Minister of State for Transport
Which position did Mike Penning hold in May 2010?
Mike Penning Sir Michael Alan Penning ( born 28 September 1957 ) is a British Conservative Party politician , who has served as the Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Hemel Hempstead since 2005 . Penning was the Minister of State for the Armed Forces from 2016 to 2017 , having previously served as the Minister of State for Justice and Minister of State for Policing from 2014 to 2016 , the Minister for Disabled People from 2013 to 2014 , the Minister of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2013 , and the Minister of State for Transport from 2010 to 2012 Early life and career . Penning was born in Finchley , North London , and raised in the neighbouring county of Essex . He went to Appleton School , South Benfleet , before attending King Edmund School in Rochford . He enlisted in the British Army as a Grenadier Guardsman after leaving school , and served several tours in Northern Ireland , Kenya and Germany . During his time in the Grenadiers , an officer , Captain Robert Nairac , GC , was abducted and murdered by the IRA . After leaving the Army , Penning subsequently worked as a firefighter for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service , before joining his family business prior to embarking upon his career in public service through political journalism . He is known to be an avid supporter of Tottenham Hotspur F.C . Political career . In the mid-1990s , Penning worked as a media adviser to the Euro-rebels who had had the Conservative Party whip removed by Prime Minister John Major during the Maastricht rebellion . He was subsequently the election agent to Sir Teddy Taylor during the 1997 general election . He stood for election in Thurrock at the 2001 general election , coming second to Labours Andrew MacKinlay . Following this , he was appointed as a chief adviser to William Hague as Leader of the Opposition , later becoming the Conservative Partys Deputy Head of Media under the brief and unpopular leadership of Iain Duncan Smith . Member of Parliament . At the 2005 general election Penning stood in the Labour-held seat of Hemel Hempstead , narrowly defeating sitting MP Tony McWalter . Penning overturned McWalters 2001 majority of 3,742 votes and won the seat ( after a partial recount ) by 499 votes . In July 2007 , Penning was promoted by Conservative Leader David Cameron to the post of Shadow Minister for Public Health . The Buncefield fire occurred on 11 December 2005 and led to some 2,700 claims for compensation . In the words of neighbouring MP Peter Lilley , There is something providential about the fact that the worst fire in western Europe since the Second World War should occur in a constituency represented by a fireman . It was undoubtedly in the interests of all his constituents and mine to have someone so knowledgeable , as well as so vigorous in their response , to represent their interests . Penning , who arrived on the scene within half an hour of the explosion , had himself been trained to deal with much smaller petroleum fires ; the scenario was that one tank not twenty was affected . Dexion workers , 700 of whom worked in the constituency , lost their pensions when the company went into receivership in 2003 . Dexion played a prominent part in Dr Ros Altmanns Pensions theft campaign . Penning , whose support for Dexion preceded his election , offered compensation from unclaimed assets in his 2005 Manifesto and has spoken on the issue 26 times in Parliament . Dexion pensioners were featured celebrating a victory at the High Court in February 2007 which eventually led to increased compensation from the then-Labour government . According to Theyworkforyou.com , Penning spoke in an above average number of debates from 2009 to 2010 and replied to a very high number of messages . He also received replies to an above average number of written questions . The quality of those questions was disputed by a 2006 Times article about the Theyworkforyou website which Penning used to email constituents . His 624 questions in 10 months included one on sales of lost property in Royal Parks since records began . The newspaper suggested the objective was to increase ratings on the website , an allegation rejected by Penning . Penning occasionally rebelled , with two percent of his votes being against the Whip , and was very strongly in favour of a smoking ban . Pennings parliamentary expenses details have been published as part of a general publication of all MPs expenses . In 2009 , he claimed a total of £135,078 , 502nd of all MPs . The Legg Report found no problem with his expenses . Penning did , however , voluntarily repay £2.99 for a dog bowl , which was the lowest recorded repayment by any MP . In the June 2017 General Election he held Hemel Hempstead with a reduced majority of 9,445 , but with an increased share of the vote ( 55% ) . Minister of State . Penning achieved one of the largest increases in his majority of all MPs at the 2010 general election , when he took 50% of the vote share to hold the seat with a majority of 13,406 . This result relegated Labours Ayfer Orhan to third place behind the Liberal Democrat candidate Richard Grayson , representing the largest swing from the Labour Party to the Conservative Party ( a 14.4% swing ) in the country . Following that election , Prime Minister David Cameron appointed him a Minister of State for Transport , with roads and shipping being among his responsibilities . In his capacity as Minister for Shipping , Penning presented Efthimios Mitropoulos ( immediate past-IMO Secretary-General ) with the insignia of in Greece on behalf of The Queen . In his role as Road Safety Minister , he suggested that the Dutch could learn about cyclist safety from the British . However , cycling ambassador Roelof Wittink said that although the UK had a lower death toll per head of population , the Dutch use cycles far more and have one third of the fatalities per mile cycled . In the reshuffle of 4 September 2012 , Penning was moved to become Minister of State for Northern Ireland , a position he held for just over a year until being promoted to become Minister of State for Disabled People on 7 October 2013 . He was subsequently promoted a second time on 15 July 2014 to serve as both the Minister of State for Policing and the Minister of State for Justice , and was also sworn of the Privy Council . In the 2015 general election , Penning increased his majority by 2.9% to 52.9% to hold his seat with a 14,420 majority . In the subsequent reshuffle , Penning was appointed as Minister of State in the Home Office for Policing and Criminal Justice . Following the June 2017 general election , he was relieved of ministerial duties . Brexit . Penning supported Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum . Personal life . Penning lives in Hemel Hempstead with his wife Angela . He employs his wife as his Office Manager on an annual salary up to £40,000 . He has two daughters . Described as one of dimmest MPs by Alan Duncan Honours . - General Service Medal with ‘NORTHERN IRELAND’ Clasp - Privy Counsellor ( 2014 ) - Knight Bachelor ( 2017 ) External links . - Conservative Party – Mike Penning biography - Guardian Unlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle : Mike Penning MP - Debretts People of Today