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Alexander Stafford

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Alexander Stafford
Official portrait, 2019
Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party for Policy
In office
30 September 2022 – 13 November 2023
LeaderLiz Truss
Rishi Sunak
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
In office
8 July 2022 – 6 September 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byJoy Morrissey
Lia Nici
James Duddridge
Succeeded bySuzanne Webb
Member of Parliament
for Rother Valley
In office
12 December 2019 – 30 May 2024
Preceded byKevin Barron
Succeeded byJake Richards
Ealing London Borough Councillor
for Ealing Broadway
In office
22 May 2014 – 1 April 2020[1]
Personal details
Born
Alexander Paul Stafford

(1987-07-19) 19 July 1987 (age 37)
NationalityBritish
Political partyConservative
SpouseNatalie
Children2
RelativesGregory Stafford (brother)
EducationSt Benedict's School, Ealing
Alma materSt Benet's Hall, Oxford

Alexander Paul Thomas Stafford[2] (born 19 July 1987)[3] is a British politician and published historian who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rother Valley from 2019 to 2024. He was the first Conservative to be elected for the seat.[4]

In the 2024 general election, he lost his seat to Jake Richards of the Labour Party.[5]

Early life and career

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Stafford grew up in Ealing Broadway, went to St Benedict's School, Ealing on a choral scholarship[6] and was part of the Ealing Youth Orchestra.[7] His mother was a magistrate and his father worked for a US technology company. His maternal grandmother was a Polish East German refugee, while his maternal grandfather was a Polish Ukrainian refugee who volunteered to serve in the British Army when the Soviet Union joined the Allies, having previously spent time imprisoned in a Siberian Gulag camp.[8]

Stafford studied History at St Benet's Hall, Oxford where he served as president of the Oxford University Conservative Association (in Michaelmas Term of 2007), as president of The Newman Society (in Hilary Term of 2006), and on the executive of the Oxford University Student Union.[9][10][11] Before becoming an MP, Stafford worked for Shell, the World Wildlife Fund and Conservative MP Owen Paterson.[12][13]

Political career

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Stafford's political career began when he was elected to Ealing Council in West London, where he has represented the ward of Ealing Broadway since 2014.[14] In November 2019, he was selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Rother Valley.[15][16] He was elected at the 2019 general election, becoming the first non-Labour MP to represent Rother Valley in the 101-year history of the constituency.[17]

Stafford was a member of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee[18] and is chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Algeria.

In November 2020, Stafford secured and spoke at the first ever parliamentary debate dedicated to hydrogen,[19] and he has expressed his desire to see Rother Valley "turned into Britain's Hydrogen Valley", adding: "It is clear that the success of the UK's national hydrogen strategy is inextricably linked to its location in the North, particularly in Yorkshire and the Humber."[20]

In January 2022, it was announced that Stafford had been invited to join the Government benches, having been appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Ministry of Defence. This was the first such appointment for a Rother Valley MP since the 1970s.[21] In July 2022, Stafford was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a role requiring him to attend meetings of the Cabinet and aid in the handling of parliamentary affairs within Johnson's office, including preparations for Prime Minister's Questions; Stafford responded to the news of his appointment by vowing to "take every opportunity to ensure Rother Valley's voice is heard at the highest level."[22]

Political views

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Stafford campaigned to leave the European Union during the 2016 referendum.[15]

Stafford has previously named Margaret Thatcher as his political idol, who he believes "was a strong leader who saved the country from where it was headed. Right to buy gave everyone a stake in the country."[13] However, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stafford argued for the importance of a "green recovery" which would avoid mistakes made during the premiership of Thatcher: "In the 1980s under Thatcher, the closure of the coal mines, there was a cliff edge, a cut-off, that created lots of social problems and economic problems. We need to manage the transition better. We can't leave anyone behind."[23]

Stafford described himself as belonging to the political tribe of David Cameron and was a supporter of Cameron's Big Society policy "as things like Free Schools give power to local bodies. People know best how to run their own lives."[13] One of Stafford's contributions at Prime Minister's Questions in 2021 was described as that "of a proper old-school Law and Order Tory: tough on crime and anti-social behaviour."[24]

In May 2021 Stafford wrote an essay entitled "Social Conservatism – Turning the Red Wall Blue for Years to Come" for inclusion in Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age published by the Common Sense Group, an informal group of Conservative MPs.[25]

Stafford endorsed Liz Truss during the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.[26]

Historian

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Stafford has been an active historian specialising in Byzantine and Late Antiquity. He has been published numerous times including in Iain Dale's book Kings and Queens with a chapter on Harold II[27] and more recently in the book Dictators on Attila.[28] He also held a debate in Parliament on the importance of teaching medieval history in schools.[29]

Personal life

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Whilst an MP, Stafford lived in Harthill,[30] a village of his constituency, where he lived with his wife Natalie and their daughters Persephone, who was born in April 2020,[31] and Charlotte, who was born in December 2021.[32] His elder brother, Gregory Stafford, was elected as MP for Farnham and Bordon at the 2024 general election, and was formerly Leader of the Conservative Group on Ealing Council in London, where he continues to represent the Hanger Hill ward.[33][34]

Stafford is a Catholic.[35] In February 2024, he was made a Vice President of the Catholic Union of Great Britain.[36]

References

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  1. ^ "Councillor Alexander Stafford". Ealing Council. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Members Sworn". Hansard. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  3. ^ 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. 315. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
  4. ^ "Rother Valley parliamentary constituency – Election 2019". BBC.
  5. ^ "Rother Valley - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Fair Taxation of Schools and Education Standards Committee". hansard.parliament.uk.
  7. ^ "Alexander Paul Thomas Stafford". Who Can I Vote For?. Democracy Club. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  8. ^ "New MP for Rother Valley Alexander Stafford says 'there are no safe seats now' after Labour's election defeat". Yorkshire Post. 2 January 2020.
  9. ^ "OUTRG merges with OUCA". Cherwell. 28 November 2007. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Past Presidents – The Newman Society". The Newman Society. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  11. ^ "OUSU Student Council Minutes – 3rd Week Council MT 2006" (PDF). Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Class of 2019: Meet the new MPs". PoliticsHome.com. 16 December 2019.
  13. ^ a b c "Rainbow Tories: The geek, the fundraiser and the Tanzanian immigrant's son". London Evening Standard. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  14. ^ Stafford, Alexander (26 January 2015). "Cllr Alexander Stafford: Even an opposition councillor can make a difference". Conservative Home. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Rotherham Conservatives name three candidates to contest General Election". Rotherham Conservatives. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  16. ^ "Class of 2019: Meet the new MPs". The House. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  17. ^ "General election results: First ever Tory MP for Rother Valley". Rotherham Advertiser. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee – Membership". UK Parliament. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  19. ^ Alexander Stafford MP [@Alex_Stafford] (26 November 2020). "I am delighted to have secured & be speaking in the first ever debate in Parliament dedicated to hydrogen. Fittingly, I travelled to work today in a hydrogen taxi & hope very soon hydrogen will power our national transport networks" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ^ Blow, John (26 November 2020). "Rother Valley MP Alexander Stafford wants region's industrial heartlands to be 'Britain's Hydrogen Valley'". The Yorkshire Post.
  21. ^ Jackson, Sam (25 January 2022). "Rother Valley MP joins Government benches as he is promoted to the Ministry of Defence". Worksop Guardian.
  22. ^ Dennison, Gareth (11 July 2022). "Alexander Stafford becomes Boris Johnson's parliamentary private secretary". Rotherham Advertiser.
  23. ^ Harvey, Fiona (21 May 2020). "Government will push for green coronavirus recovery, says Tory MP". The Guardian.
  24. ^ Grant, Madeleine (20 January 2021). "Boris Johnson gets a muted reception at PMQs as Storm Zoom causes chaos". The Telegraph.
  25. ^ Stafford, Alexander (May 2021). Social Conservatism – Turning the Red Wall Blue for Years to Come in Hayes, John (ed.). Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age (pdf). Common Sense Group.
  26. ^ Stafford, Alexander (2 August 2022). "Truss is the candidate for change". The Times. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  27. ^ https://www.worksopguardian.co.uk/news/people/rother-valley-mp-published-in-new-book-detailing-the-history-of-the-british-monarchy-4291898
  28. ^ "The Dictators: Warnings From History edited by Iain Dale (Signed copy)". www.politicos.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  29. ^ Nicholls, Dominic (3 July 2022). "Teach medieval history in schools or we will 'lose our past'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  30. ^ Alexander Stafford, MP (4 March 2021). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). UK Parliament: House of Commons. col. 376.
  31. ^ Alexander Stafford MP [@Alex_Stafford] (27 April 2020). "Pleased to introduce to the world Persephone Elizabeth Lilly Stafford who was born on Thursday 23rd April 2020, St. George's Day, weighing in at 7lbs 11oz. Mother and Persephone now at home and doing well. Natalie has been a complete trooper" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. ^ Alexander Stafford MP [@Alex_Stafford] (13 January 2022). "If it's in the @rotherhamtiser it must be official!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  33. ^ Council, Ealing. "Ealing Councillor profiles".
  34. ^ Scott, Geraldine (27 February 2020). "MP accuses council Labour Party of 'playing silly games' over 'part-timer' accusations". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  35. ^ Stafford, Alexander. "Debate: Persecution of Christians and Freedom of Religion or Belief - 21st Oct 2020 Alexander Stafford extracts from Persecution of Christians and Freedom of Religion or Belief (21st October 2020)". www.parallelparliament.co.uk. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  36. ^ "New faces at the Catholic Union". The Catholic Union of Great Britain. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
[edit]
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Rother Valley
2019–2024 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
2022 		Succeeded by
Nick Catsaras
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