Patrick McLoughlin

Patrick Allen McLoughlin, born 30 November 1957, in Stafford is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1986, initially for West Derbyshire and since 2010 for its successor, the Derbyshire Dales constituency. He is currently the coalition government's Chief Whip in the House of Commons, having held the same portfolio in opposition prior to the 2010 election.

Background

McLoughlin was born in Stafford, the son and grandson of coal miners. He was educated at the Cardinal Griffin Roman Catholic School in Cannock, Staffordshire, and Staffordshire College of Agriculture at Rodbaston College. From 1974 he worked for five years as a farm worker and after 1979 worked underground at the Littleton Colliery in Cannock. He was a member of the National Union of Mineworkers, he became an industrial representative for the National Coal Board's Western Area Marketing Department.

Political career

McLoughlin was elected as a councillor on the Cannock Chase District Council for seven years from 1980, and also a councillor on Staffordshire County Council from 1981-87.

In 1982, McLoughlin served as the Chairman of the National Young Conservatives.

McLoughlin unsuccessfully contested Wolverhampton South East at the 1983 General Election, but was defeated by 5,000 votes by the sitting Labour MP Robert Edwards.

Matthew Parris, the sitting Conservative MP for West Derbyshire, resigned from the House of Commons in 1986 to pursue a media career and McLoughlin was chosen to fight the by-election. He held the seat, albeit very narrowly, with a wafer-thin 100 majority.

In Parliament, McLoughlin served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary initially to Angela Rumbold, the Minister of State at the Department for Education and Science (1987–88), and then to David Young, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1988–89). He was made a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1989, and served in the Department for Transport until 1992, when he was moved by Prime Minister John Major to serve in the same position at the Department of Employment. A year later he was moved to the Department of Trade and Industry.

McLoughlin joined the government Whips' Office in 1995 as an assistant, becoming a Lord Commissioner in 1996. After the Conservative Party's defeat at the 1997 general election, he remained in the whips' office in opposition, becoming the Deputy Chief Whip in 1998. He was then promoted to Chief Whip by David Cameron in 2005. He has also served on many select committees. As Opposition Chief Whip, he was sworn of the Privy Council in June 2005.

nded by the Speaker John Bercow for inappropriate behaviour within the House of Commons

Personal life

McLoughlin has been married to Lynn Newman since 1984. The couple have one son and one daughter.