Junior ministerial offices

Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office 23 July 1996 – 2 May 1997
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Liam Fox
Succeeded by	Jon Owen Jones
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Industry
In office 27 May 1993 – 20 July 1994
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Edward Leigh
Succeeded by	Charles Wardle
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment
In office 14 April 1992 – 27 May 1993
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Eric Forth
Succeeded by	Ann Widdecombe
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Roads and Motoring
In office 25 July 1989 – 14 April 1992
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher John Major
Preceded by	Peter Bottomley
Succeeded by	Kenneth Carlisle

Parliamentary offices

Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 September 2020 Life Peerage
Member of Parliament for Derbyshire Dales West Derbyshire (1986–2010)
In office 8 May 1986 – 6 November 2019
Preceded by	Matthew Parris
Succeeded by	Sarah Dines

Chair of Transport for the North

Incumbent

Assumed office
26 January 2022

Preceded by

Louise Gittins (acting)

Personal details

Born

Patrick Allen McLoughlin

30 November 1957 (age 67)
Stafford, Staffordshire, England

Political party

Conservative

Spouse

Lynne Newman

(m. 1984)

Children

Alma mater

South Staffordshire College

Signature

Patrick Allen McLoughlin, Baron McLoughlin (born 30 November 1957) is a British politician. He is a member of the Conservative Party. He first became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1986.

He represented West Derbyshire until 2010. After that, he represented Derbyshire Dales until 2019. Before becoming an MP, he worked as a miner. This made him one of the few Conservative politicians with a background as a manual worker.

Patrick McLoughlin held several important government jobs. He was the Secretary of State for Transport from 2012 to 2016. He also served as Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2018. Since January 2022, he has been the Chair of Transport for the North.

Early Life and Start in Politics
- Local Government Work
- Miners' Strike and Early Elections
Time as a Member of Parliament
Leading the Department for Transport
Chairman of the Conservative Party
After Leaving Parliament
- Becoming a Peer
Personal Life
Honours and Titles

Early Life and Start in Politics

Patrick McLoughlin was born in Stafford, England, on 30 November 1957. His father and grandfather were both coal miners. He went to Cardinal Griffin Roman Catholic School and Staffordshire College of Agriculture.

From 1974, he worked as a farm worker for five years. After 1979, he worked underground at Littleton Colliery. He was a member of the National Union of Mineworkers.

Local Government Work

McLoughlin started his political career in local government. He was a councillor on Cannock Chase District Council for seven years, starting in 1980. He also served on Staffordshire County Council from 1981 to 1987. In 1982, he became the Chairman of the National Young Conservatives.

Miners' Strike and Early Elections

During the miners' strike of 1984–85, miners in Staffordshire had different views. Patrick McLoughlin did not support the strike. He became well-known when he spoke at the 1984 Conservative Party Conference. He announced that he was a working miner.

In 1983, McLoughlin ran for MP in Wolverhampton South East but did not win.

Time as a Member of Parliament

In 1986, the MP for West Derbyshire, Matthew Parris, resigned. Patrick McLoughlin was chosen to run in the special election, called a by-election. He won the seat by a very small number of votes.

Early Government Roles

In Parliament, McLoughlin first worked as a parliamentary private secretary. This meant he helped senior ministers. He worked for Angela Rumbold and then David Young. In 1989, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher made him a junior minister, called a parliamentary under-secretary of state. He worked in the Department for Transport.

Later, Prime Minister John Major moved him to the Department of Employment in 1992. A year later, he moved to the Department of Trade and Industry.

Working as a Whip

In 1995, he joined the government's Whips' Office. Whips are important people who help organize votes and make sure party members vote together. He became a Lord Commissioner in 1996. After the Conservative Party lost the 1997 election, he stayed in the whips' office. He became the Deputy Chief Whip in 1998.

In 2005, David Cameron promoted him to Chief Whip. As Opposition Chief Whip, he became a member of the Privy Council in June 2005. This gave him the title "The Right Honourable."

Changes to His Constituency

Due to changes in constituency boundaries, West Derbyshire was removed in 2010. McLoughlin was then elected to the new seat of Derbyshire Dales. Prime Minister David Cameron appointed him as the government's Chief Whip. He also became Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury in the coalition government.

Leading the Department for Transport

In September 2012, Patrick McLoughlin was appointed Secretary of State for Transport. This meant he was in charge of all transport in the UK. Soon after, he had to cancel a major train contract because of problems with the bidding process.

Investing in Railways

As Transport Secretary, McLoughlin oversaw huge government investments in railways. This was because more and more people were using trains. From 2014 to 2019, £38 billion was planned for improvements. These included projects like Crossrail and the Thameslink Programme. There were also plans to improve transport links in the North of England, known as the Northern Powerhouse scheme.

In 2017, construction began on HS2. This is a high-speed rail link between major cities. It aims to greatly increase train capacity to the North of England. It also frees up existing lines for freight and local trains. McLoughlin believed HS2 would change the transport and economy of the North.

Views on Rail Privatisation

In 2013, he praised the impact of the privatisation of British Rail. He said that privatisation led to a "railway renaissance." He noted that passenger journeys had doubled since 1993. He also mentioned that safety levels were at an all-time high. However, some experts disagreed, saying that privatisation had created new problems and higher costs for passengers.

In 2015, he announced new train contracts for the North of England. These included new trains, more services, and free Wi-Fi. He said these plans would help the region's economy.

Road Improvements

McLoughlin also oversaw the start of a £15 billion plan to upgrade roads. This package aimed to improve routes and add more lanes across the country.

Chairman of the Conservative Party

After David Cameron resigned as Prime Minister in 2016, Theresa May became the new Prime Minister. On 14 July 2016, she made Patrick McLoughlin the Chairman of the Conservative Party. He was also given the title Knight Bachelor for his public service.

In an interview in July 2016, McLoughlin stated that the UK would leave the European Union before the next general election. He said, "Brexit means Brexit."

McLoughlin stepped down as Chairman of the Conservative Party on 8 January 2018. He said he had a "very good run." He was replaced by Brandon Lewis. He also resigned as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

After Leaving Parliament

After leaving the House of Commons, McLoughlin was appointed Chairman of Visit Britain. This organization promotes tourism to the UK. He held this role until 2023.

In January 2022, McLoughlin became the Chair of Transport for the North. This group works to improve transport in the North of England. He said he strongly believes in the potential of the North. He knows how important good transport is for people and businesses.

Becoming a Peer

Patrick McLoughlin was nominated for a life peerage in 2019. This means he was given a special title and a seat in the House of Lords. On 8 September 2020, he became Baron McLoughlin, of Cannock Chase in the County of Staffordshire. He gave his first speech in the House of Lords on 11 November 2020. In 2025, he was appointed chair of the Services Committee.

Personal Life

Patrick McLoughlin is married to Lynn McLoughlin. They have two children. His son, James, also worked for the Conservative Party.

Honours and Titles

In 2005, he became a member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council. This gave him the title "The Right Honourable."
In 2016, he was appointed a Knight Bachelor. This gave him the title "Sir."
In 2019, he was appointed a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour. This gave him the letters "CH" after his name.
In 2020, he was made a life peer, becoming "The Lord McLoughlin."

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