Mark Lancaster

Colonel John Mark Lancaster, TD, VR (born 12 May 1970) is a British Conservative Party politician, who served as Member of Parliament for Milton Keynes North from the seat's creation at the 2010 general election until his retirement in 2019, having been Member of Parliament for the North East Milton Keynes constituency between 2005 and 2010. He served as a Minister in several appointments after the formation of the Coalition Government in 2010, first as Lord Commissioner of Her Majesty’s Treasury, before in May 2015 moving to the Ministry of Defence as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Veterans, Reserves and Personnel, then on the 13 June 2017, he was appointed Minister of State for the Armed Forces in the Second May ministry and was reappointed by Boris Johnson at the start of his Premiership in July 2019, he served in this role until his retirement from Government on the 16th Dec 2019.

After his re-election in 2010, he was initially appointed as the PPS to the Secretary of State for International Development, Lancaster was appointed Lord Commissioner of Her Majesty's Treasury in September 2012. He was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Personnel, and Veterans at the Ministry of Defence following the formation of the second Cameron ministry on 12 May 2015. He was reappointed by Theresa May on her becoming prime minister in June 2016 and had Reserves added to his portfolio, changing job title to Minister for Defence Veterans, Reserves and Personnel. He was promoted to Minister of State for the Armed Forces after the 2017 general election.He was appointed to the Privy Council in November 2017.In November 2019 he announced his retirement from Parliament.

Lancaster was born on 12 May 1970 in Cambridge. He was privately educated at Kimbolton School in Huntingdonshire where his father Ronald Lancaster was chaplain. He graduated as a BSc in Business Studies from the University of Buckingham and MBA from the University of Exeter Business School.He was awarded an Honorary PhD from Buckingham in 2008.

He was a company director for the familyfirm Kimbolton Fireworks before he was elected to Parliament.

Between 1988 and 1990 Lancaster served in the British Army on an extended gap year Commission in Hong Kong with the Queen's Gurkha Engineers before going to university.He then transferred his Commission to the Army Reserve where he continues to serve as a in the General Staff Corps ( Late Royal Engineers ), having previously commanded an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit. He has been on active service three times in Kosovo (1999–2000), Bosnia (2001–2002) and Afghanistan (2006). He is currently Deputy Commander of 77th Brigade.

He received a number of military honours and decorations between 2000 and 2016, including the Territorial Decoration (TD) in 2002 and the Volunteer Reserves Service Medal (VRSM) in 2011. He was awarded the Bar for a further five years service in 2016.

He was appointed as the Deputy Colonel Commandant Brigade of Gurkhas on 1 September 2019.

He was appointed Chair of the Reserve Forces 2030 review in January 2020.

Lancaster stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative candidate for the Huntingdon West ward on Huntingdonshire District Council in 1994, before being elected in the Ellington ward in 1995. He served as the chairman of the Leisure Committee (1996–1999). He lost his council seat in the local elections in 1999.

Lancaster stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative candidate for Nuneaton at the 2001 general election. He was defeated by the Labour candidate Bill Olner.

Lancaster was elected as Member of Parliament gaining North East Milton Keynes for the Conservatives in the 2005 general election, and succeeding Brian White of the Labour Party.

During his time as a backbench MP, He served on the Office of Deputy Prime Minister Select Committee, (2005), Defence Select Committee (2006), Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee (2008–09) and the International Development Select Committee (2009–10).

In 2006, he introduced a Ten Minute Rule Bill in the House that would allow local councils to ban glasses and bottles in late night clubs and bars and replace them with plastic in support of his constituent Blake Golding. Lancaster also submitted an early day motion in 2006 calling for the government to ban sales of alcohol in glass containers in bars after 11 pm.

He was the (unpaid) parliamentary advisor to the Royal Society of Chemistry until his promotion to minister in 2012.

In 2011, he was a member of the special select committee set up to scrutinise the Bill that became the Armed Forces Act 2011. He was also a member of the Public Bill Committee for the Defence Reform Act 2014.

In November 2017, he was made a member of the Privy Council.

Political views

Lancaster has stated his disagreement with the UK Government's policy on the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In an interview with the BBC, he stated "It may well be much harder to get the British public to back other overseas adventures by the military because of what's happened in Iraq". According to the Public Whip, he voted strongly against the introduction of ID cards and in favour of a smoking ban and an investigation into the Iraq war. In votes involving transparency of parliament (including MPs expenses), gay rights, and climate change his voting record is not easily categorized by obvious stereotypes, although in early 2013, Lancaster voted against legislation allowing gay couples to marry at second reading but supported minor 'tidying up' legislation supporting the principle once the main Bill had passed through the House of Commons. He later tweeted in July 2016 that he had been wrong to have opposed second reading.

In 2011 Lancaster introduced his own Private Members Bill, which enabled special Olympic 1 kg gold and silver coins to be struck by the Royal Mint as part of the 2012 Olympic legacy. These were launched by the Royal Mint. In 2013 Lancaster was successful in his four-year campaign to get Khat classified as a category C drug following calls from his constituents.

Lancaster lives in Gosport with his wife, Conservative MP for Gosport Caroline Dinenage. He previously married Katherine Reader 1995 before separating in 2006 and divorcing in 2009. He briefly partnered Amanda Evans with whom he has a daughter. In February 2014, he married Caroline Dinenage, who had also been previously married. Lancaster is a supporter of MK Dons, and enjoys playing cricket, which includes the House of Commons team.