Matthew Offord

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Matthew Offord
Official portrait, 2019
Member of Parliament
for Hendon
In office
6 May 2010 – 30 May 2024
Preceded byAndrew Dismore
Succeeded byDavid Pinto-Duschinsky
Personal details
Born
Matthew James Offord[1]

(1969-09-03) 3 September 1969 (age 55)
Alton, Hampshire, England
Political partyConservative
ResidenceHendon
Alma mater
OccupationPolitician
Websitewww.matthewofford.co.uk
Academic background
ThesisRural governance and economic development: the changing landscape of rural local government (2011)

Matthew James Offord FRGS (born 3 September 1969)[2] is a British Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hendon in North London from 2010 to 2024. He was previously a member of the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa Governing Council.[3]

Early life and education

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Offord was born on 3 September 1969 in Alton, Hampshire, England to Christopher and Hilda Offord.[2] His father was a builder.[4] He attended Amery Hill School and then studied Geography at Nottingham Trent University. He worked as a BBC political analyst.[5] Offord also obtained a master's degree in Environment, Culture and Society from Lancaster University in 2000, and a PhD in Geography from King's College London.[6][7]

Political career

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Offord stood as the Conservative candidate for Barnsley East and Mexborough in the 2001 general election. He came third in the seat behind the incumbent Labour MP Jeffrey Ennis and the Liberal Democrat candidate.[8] The following year, he was elected as a councillor for Hendon ward on the Barnet London Borough Council.[9] Offord was re-elected in 2006 and became the deputy leader of the council.[10]

In 2010, he was elected as MP for Hendon by a majority of 106 votes.[11] The seat had previously been held by Labour MP Andrew Dismore since 1997.[5] The following year, he was one of 81 Conservative MPs who rebelled against the government by voting for a referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union.[12] Offord was one of 136 Conservative MPs to vote against the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 which legalised same-sex marriage in England and Wales.[13] He voted against the Act as he felt that marriage should only between a man and a woman and that it could eventually lead to the legalisation of polygamy.[14] He was also one of 21 MPs to vote against LGBT-inclusive sex and relationship education from primary school.[15]

He was re-elected in the 2015 and 2017 general election.[16] In parliament, he has been a member of the Environmental Audit Select Committee since December 2012.[17] He is an officer of the Conservative Friends of Israel.[18] Offord supported Brexit in the 2016 UK EU membership referendum. He is a member of the European Research Group. Offord voted for then Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement in March 2019. He also voted against any referendum on a Brexit withdrawal agreement in the indicative votes on 27 March.[19] He supported Boris Johnson's bid to become Conservative Party leader in 2019, and after he became prime minister voted for his Brexit withdrawal agreement in October.[20][21]

In August 2022, Offord supported Liz Truss in the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election and Boris Johnson in the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.[22][23]

In March 2023, Offord was one of 22 Conservative MPs that voted against the Windsor Framework.[24] He announced in May 2023 that he would stand down at the 2024 United Kingdom general election, which was called for July 4, 2024.[25]

Personal life

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Offord married Claire Michelle Rowles in 2010.[2][26] She was a Conservative councillor for the Hungerford & Kintbury ward on West Berkshire Council and former solicitor.[27][28] He is a Christian.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "No. 61961". The London Gazette. 19 June 2017. p. 11776.
  2. ^ a b c "Offord, Dr Matthew James". A & C Black. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  3. ^ "Governing Council". 21 October 2011. Archived from the original on 21 October 2011.
  4. ^ a b Crerar, Pippa (17 April 2015). "Constituency focus: Hendon... the smallest Tory majority in the capital". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Hendon". UK Polling Report. Archived from the original on 3 May 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  6. ^ "Facing the Socio-Environmental Complexities of our Time". Lancaster University. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Matthew Offord". King's College London.
  8. ^ "Barnsley East & Mexborough". BBC News. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  9. ^ "London Borough Council Elections" (PDF). Greater London Authority. p. 40. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  10. ^ Marzouk, Lawrence (18 May 2006). "Right-wing coup". Times series. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  11. ^ "Hendon". BBC News. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  12. ^ Wintour, Patrick (25 October 2011). "Full list of MPs who voted for an EU referendum". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  13. ^ "MP-by-MP: Gay marriage vote". BBC News. 5 February 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  14. ^ "Hendon MP Matthew Offord defends his disapproval of same-sex marriage". Times series. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  15. ^ Butterworth, Benjamin (28 March 2019). "MPs vote for LGBT inclusive sex and relationship education from primary school". i. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  16. ^ "Hendon". BBC News. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  17. ^ "Dr Matthew Offord MP". parliament.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  18. ^ "About CFI". Conservative Friends of Israel. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  19. ^ "How MPs voted on May's withdrawal deal defeat". Financial Times. 29 March 2019. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Full list: Tory leadership contenders and MPs backing them". The Spectator. 20 June 2019. Archived from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  21. ^ Buchan, Lizzy (22 October 2019). "How your MP voted for Boris Johnson's Brexit deal". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022.
  22. ^ @Offord4Hendon (17 August 2022). "I'm backing @trussliz as the right choice to unite our party, lead our country and stop Keir Starmer's Labour" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 October 2022 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ @Offord4Hendon (22 October 2022). "Only @BorisJohnson has the experience, a record of delivery and a mandate from the British people" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 October 2022 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ https://votes.parliament.uk/Votes/Commons/Division/1504#noes [bare URL]
  25. ^ "Matthew announces decision to step down as MP for Hendon at next general election". Matthew Offord. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  26. ^ "Hendon's new MP shows his commitment to his wife and Coalition Government". Matthew Offord. 15 June 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  27. ^ "Election results for Hungerford & Kintbury". West Berkshire Council. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  28. ^ "Claire Michelle Rowles". The Law Society. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
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