The Secretary of State has appointed Rt Hon Sir Patrick McLoughlin CH as Chair of the British Tourist Authority.
Rt Hon Sir Patrick McLoughlin CH has been appointed by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as Chair of the BTA for three years from 1 June 2020 to 31 May 2023.
Patrick McLoughlin was the Member of Parliament for Derbyshire Dales from 1986 to 2019.
Patrick was born in Staffordshire in 1957. He attended a comprehensive school, leaving at 16. His early employment included catering and agriculture, before following his father and grandfather to work underground. He became a member of the National Union of Mineworkers working through the 1983-4 miners’ strike, in the absence of a national ballot. He has considerable experience in local and national politics as a councillor on Cannock Chase District and Staffordshire County Councils until 1987.
Positions held by Patrick include Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (PUS) at the Department of Transport from 1989 - 1992, PUS at the Department of Employment from 1992 - 1993, PUS at the Department of Trade and Industry from 1993 - 1994, Whip from 1995 – 2012, Opposition Chief Whip from 2005 – 2010, Government Chief Whip from 2010-2012, Secretary of State for Transport from 2012 – 2016, Chairman of the Conservative Party and Chancellor to the Duchy of Lancaster from 2016 – 2018. And from 2018 – 2019 Patrick has been a Member of the Parliament Restoration Board and a Member of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee.
In 2016, Patrick was knighted in David Cameron’s resignation honours list. In 2019, he was made a Companion of Honour, in Theresa May’s resignation honours list.
In November 2019, Patrick decided not to seek re-election.
This role is remunerated at £40,000 per annum. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments, the process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Government’s Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared. This is defined as holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. Sir Patrick McLoughlin has declared he was a Member of Parliament for the Conservitive Party from 1986 until he stood down in 2019.