Quick Facts
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Biography
Mark Anthony Pack (born 27 July 1970) is a British politician who has served as the president of the Liberal Democrats since 1 January 2020. As the party's previous leader Jo Swinson lost her seat in the December 2019 United Kingdom general election, Pack and Ed Davey are also acting co-leaders of the Liberal Democrats.
Career
Pack read History and Economics at the University of York from 1988 to 1991. He then undertook a PhD in history, studying nineteenth-century elections, initially at the University of Exeter, before transferring back to the University of York to complete it, in 1994. He then worked as an IT administrator, before working for the Liberal Democrats from 2000 to 2009. He then worked in communications consultancy for MHP Communications, and then Teneo, from 2009 to 2019.
He was on the editorial board for the Journal of Liberal History. He was a visiting lecturer at City University.
Pack started working for the Liberal Democrats in 2000. He was Head of Innovations at the party, running the party's 2001 and 2005 Internet general election campaigns. He was the Campaign Manager for the Hornsey & Wood Green constituency from 1998 to 2005. Pack is a long-time Liberal Democrat blogger. He was co-editor of the blog Liberal Democrat Voice until 2013. Since 2011, he has edited Liberal Democrat Newswire, his monthly email newsletter about the party.
Pack stood to be the president of the Liberal Democrats in 2019, with his candidacy supported by MPs Layla Moran, and Tom Brake and MEP Catherine Bearder among others. The only other candidate was MP Christine Jardine. Pack was elected by 14381 (58.6%) to 10164 votes (41.4%), with the result announced 14 December 2019. He began his term on 1 January 2020. As Jo Swinson, previously the leader of the party, lost her seat in the 2019 United Kingdom general election, the deputy leader Ed Davey and the party president act as co-leaders until a new permanent leader can be elected. Pack thus assumed the acting co-leader role on starting his presidential term on 1 January 2020.