The Rt Hon Mark Francois MP
Biography
Mark Francois served as Minister for Portsmouth for Communities and Local Government from May 2015 until July 2016. Previously he served as Vice Chamberlain of Her Majesty’s Household, Government Whips Office from May 2010 until September 2012 and Minister of State for the Armed Forces from September 2012 until May 2015. He was elected the Conservative MP for Rayleigh and Wickford in 2010.
Education
Mark was born in Islington in 1965 and moved to Basildon in Essex in 1971. He now lives in Rayleigh.
He studied history at Bristol University and War Studies at King’s College, London. He served as an infantry officer in the Territorial Army, including with the local Royal Anglian Regiment, in the 1980s.
Political career
- Member of Basildon District Council, 1991 and served as the Vice-Chairman of the Housing Committee, 1992 to 1995
- MP for Rayleigh, June 2001 to 2010
- Opposition Whips’ office with departmental responsibility for home affairs, health and education, 2002 to 2004
- Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury, 2004 to 2005, and Shadow Paymaster General, 2005
- Shadow Minister for Europe 2007, and member of the Shadow Cabinet, 2009
- Vice Chamberlain of Her Majesty’s Household, a senior position in the Government Whips Office, 2010
- Member of the Privy Council, 2010
- Minister of State for the Armed Forces in October 2013
Career outside politics
Before becoming an MP, Mark worked in banking and as a self-employed consultant. In 1988 he joined lobbying company Market Access International, leaving as a director in 1996 to set up his own lobbying firm Francois Associates.
Personal life
Mark enjoys reading, hill walking and history, particularly military history.