David Gauke

David Gauke
MP
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Assumed office
15 July 2014
Monarch Elizabeth II
Prime Minister David Cameron
Chancellor George Osborne
Preceded by Nicky Morgan
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
In office
13 May 2010 – 15 July 2014
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by Sarah McCarthy-Fry
Succeeded by Priti Patel
Member of Parliament
for South West Hertfordshire
Assumed office
5 May 2005
Preceded by Richard Page
Majority 23,263 (40.6%)
Personal details
Born (1971-10-08) 8 October 1971
Ipswich, England
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Rachel Gauke
Alma mater St Edmund Hall, Oxford
Website Official website

David Michael Gauke (born 8 October 1971) is a British Conservative Party politician and solicitor. He is the Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Hertfordshire and current Financial Secretary to the Treasury.

Early life

Gauke was educated at Northgate High School in Ipswich, Suffolk before attending St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in law in 1993, and the College of Law in Chester where he graduated in legal practice in 1995.

Professional career

He was a researcher to the Conservative MP for Milton Keynes South West Barry Legg in 1993. He worked as a trainee solicitor with Richards Butler from 1995, being admitted as a solicitor in 1997. From 1999 to 2005, he was a solicitor in the financial services group at Macfarlanes,[1] a corporate law firm.

Political career

Gauke was elected as the vice chairman of the Brent East Conservative Association for two years from 1998, and contested the seat at the 2001 general election finishing in second place 13,047 votes behind the Labour MP Paul Daisley. He was elected to the House of Commons at the 2005 general election for Hertfordshire South West following the retirement of Richard Page. Gauke won the seat with a majority of 8,473, making his maiden speech on 9 June 2005.[2]

Following his election he served as a member of the Procedure Select Committee between 2005 and 2008. Gauke was a member of the Treasury Select Committee between 2006 and 2007 before joining the Opposition frontbench as a shadow Treasury minister.

Following his re-election at the 2010 general election, he was appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.

In December 2013 Gauke was reported to HM Revenue and Customs after advertising an unpaid six-month "training post" at his constituency office in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire.[3]

Expenses

Gauke claimed £10,248.32 in stamp duty and fees involved in the purchase of his second home in London, a flat. A Channel 4 Dispatches programme revealed that he was claiming expenses on the flat in central London despite having a property located only one hour away on public transport.

Gauke sold the flat in August 2012, keeping £27,000, the property price having increased by £67,000 since purchase. He paid nearly £40,000 of this to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) as MPs only have to pay back any profit made in the previous two years [4]

He told the UK public that negotiating a price discount with a tradesmen for paying in cash for the purposes of evading tax is morally wrong.[5]

Personal life

Gauke is married to Rachel, who is a professional support lawyer specialising in corporate tax at legal research provider LexisNexis.[6] They have three sons and live in Chorleywood.[7] He is a lifelong supporter of Ipswich Town F.C.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Your fate in their hands, Legal Week, 18 November 2004
  2. ↑ House of Commons Debates for 9 June 2005 UK Parliament
  3. ↑ Gil, Natalie. "Minister reported to own department for advertising unpaid post in his office". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  4. ↑ Claire Newell,Holly Watt and Christopher Hope (16 November 2012). "Minister in cash row keeps £27,000 profit from sale of second home". DailyTelegraph.co.uk.
  5. ↑ "Paying tradesmen cash in hand morally wrong, says minister". BBC News (BBC). 24 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  6. ↑ Biography of Rachel Gauke, LexisWeb.co.uk
  7. ↑ "Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury: David Gauke MP". HM Treasury. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  8. ↑ Biography of David Gauke, conservatives.com

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to David Gauke.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Richard Page		 Member of Parliament
for South West Hertfordshire
2005–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Sarah McCarthy-Fry		 Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
2010–2014 		Succeeded by
Priti Patel
Preceded by
Nicky Morgan		 Financial Secretary to the Treasury
2014–present 		Incumbent
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