the Personal Independence Payment (PIP). He worked to reduce delays in processing these claims.
He also oversaw changes to the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). This assessment helps decide who can receive certain benefits.
Government Chief Whip
After the 2015 general election, Harper was promoted to Chief Whip of the House of Commons. The Chief Whip's job is to make sure MPs vote the way their party wants them to. He held this role for about a year.
Backbench MP
After Theresa May became Prime Minister in 2016, Harper left the Cabinet. He returned to being a "backbench" MP. This means he was a regular MP, not a minister.
He was re-elected in 2017 and 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led a group of MPs called the COVID Recovery Group. This group wanted fewer restrictions during the pandemic.
In 2022, he said he no longer supported Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Secretary of State for Transport (2022–2024)
In October 2022, Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister. He appointed Mark Harper as Secretary of State for Transport. This is a very important job in the government.
During his time as Transport Secretary, there were many railway strikes. Harper did not negotiate directly with the unions. He also supported plans to close most railway ticket offices to save money, but this plan was later stopped.
He left this role in July 2024 after losing his seat in the general election.
Personal Life
Mark Harper is married to Margaret Harper. In 2015, he became a member of the Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council. This gave him the special title "The Right Honourable" for life.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2022
