Colin Clark (politician)

Colin Clark
Official portrait, 2017
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
In office
27 July 2019 – 16 December 2019
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byIan Duncan
Succeeded byDouglas Ross
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office
27 July 2019 – 16 December 2019
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byGeorge Hollingbery
Succeeded byDouglas Ross
Member of Parliament
for Gordon
In office
8 June 2017 – 6 November 2019
Preceded byAlex Salmond
Succeeded byRichard Thomson
Personal details
Born
Colin James Clark[1]

(1969-05-20) 20 May 1969 (age 55)[2]
Aberdeen, Scotland
Political partyConservative
SpousePhilippa Jones (m. 2005)
Children2
Alma materHeriot-Watt University

Colin James Clark (born 20 May 1969) is a Scottish politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gordon from 2017 to 2019. He is a member of the Scottish Conservatives.

Early life

Clark was educated at Turriff Academy, a comprehensive school and Heriot-Watt University.[3] He worked in business and agriculture until his election to the House of Commons.[4]

Political career

During the 2015 UK general election campaign, Clark's Scottish National Party opponent in Gordon, Alex Salmond, recorded in his diary: "The Tory candidate, Colin Clark, cuts an impressive figure but his politics are far too dry for this area. If the constituency were composed entirely of michty fairmers then he might be the ideal candidate. But it isn't and he is not."[5]

Clark then contested the East Aberdeenshire constituency at the 2016 Holyrood elections, and finished second to Gillian Martin of the SNP with a 29% share of the vote. Clark was elected to Aberdeenshire Council at a 2016 by-election and re-elected in May 2017, shortly before the 2017 snap general election, at which he was elected as the MP for Gordon with a majority of 2,607 votes over former First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond.[3][6]

In January 2019, Clark was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Department for Work and Pensions. He also sat on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Backbench Committee. On 27 July 2019, Clark was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland and a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury in the first Johnson ministry.[7][8]

Clark was unseated at the 2019 United Kingdom general election by the SNP candidate Richard Thomson, who won with a narrow majority of 819 votes.[9]

Later career

Clark was blocked by Ruth Davidson from standing at the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.[10]

References

  1. ^ "No. 27885". The Edinburgh Gazette. 19 June 2017. p. 1076.
  2. ^ "Clark, Colin James". Who's Who. Vol. 2018 (February 2018 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 13 February 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ a b Haslam, Dale (29 July 2019). "New cabinet role will benefit north-east, says MP Colin Clark". Evening Express. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  4. ^ "About Colin Clark". Colin Clark MP.
  5. ^ The Dream Shall Never die.
  6. ^ Razaq, Lindsay (10 June 2017). "'Gordon giant-slayer' Colin Clark says Salmond thought he was "too big to fall"". Press and Journal.
  7. ^ "Colin Clark MP - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  8. ^ "Colin Clark MP". UK Parliament.
  9. ^ "UK Parliamentary Election Results - Gordon" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 December 2019.
  10. ^ O'Donoghue, Daniel (5 February 2021). "Ruth Davidson sparks Tory row over ex-Gordon MP". Press and Journal. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Gordon
2017–2019 		Succeeded by