Introducing Mike Penning, MP
Mike Penning, MP for Hemel Hempstead and Shadow Front Bench Minister for Health, was elected as Member of Parliament for the Hemel Hempstead constituency on 5th May 2005. He was not a stranger to the area having spent the previous three years as prospective candidate taking on an active role in the constituency.
In his first year after being elected Mike became a member of the prestigious Health Select Committee, an executive member of the Conservative 1922 Committee, a member of the All Party War Graves Committee and a member of the All Party Gibraltar Committee. In June 2007 he was appointed a Shadow Minister for Health. Mike is a busy MP both in the House of Commons and in the Constituency.
He was born in North London in 1957 and was 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 is a hard-hitting campaigner. He is always happiest when he can take up issues for those residents of Hemel Hempstead Constituency that come to him for help. He feels that his background allows him to have an understanding and empathy with the problems that affect people’s everyday lives. 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 came into politics late in his career. He 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.
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