Mike Penning, MP for Hemel Hempstead and Shadow Minister for Health, was elected as Member of Parliament for the Hemel Hempstead constituency on 5th May 2005.

In his first year after being elected Mike became a member of the Health Select Committee and an executive member of the Conservative 1922 Committee. In June 2007 he was appointed a Shadow Minister for Health.

Mike was born in North London in 1957 and educated in Essex at Appleton and King Edmund Comprehensive Schools. He is married to Angela and has two daughters Adele and Abby. He joined the Army as a boy soldier and served with the Grenadier Guards in Northern Ireland, Kenya and Germany; he also undertook ceremonial duties in London including Trooping of the Colour. On leaving the Army Mike served as a full time fireman in Essex for many years before going into the family business and later, after several career changes, into political journalism.

Mike has many interests outside of politics. Along with being a dedicated family man, he is passionate about sport, especially Rugby Union and Football.

Mike first brought his skills to the political arena in 1997, when he ran Sir Teddy Taylor's successful General Election campaign in Southend. Since 1997 he has been an advisor to the Shadow Cabinet. In the 2001 General Election Mike was the candidate in the safe Labour seat of Thurrock, when he had one of the largest Conservative swings from Labour in the country, cutting their majority by 7,259 votes.

Mike’s brief as Shadow Minister for Health encompasses a wide range of provision, including: Foundation Trusts; the independent sector; urgent care (out-of-hours services, NHS Direct); Ambulance Trusts; NHS dentistry; the NHS Business Services Authority; NHS Supply Chain; the Food Standards Agency; hospital chaplaincy; prison health services; liaison with defence medical services; elements of public health and emergency preparedness. Additionally, Mike has regional responsibility for scrutinising healthcare in London and the North-East.