Andrew Selous

Andrew Selous MP
File:Andrew Selous.jpg
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 July 2014
Preceded by	Jeremy Wright
Member of Parliament for South West Bedfordshire
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 June 2001
Preceded by	David Madel
Majority	17,813 (34.7%)
Personal details
Born	(1962-04-27) 27 April 1962 London, United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Harriet Marston
Children	3
Alma mater	Eton College London School of Economics
Occupation	MP
Profession	Business, Industry, Trade
Religion	Christian
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (TA) Honourable Artillery Company
Years of service	1981-1994
Rank	Major

Andrew Edmund Armstrong Selous /səˈluː/ (born 27 April 1962) Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom who has been the Member of Parliament for South West Bedfordshire since 2001 general election.

Early life

London-born, Selous was educated at West Downs School in the city of Winchester, Hampshire, followed by Eton, and the London School of Economics, receiving a BSc in Industry and Trade in 1984. He was a member of the Territorial Army, a soldier in the Honourable Artillery Company and then an officer in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, between 1981 and 1994. From 1988–94, he was a director of his family firm CNS Electronics (now CNS Farnell). From 1991–2001, he was an underwriter at Great Lakes insurance company.

Parliamentary career

Selous was first elected to the House of Commons in 2001, and had previously contested Sunderland North seat in 1997. He is a director and prominent member of the Conservative Christian Fellowship.

In 2006, Selous was promoted to Shadow Minister for Work and Pensions.

In the Coalition government, he was the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, from 28 May 2010 to 16 July 2014. On 16 July 2014, he was appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice with responsibility for Prisons and Probation and retained this role following the 2015 general election.

He provoked ridicule by making a tweet (subsequently deleted) supporting the removal of benefit entitlement from non-English speakers: "Strongly support the loss of benefits unless claimants lean [sic] English."

He also attracted criticism in 2014 for reportedly telling a meeting that "disabled people work harder because they're grateful to have a job", following a furore over Lord Freud's claim that some disabled people were not worth the minimum wage. Selous subsequently argued that he had simply been trying to convey the message that disabled people were valued by employers, and his observation that disabled people often work harder was supported by a spokesperson for Disability Rights UK.

Selous chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Strengthening Couple Relationships, and argues that cross-party efforts to prevent family breakdown can relieve pressure on the care system. He was opposed to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, arguing that it was directly contrary to what Jesus said.

External links

• Andrew Selous MP Official site
• Andrew Selous: Electoral history and profile The Guardian
• Andrew Selous MP TheyWorkForYou.com
• Voting Record — Andrew Selous MP, South West Bedfordshire (11216) The Public Whip
• Andrew Selous MP BBC Democracy Live, 5 June 2010

News items

• Concerns over housing growth BBC News, 6 November 2003
• Swiss assisted suicide 'may be illegal' BBC News, 16 April 2003
• MP challenges Guides' age policy BBC News, 25 January 2002

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Sir David Madel	Member of Parliament for South West Bedfordshire 2001–present	Incumbent