Mark Francois
Mark Gino Francois (/frɑːnˈswɑː/; born 14 August 1965) is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rayleigh and Wickford, since the 2001 general election.
Mark Francois | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2020 | |
| Chair of the European Research Group | |
| Assumed office 3 March 2020 | |
| Deputy | David Jones Andrea Jenkyns |
| Leader | Boris Johnson Liz Truss Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | Steve Baker |
| Deputy Chair of the European Research Group | |
| In office 19 March 2018 – 3 March 2020 | |
| Leader | Theresa May Boris Johnson |
| Chairman | Jacob Rees-Mogg Steve Baker |
| Preceded by | Michael Tomlinson |
| Succeeded by | David Jones |
| Minister of State for Communities and Resilience | |
| In office 11 May 2015 – 16 July 2016 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Minister of State for Portsmouth | |
| In office 11 May 2015 – 16 July 2016 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron Theresa May |
| Preceded by | Matt Hancock |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Minister of State for the Armed Forces | |
| In office 7 October 2013 – 11 May 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Andrew Robathan |
| Succeeded by | Penny Mordaunt |
| Minister of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans | |
| In office 4 September 2012 – 7 October 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Andrew Robathan |
| Succeeded by | Anna Soubry |
| Vice-Chamberlain of the Household | |
| In office 11 May 2010 – 4 September 2012 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Helen Jones |
| Succeeded by | Greg Knight |
| Shadow Minister for Europe | |
| In office 29 May 2007 – 11 May 2010 | |
| Leader | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Graham Brady |
| Succeeded by | Chris Bryant |
| Member of Parliament for Rayleigh and Wickford Rayleigh (2001–2010) | |
| Assumed office 7 June 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Clark |
| Majority | 31,000 (56.5%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 August 1965 London, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouses | Karen Thomas
(m. 2000; div. 2006)Olivia Sanders (m. 2022) |
| Residence(s) | Rayleigh, Essex, England |
| Alma mater | University of Bristol King's College London |
| Website | www |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1985–1989 part-time reservist |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | Royal Anglian Regiment Army Catering Corps Reserves |
Francois served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household (2010–2012), a Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (2012–2013) and Minister of State for the Armed Forces (2013–2015). He was also Minister of State for Communities and Resilience and Minister for Portsmouth at the Department for Communities and Local Government from 2015 to 2016.
In 2018, he was appointed deputy chair and de facto whip of the eurosceptic European Research Group (ERG) by chair Jacob Rees-Mogg. He was a critic of the leadership of Theresa May during her time as leader of the Conservative Party. In March 2020 he became the Chair of the ERG.