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Mark Reckless

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Mark Reckless
Reckless in 2016
Leader of the Brexit Party in Wales
In office
15 May 2019 – 19 October 2020
LeaderNigel Farage
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byNathan Gill (Reform UK)
Member of the Senedd
for South Wales East
In office
5 May 2016 – 29 April 2021
Preceded byWilliam Graham
Succeeded byNatasha Asghar
UKIP Spokesperson for Economics
In office
18 August 2015 – 6 April 2017
LeaderNigel Farage
Diane James
Paul Nuttall
Preceded byPatrick O'Flynn
Succeeded byPatrick O'Flynn
Member of Parliament
for Rochester and Strood
In office
20 November 2014 – 30 March 2015
Preceded byhimself
Succeeded byKelly Tolhurst
In office
6 May 2010 – 30 September 2014
Preceded byBob Marshall-Andrews (Medway)
Succeeded byhimself
Personal details
Born
Mark John Reckless

(1970-12-06) 6 December 1970 (age 53)
London, England
Political partyReform UK (2019-2020; 2024 - present)
Other political
affiliations		Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party (2020–2021)
Independent (member of the Conservative Group in the Senedd) (2017–2019)
UK Independence Party (2014–2017)
Conservative (2002–2014)
SpouseCatriona Brown
Alma materChrist Church, Oxford
The University of Law
Columbia Business School
WebsiteOfficial website

Mark John Reckless (born 6 December 1970) is a British lawyer and former politician who served as a Member of the Senedd (MS) for South Wales East from 2016 until 2021, having previously served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Rochester and Strood from 2010 to 2015. Initially a member of the Conservative Party, he crossed the floor to join the UK Independence Party (UKIP) in September 2014. He has since changed parties a further four times. He is currently a member of Reform UK.[1]

While a member of the House of Commons, Reckless was noted for his rebelliousness; he cast 56 votes against the whip between 2010 and 2014, making him the 13th most rebellious Conservative Party MP in the period. He led a rebellion of 53 Conservative MPs on the EU budget, which inflicted the first House of Commons defeat on the coalition government. From November 2010, he served as a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee. After crossing the floor, he won re-election as a UKIP MP in a by-election held in November 2014 but lost his seat to the Conservatives at the 2015 general election.

A Eurosceptic, Reckless was elected to the National Assembly for Wales, later known as the Senedd, in 2016. He campaigned to leave the European Union in the 2016 EU membership referendum. He subsequently left UKIP to join the Conservative group in the National Assembly before joining the Brexit Party in 2019 when he was appointed its leader in the National Assembly by Nigel Farage.[2] On 19 October 2020, Reckless joined the Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party; the party lost both of its seats in the 2021 Senedd election.[3]

Personal life and career

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Born in London, Reckless is a grandson of Henry McDevitt, who served as a Fianna Fáil TD for Donegal East in Dáil Éireann, the Irish parliament, from 1938 until 1943.[4] His mother emigrated to the UK when she was 17 to train as a nurse; however, Reckless has said that he does not see his mother as an "immigrant" and stated "I don't consider myself to have an immigrant background".[5]

Reckless was educated at Marlborough College before attending Christ Church, Oxford,[6] where he read philosophy, politics and economics. He then pursued postgraduate studies at Columbia Business School in the United States, receiving an MBA. At Columbia he studied alongside writer Jacob Appel, and is the subject of several thinly-veiled anecdotes in Appel's satire The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up.[7] After university, he trained as a barrister at the College of Law, gaining an LLB, and was called to the Bar in 2007.

In the mid-1990s, Reckless worked for UBS Warburg.[8] In the late 1990s, he worked as a strategy consultant and associate in Financial Services Group at Booz Allen Hamilton.[9] Until his election in May 2010, Reckless had been a solicitor at Herbert Smith[10] and had worked on legal matters that had had dealings with private investigators.[11] He was a member of the Kent Police Authority from 2007 to 2011.

He married Catriona Brown at Westminster Cathedral on 1 October 2011; the reception was held in the Palace of Westminster.[12] His best man was Daniel Hannan MEP.[13] Reckless had been the best man at Hannan's wedding.[14] In May 2015 Catriona Brown-Reckless was elected as a UKIP Councillor for Strood South in Medway. She resigned in September 2016.[15] In May 2022 she was elected as a Welsh Conservative Councillor for the ward of Pentyrch and St Fagans in Cardiff.[16]

Political career

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At the 2001 UK General Election, Reckless ran as the Conservative Party candidate for the Medway constituency, coming second.[17] During the campaign he caused controversy by handing out a leaflet which claimed incumbent Labour MP Bob Marshall-Andrews "had a target" to admit 10,000 refugees per week.[18][19] Andrews responded saying he was quoted out of context in relation to assisting people fleeing genocide during the Kosovo War.

Between 2002 and 2014, Reckless was a member of the policy unit at Conservative Central Office where he wrote a book on deregulation policy[20] as well as overseeing the development of the policy on directly elected police commissioners.[21] The first police and crime commissioner elections took place on 15 November 2012.

In 2002, he was selected again to contest the Medway constituency at the 2005 UK general election.[22] He again came second in the seat, although his opponent Bob Marshall Andrews' majority was reduced significantly, from 3,750 to 213.[23]

Reckless served as a Medway councillor between 2007 and 2011.[24]

Member of Parliament

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In 2008, Reckless was selected to contest the Rochester and Strood constituency for the Conservative Party. He was successfully elected at the 2010 general election,[25]. The UK Independence Party did not run a candidate of their own in Rochester and Strood in 2010, instead endorsing Reckless, and deploying their leader, Malcolm Pearson to campaign for him.[26][27]

Reckless was elected to the Home Affairs Select Committee in 2010.[28] In this capacity he often appeared on Newsnight and other political programmes, arguing for the deportation of clerics Abu Hamza[29] and Abu Qatada.[30] He was one of parliament's most rebellious MPs and was the 13th-most rebellious Conservative MP between 2010 and 2014, casting 56 votes against the whip.[31][32] He was one of only six Conservative MPs to vote against increase of university tuition fees,[33][34] and was a critic of the government's energy policy, arguing that the government's Energy Bill introduced in December 2012 was "a sad retreat for Conservatives".[35]

In July 2010, Reckless apologised for missing a vote on the budget because he was drunk. He said that he "did not feel it was appropriate to take part in the vote because of the amount he had drunk".[36] In 2011, he abstained on the military intervention in Libya.[37]

A Eurosceptic,[38] Reckless is also a critic of the European Court of Human Rights, saying it erodes "British freedom and democracy".[39]

He was chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Georgia.[40] The group's aims are "to facilitate greater parliamentary awareness of developments in Georgia".

On 30 September 2014, Reckless applied for the Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds and therefore ceased to be an MP. A by-election was called on 20 November, at which Reckless was nominated to stand as the UKIP candidate. He was returned as a member of parliament for UKIP, becoming the party's second elected MP.

European Union budget rebellion

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On 31 October 2012, Reckless led a rebellion of 53 Conservative MPs which inflicted the first House of Commons defeat (307 votes to 294) on the coalition government.[41] The Tory rebels voted with Labour MPs to pass an amendment calling for a real-terms cut in the 2014–2020 EU budget multi-annual financial framework. The coalition government supported only a real-terms freeze in the EU budget as a minimum. The amendment was not binding on the government, but damaged prime minister David Cameron's authority on Europe before key EU budget negotiations in November 2012.[42]

Defection to UKIP

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See also: 2014 Rochester and Strood by-election

On 27 September 2014, Reckless defected to the UK Independence Party at its party conference in Doncaster, and announced his resignation in order to seek re-election at a by-election.[43] He became the second Conservative MP in the space of a month to defect to UKIP, the first being his close friend Douglas Carswell. In a speech delivered to the conference, Reckless claimed that the Conservative leadership was 'not serious about real change on Europe', and that 'Britain could be better'.[43]

Although he won the by-election on 20 November 2014 as a UKIP candidate, in the 2015 general election Reckless lost his seat to the Conservative candidate, Kelly Tolhurst.

In June 2015, Reckless was made Director of Policy Development by UKIP.

Member of the Senedd

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In March 2016, Reckless was announced as UKIP's lead candidate for the regional seat of South Wales East despite having no previous links to Wales.[44] He was elected on 5 May 2016.

On 6 April 2017, Reckless left UKIP to join the Conservative Group; however, he did not rejoin the Conservative Party. This move made the Conservative group the second-largest in the Welsh Assembly. Upon leaving, he said, "I leave UKIP positively, having achieved our joint aim, a successful referendum to leave the EU".[45][46][47][48][49]

On 14 April 2019, Reckless left the Conservative Group over the party's failure to deliver Brexit. He then sat as an independent member[50] before joining the Brexit Party the following month.[2]

On 15 May 2019, Reckless stated his intention to form a new Brexit Party political group in the Senedd, along with Caroline Jones, Mandy Jones, and David Rowlands, with himself as the leader of the group.[2] In July 2020, he attracted criticism from pro-devolution Brexit Party volunteers when he stated that he would support the campaign to abolish the Senedd.[51] He then left the party and joined the Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party.[52] He said, since Brexit had been effectively achieved, the work of the Brexit Party was complete.[53] Two weeks later, the Brexit Party was rebranded as Reform UK.[54]

At the 2021 Senedd election, Reckless was the Abolish the Welsh Assembly candidate in Monmouth, where he came seventh, with 1,174 votes (3.3%). He was also his party's lead candidate on the South Wales East list, but was not elected.

Post-Senedd

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In November 2024, Reckless appeared at Reform UK's Wales conference as a speaker and member of the party.[1]

Timeline

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Reform UKAbolish the Welsh Assembly PartyBrexit PartyWelsh ConservativesUKIPConservative Party (UK)

Electoral history

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Rochester and Strood, 2015

General election 2015: Rochester and Strood[55]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Kelly Tolhurst 23,142 44.1 −5.1
UKIP Mark Reckless 16,009 30.5 N/A
Labour Naushabah Khan 10,396 19.8 −8.7
Green Clive Gregory 1,516 2.9 +1.4
Liberal Democrats Prue Bray 1,251 2.4 −13.9
TUSC Dan Burn 202 0.4 +0.4
Majority 7,133 13.6
Turnout 52,516 66.5
Conservative gain from UKIP Swing -17.8
Rochester and Strood 2014

See 2014 Rochester and Strood by-election

Rochester and Strood by-election, 20 November 2014[56][57]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
UKIP Mark Reckless 16,867 42.1 N/A
Conservative Kelly Tolhurst 13,947 34.8 −14.4
Labour Naushabah Khan 6,713 16.8 −11.7
Green Clive Gregory 1,692 4.2 +2.7
Liberal Democrats Geoff Juby 349 0.9 −15.5
Monster Raving Loony Hairy Knorm Davidson 151 0.4 N/A
Independent Stephen Goldsborough 69 0.2 N/A
People Before Profit Nick Long 69 0.2 N/A
Britain First Jayda Fransen 56 0.1 N/A
Independent Mike Barker 54 0.1 N/A
Independent Charlotte Rose 43 0.1 N/A
Patriotic Socialist Party Dave Osborn 33 0.1 N/A
Independent Christopher Challis 22 0.1 N/A
Majority 2,920 7.3
Turnout 40,065 50.6 −14.3
UKIP gain from Conservative Swing 28.3%
Rochester and Strood 2010

The Rochester and Strood seat was fought for the first time at the 2010 general election. Following its boundary review of parliamentary representation in Kent, the Boundary Commission for England renamed the Medway (UK Parliament constituency) seat to Rochester and Strood. This is because the commission agreed that the term Medway is now primarily used for the larger unitary authority.[58]

General election 2010: Rochester and Strood[59]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mark Reckless 23,604 49.2 +6.6
Labour Teresa Murray 13,651 28.5 −13.1
Liberal Democrats Geoff Juby 7,800 16.3 +3.9
English Democrat Ron Sands 2,182 4.5 N/A
Green Simon Marchant 734 1.5 N/A
Majority 9,953 20.7
Turnout 47,971 64.9 +2.5
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +9.8
Medway 2005
General election 2005: Medway[60]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Marshall-Andrews 17,333 42.2 −6.8
Conservative Mark Reckless 17,120 41.7 +2.5
Liberal Democrats Geoffrey Juby 5,152 12.5 +3.2
UKIP Bob Oakley 1,488 3.6 +1.1
Majority 213 0.5
Turnout 41,093 61.1 1.6
Labour hold Swing -4.6
Medway 2001
General election 2001: Medway[61]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Bob Marshall-Andrews 18,914 49.0 +0.1
Conservative Mark Reckless 15,134 39.2 +2.3
Liberal Democrats Geoffrey Juby 3,604 9.3 −0.8
UKIP Nikki Sinclaire 958 2.5 +1.6
Majority 3,780 9.8
Turnout 38,610 59.5 −12.8
Labour hold Swing

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Molaski, Ruth (10 November 2024). "A day inside the Reform UK machine set to be a political force in Wales whether you like it or not". Wales Online. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Assembly members join forces with Farage". 15 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Welsh Parliament election 2021". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021.
  4. ^ Reckless, Mark (5 December 2010). "Over a third of Irish want to leave the Euro for Pound". markreckless.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2010.
  5. ^ Audley, Fiona (20 November 2014). "UKIP's Mark Reckless on the party's Irish policy". Irish Post. Archived from the original on 24 November 2014.
  6. ^ "John Evelyn: Barking". Cherwell. Vol. 199, no. 1. 11 January 1991. p. 11.
  7. ^ Columbia Spectator, 1 October 2014
  8. ^ Mark Reckless: Government borrowing is preventing private lending ConservativeHome 28 November 2008.
  9. ^ Mark Reckless MP Your Local Guardian 26 September 2012.
  10. ^ Solicitors stand as MP Archived 1 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine The Law Society Gazette 29 April 2012.
  11. ^ Home-Affairs-Committee-Formal-Minutes Tuesday 15 May 2012
  12. ^ Nolan, Jaye (3 October 2011). "Rochester and Strood MP Mark Reckless weds Catriona Brown at Westminster Cathedral". Rochester People. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013.
  13. ^ Boyle, Danny (3 October 2011). "MP ties knot at Westminster Cathedral". KentOnline. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014.
  14. ^ Hannan, Daniel (28 July 2008). "Mark Reckless: The best kind of MP". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 July 2009.
  15. ^ Hunter, Chris. "Strood South Cllr Catriona Brown-Reckless resigns". Kent Online. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  16. ^ Shipton, Martin. "Former Brexit Party Leader in Wales advocates for social insurance system to pay for health care". Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  17. ^ "VOTE 2001 - Medway". BBC News. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  18. ^ Bremner, Charles (9 April 2001). "'England for the English'". The Times (UK) – via Nexis.
  19. ^ Sylvester, Rachel (29 March 2001). "Anger over Tory's refugee claim". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 November 2024 – via Nexis.
  20. ^ Reckless, Mark (2004). The Drivers of Regulation. Conservative Policy Unit. ISBN 978-0-9544917-7-2.
  21. ^ Reckless, Mark (27 May 2012). "Mark Reckless MP: Police and Crime Commissioners are one of the great reforms of this Conservative-led government". ConservativeHome. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024.
  22. ^ "A select few". The Guardian. 16 September 2002. p. 3. Retrieved 12 November 2024 – via Nexis.
  23. ^ "'Beaten' Labour MP keeps his seat". BBC News. 6 May 2005. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  24. ^ "Councillor details – Councillor Mark Reckless". democracy.medway.gov.uk. 20 February 2024. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  25. ^ LIST OF MEMBERS RETURNED TO SERVE IN PARLIAMENT AT THE GENERAL ELECTION 2010. The London Gazette, 13 May 2010
  26. ^ Hurst, Greg, ed. (2010). The Times Guide to the House of Commons 2010. London: Times Books. p. 245. ISBN 978-0-00-735158-9.
  27. ^ Woodhouse, Craig (27 April 2010). "UKIP leader to join Euroscpetic rivals on campaign trail". Press Association. Retrieved 12 November 2024 – via Nexis.
  28. ^ "Home Affairs Select Committee - membership". parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 4 September 2010.
  29. ^ Reckless, Mark (6 October 2012). Mark Reckless MP welcomes Abu Hamza deportation - BBC Newsnight Recording (Television production). Retrieved 12 November 2024 – via YouTube.
  30. ^ Mark Reckless (20 April 2012). Mark Reckless: Deport Abu Qatada now! - Recording of BBC Newsnight. Retrieved 12 November 2024 – via YouTube.
  31. ^ "Order, order! Why the newest Tories are a major headache for Cameron". The Independent. 30 December 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  32. ^ Cowley, Philip; Stuart, Mark. "The Four Year Itch" (PDF). University of Nottingham. p. 49. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  33. ^ Pickard, Jim (9 December 2010). "The Tories and Lib Dems who rebelled over tuition fees". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010.
  34. ^ "The Public Whip — University Tuition Fee Cap — Raise Upper Limit to £9,000 Per Year - 9 Dec 2010 at 17:12". www.publicwhip.org.uk. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  35. ^ Reckless, Mark (19 December 2012). "Mark Reckless MP: The Energy Bill is a sad retreat for Conservatives". ConservativeHome.
  36. ^ "Mark Reckless MP sorry for being 'too drunk to vote'". BBC News. 11 July 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  37. ^ "The full list of how MPs voted on Libya action". BBC News. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  38. ^ Wintour, Patrick (30 October 2011). "Conservative Eurosceptics turn fire on UK negotiator". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  39. ^ Beckford, Martin (21 June 2012). "European Court of Human Rights 'gets out begging bowl'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  40. ^ "Register Of All-Party Groups - Georgia". publications.parliament.uk. 20 December 2012. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013.
  41. ^ Watt, Nicholas (31 October 2012). "David Cameron suffers Commons defeat on EU budget". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  42. ^ Watt, Nicholas (31 October 2012). "David Cameron suffers Commons defeat on EU budget". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  43. ^ a b "Mark Reckless defects to UKIP from Tories". BBC News. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  44. ^ "Mark Reckless's political journey from UKIP back to Tory fold". BBC News. 17 September 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  45. ^ "New Ukip turmoil as Conservative defector Mark Reckless quits and rejoins Tories". The Daily Telegraph. 6 April 2017.
  46. ^ Servini, Nick (6 April 2017). "UKIP's Mark Reckless to join Conservatives in assembly". BBC News. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  47. ^ "Mark Reckless quits Ukip to rejoin Conservatives". ITV News. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  48. ^ Reckless, Mark [@MarkReckless] (6 April 2017). "Job done: Why I am joining the Conservative Group in the Welsh Assembly" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 April 2017 – via Twitter.
  49. ^ "New Ukip turmoil as Conservative defector Mark Reckless quits and rejoins Tories". The Daily Telegraph.
  50. ^ "Reckless leaves Tories in Cardiff Bay". BBC News. BBC News. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  51. ^ Robert Harries (13 July 2020). "Mutiny by Brexit Party volunteers after leader Mark Reckless says he wants to abolish the Senedd". WalesOnline. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  52. ^ Grimes, Darren (20 October 2020). "Mark Reckless: From Brexit To Abolish The Welsh Assembly Party". Reasoned. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  53. ^ "Mark Reckless quits Brexit Party to joins Senedd abolition party". BBC News. 19 October 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  54. ^ "Reform UK: Brexit party to rebrand as anti-lockdown voice". the Guardian. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  55. ^ "UK Polling Report".
  56. ^ "Mark Reckless wins Rochester by-election for Ukip with 2,900 majority". The Daily Telegraph. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  57. ^ "UKIP's Reckless wins Rochester seat". BBC News. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  58. ^ Fifth Periodical Report, Volume I: Report, Cm 7032-i (PDF). London: The Stationery Office. 2007. p. 347. ISBN 978-0-10-170322-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  59. ^ "Rochester & Strood". BBC News. 7 May 2010.
  60. ^ "UK General Election results May 2005". Political Science Resources. University of Keele. 11 March 2008. Archived from the original on 6 March 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
  61. ^ "Medway". Political Science Resources. University of Keele. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 13 April 2009.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency Member of Parliament
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2010–2015 		Succeeded by
Senedd
Preceded by Member of the Senedd
for South Wales East
2016 –2021 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Economics Spokesman
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