Paul Maynard
Encyclopedia
Paul Christopher Maynard (born 16 December 1975) is a British
Conservative Party
politician. He was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Blackpool North and Cleveleys.
, Maynard was left with cerebral palsy when he was strangled by the umbilical cord at birth, and he was also left with a speech defect. He attended a special school between the ages of three and five before transferring to a local primary school. He attended St. Ambrose College
, in Altrincham
, and obtained a First Class History degree at Oxford.
Maynard was a lay reader at his local church and was also a governor at his local Catholic primary school.
and as a speechwriter for William Hague
, and stood as the Conservative Party
candidate
for Twickenham
in the 2005 general election
, finishing second with 32.4% of the vote.
Maynard was selected for Blackpool North and Cleveleys in December 2006, having been on the controversial "A-List". Maynard was elected to the House of Commons in the 2010 general election with a majority of 2,150. He is the second person who has cerebral palsy
to become a British MP after Terry Dicks.
about abuse he suffered from Labour Party
MPs, who mocked his disability. He said "some were pulling faces at me, really exaggerated gesticulations and faces. Only they know for certain whether they were taking the mick out of my disability. But it certainly felt like it. That is why politics is held in such low esteem." The Mail on Sunday
reported a senior Labour MP as saying "What they did was disgusting. It was obvious that Paul was upset but they sensed a weakness and went for the kill like a pack of hyenas." When Maynard refused to give way in a Parliamentary debate to Stella Creasy
, male Labour MPs started mocking Mr Maynard openly by pulling faces and imitating his speech and mannerisms. Subsequently, Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow
issued a written statement warning MPs that such abuse was unacceptable. However, it was revealed Bercow had known about the incident for more than three months and did not speak to Maynard about it.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician. He was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Blackpool North and Cleveleys.
Early life
Born in CheshireCheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, Maynard was left with cerebral palsy when he was strangled by the umbilical cord at birth, and he was also left with a speech defect. He attended a special school between the ages of three and five before transferring to a local primary school. He attended St. Ambrose College
St. Ambrose College
St. Ambrose College is a leading state Voluntary Aided, Christian Brothers' Roman Catholic boys' grammar school located in Hale Barns, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It was founded in 1946. In 2005, St Ambrose College became a mathematics and computing college and the school is today...
, in Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
, and obtained a First Class History degree at Oxford.
Maynard was a lay reader at his local church and was also a governor at his local Catholic primary school.
Political career
Maynard worked as an adviser to Liam FoxLiam Fox
Liam Fox MP is a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for North Somerset, and former Secretary of State for Defence....
and as a speechwriter for William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
, and stood as the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate
Prospective parliamentary candidate
Prospective parliamentary candidate is a term used in British politics to refer to candidates selected by political parties to fight individual constituencies in advance of a general election. This terminology was motivated by the strict limits on the amount of expenses incurred by an actual...
for Twickenham
Twickenham (UK Parliament constituency)
Twickenham is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
in the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, finishing second with 32.4% of the vote.
Maynard was selected for Blackpool North and Cleveleys in December 2006, having been on the controversial "A-List". Maynard was elected to the House of Commons in the 2010 general election with a majority of 2,150. He is the second person who has cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
to become a British MP after Terry Dicks.
Taunting controversy
During February 2011, Maynard told The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
about abuse he suffered from Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
MPs, who mocked his disability. He said "some were pulling faces at me, really exaggerated gesticulations and faces. Only they know for certain whether they were taking the mick out of my disability. But it certainly felt like it. That is why politics is held in such low esteem." The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
reported a senior Labour MP as saying "What they did was disgusting. It was obvious that Paul was upset but they sensed a weakness and went for the kill like a pack of hyenas." When Maynard refused to give way in a Parliamentary debate to Stella Creasy
Stella Creasy
Dr Stella Judith Creasy is a British Labour Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Walthamstow since 2010.-Education:...
, male Labour MPs started mocking Mr Maynard openly by pulling faces and imitating his speech and mannerisms. Subsequently, Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow
John Bercow
John Simon Bercow is a British politician who has been the Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom since June 2009. Prior to his election to Speaker he was a member of the Conservative party....
issued a written statement warning MPs that such abuse was unacceptable. However, it was revealed Bercow had known about the incident for more than three months and did not speak to Maynard about it.
External links
- Paul Maynard MP Official constituency website
- Paul Maynard MP Conservative Party profile
- Blackpool Conservatives