Ben Spencer (politician)
British politician (born 1981)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Benjamin Walter Jack Spencer (11 December 1981)[2] is a British Conservative Party politician and former psychiatrist who has been the Member of Parliament for Runnymede and Weybridge since 2019.
Ben Spencer | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Shadow Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology | |
| Assumed office 6 November 2024 | |
| Leader | Kemi Badenoch |
| Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care | |
| In office 19 July 2024 – 6 November 2024 | |
| Leader | Rishi Sunak |
| Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party | |
| In office 25 November 2023 – 5 July 2024 | |
| Leader | Rishi Sunak |
| Member of Parliament for Runnymede and Weybridge | |
| Assumed office 12 December 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Philip Hammond |
| Majority | 7,627 (15.8%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Benjamin Walter Jack Spencer[1] 11 December 1981 |
| Party | Conservative |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | Official website |
Early life and career
Ben Spencer was born on 11 December 1981 in Liverpool. He attended a state grammar school in the West Midlands. He has a masters in mental health law and a PhD on decision-making capacity.[3]
Spencer worked for ten years as a doctor for the NHS, specialising in mental health.[3]
Parliamentary career
At the snap 2017 general election, Ben Spencer stood in Camberwell and Peckham, coming second with 12.8% of the vote behind the incumbent Labour MP Harriet Harman.[4][5][6]
Spencer was elected to Parliament at the 2019 general election as MP for Runnymede and Weybridge with 54.9% of the vote and a majority of 18,270.[7]
He was a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee from March 2020 to May 2024.[8]
On 3 October 2022, he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister without Portfolio and Chairman of the Conservative Party Jake Berry.[9] On 25 November 2023, he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party for Campaigning and Candidates – Disability and Diversity.[10]
At the 2024 general election, Spencer was re-elected as MP for Runnymede and Weybridge with a greatly reduced majority of 7,627.[11]
On 19 July 2024, he was appointed as Shadow Minister of State for Mental Health, Prevention and Public Health.[12]
Following the election of Kemi Badenoch in the 2024 Conservative leadership election, Spencer was made Shadow Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology.
