Mark MacGregor
Encyclopedia
Mark MacGregor is a British Conservative Party
politician. As a student, he was Chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students
. Subsequently, he fought several parliamentary elections for the party, and also became Chief Executive of Conservative Central Office until he was removed by Iain Duncan Smith
in February 2003.
in London and Heriot-Watt University
, Edinburgh, where he graduated with a degree in Economics
and Modern History
. He was previously the National Chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students
(FCS), where he was associated with the libertarian
faction.
In October 2002, MacGregor accepted undisclosed libel damages and a public apology at the High Court over allegations in Punch
magazine, which claimed that he once wore a T-shirt bearing the words "Hang Nelson Mandela". Mr Justice Eady was told that MacGregor had never been chairman or a member of the Young Monday Club, nor had he ever supported forced or voluntary repatriation of immigrants, as had been falsely claimed by the magazine. Mr MacGregor also successfully sued the Daily Mail for libel over similar allegations related to his period as Chairman of the FCS.
for the Tories. Labour's Tony Banks
got 24,531 votes (72.9%), MacGregor 5,037 (15.0).
MacGregor contested the South Thanet constituency for the first time in 2001
. On that occasion Stephen Ladyman
polled 18,002 votes for Labour
(45.7%) while MacGregor got 16,210 for the Conservatives (41.1%). He stood once again in the 2005 general election
, when he failed by 664 votes to defeat Ladyman, and BBC suggests the 2,079 votes gained by the UK Independence Party candidate, Nigel Farage
, is likely to have cost MacGregor the seat.
(IDS) on becoming Party leader. In his psychometric evaluation, he was judged to have "a brilliant mind". One of his first actions as chief executive was to push through a £1 million budget cut to stabilise the party's poor finances.
In his role, MacGregor was credited with drafting the speech for the then Chairman of the Conservative Party, Theresa May
MP, which described the Tories as "the nasty party". Former front-bencher, John Bercow
said MacGregor was a "talented and imaginative arch-moderniser" who organised a successful 2002 Party conference.
In a dispute over the leadership of IDS, Tebbit also called for McGregor's dismissal as the party's chief executive in 2002. Tebbit branded MacGregor as "one of the spotty youths" who were trying to make the Tories more socially inclusive. Tebbit said: "I don't think he was a good Chief Executive... I think that he was not a good influence in Central Office." In February 2003, IDS replaced MacGregor with the former MP, Barry Legg
without consulting the party board, which is responsible for all operational matters; he also replaced Rick Nye, the director of policy. Board members were furious at not having been consulted.
Central Office was quoted as saying that MacGregor's departure was "long-planned and by mutual consent". He wanted to become a parliamentary candidate and could not do so while Chief Executive, but he had reportedly clashed with Smith both over policy and organisational issues as well as the vexed issue of Duncan-Smith's wife working for her husband. (See #Betsygate)
Central Office claims were undermined the following day when Michael Portillo
MP (a leadership candidate should IDS have fallen on his sword), raised fresh doubts about Iain Duncan Smith's leadership of the Conservatives saying he was deeply disappointed by the replacement of Mark MacGregor. Portillo said : "Mark MacGregor and Rick Nye are two of the most talented people that the party has ever employed and their achievements will be badly missed." John Bercow praised MacGregor's loyalty, but also lamented the loss of his talent and creativity, adding "the modernising agenda has been at best, sidelined and at worst, lost".
' group in the 1990s though he is no longer involved in the organisation. Robbie Gibb one-time Chief of Staff for Francis Maude and brother of Nick Gibb
, MP was best man at McGregor's wedding. The two were near neighbours in Pimlico
in the 1990s and have been friends since MacGregor was chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students and Gibb a leader of the Conservative Students in the mid-Eighties.
In the 1983
and 1987
General Elections, MacGregor worked for Michael Forsyth
who was elected in the marginal seat of Stirling
in Scotland. He was Francis Maude
's campaign manager in the 1992 General Election. Maude would lose his marginal North Warwickshire seat, despite winning more votes than at the election before.
Staunch supporter of Michael Portillo
, MacGregor was behind the decision to install extra phone lines in a house in Lord North Street in 1995, as a possible campaign HQ for Portillo when it appeared Major
was on the point of being ousted by the right.
He also ran the Conservative Mayoral campaign in 2004
to elect Steve Norris as Mayor of London – Norris eventually came a close second to Ken Livingstone
.
In 2006, he supported David Handley
in his bid for the leadership of the National Farmers Union
.
In January 2006 the Conservatives launched an inquiry into the "Betsygate
affair" and MacGregor's alleged role in it. The Sunday Telegraph revealed that the party had been re-investigating the saga surrounding payments made by the former leader, Iain Duncan Smith, to his wife, Betsy, for secretarial work in 2003. In the private report MacGregor was cleared of any wrongdoing. IDS, however, lays the blame for his downfall completely at MacGregor's feet, and threatened to resign the party whip if either MacGregor or alleged co-conspirator Vanessa Gearson were ever again able to stand as Conservative candidates.
The then party chairman, Francis Maude
, is accused by the traditionalist Cornerstone Group
of backbenchers of wanting to rehabilitate the two figures as part of Mr Cameron's wider drive for young, talented would-be MPs. These 40 or so backbench MPs have been working to prevent either being adopted as parliamentary candidates, and have thrown down the gauntlet.
Both MacGregor and Gearson were put back onto the parliamentary candidates list. On 17 October 2006, Thanet South Conservative Association announced that it had selected Laura Sandys
to fight the seat at the next General Election in preference to MacGregor who had wished to contest the seat again.
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician. As a student, he was Chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students
Federation of Conservative Students
The Federation of Conservative Students was the student organisation of the British Conservative Party from the late 1940s to 1986. It was created to act as a bridge between the student movement and the Conservative Party....
. Subsequently, he fought several parliamentary elections for the party, and also became Chief Executive of Conservative Central Office until he was removed by Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
in February 2003.
Biography
MacGregor was born in 1961. He was educated at Emanuel SchoolEmanuel School
Emanuel School is a co-educational independent school in Battersea, south-west London. The school was founded by Lady Dacre and Elizabeth I in 1594. Today it has some 710 pupils, aged between ten and eighteen.-History:...
in London and Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University
Heriot-Watt University is a university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The name commemorates George Heriot, the 16th century financier to King James, and James Watt, the great 18th century inventor and engineer....
, Edinburgh, where he graduated with a degree in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and Modern History
Modern history
Modern history, or the modern era, describes the historical timeline after the Middle Ages. Modern history can be further broken down into the early modern period and the late modern period after the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution...
. He was previously the National Chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students
Federation of Conservative Students
The Federation of Conservative Students was the student organisation of the British Conservative Party from the late 1940s to 1986. It was created to act as a bridge between the student movement and the Conservative Party....
(FCS), where he was associated with the libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
faction.
In October 2002, MacGregor accepted undisclosed libel damages and a public apology at the High Court over allegations in Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
magazine, which claimed that he once wore a T-shirt bearing the words "Hang Nelson Mandela". Mr Justice Eady was told that MacGregor had never been chairman or a member of the Young Monday Club, nor had he ever supported forced or voluntary repatriation of immigrants, as had been falsely claimed by the magazine. Mr MacGregor also successfully sued the Daily Mail for libel over similar allegations related to his period as Chairman of the FCS.
Non-political career
Worked for Michael Forsyth, and then became Director of Marketforce Communications, his own PR agency and conference organiser. Currently CEO of IT services company Connect Support ServicesConnect Support Services
Connect Support Services Ltd. is a British computer services company based in London, England.Connect was founded by Adam Afriyie, who is now Conservative MP for Windsor. The company provides various IT and cloud services to SMEs both directly and via a network of reseller partners...
Parliamentary contests
In 1997, MacGregor contested the ultra-safe Labour seat of West HamWest Ham
West Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing...
for the Tories. Labour's Tony Banks
Tony Banks, Baron Stratford
Anthony Louis Banks, Baron Stratford was a British Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament from 1983 to 2005, before being made a Member of the House of Lords. In government, he served for two years as Minister for Sport...
got 24,531 votes (72.9%), MacGregor 5,037 (15.0).
MacGregor contested the South Thanet constituency for the first time in 2001
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
. On that occasion Stephen Ladyman
Stephen Ladyman
Stephen John Ladyman is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for South Thanet from 1997 until 2010.-Early life:...
polled 18,002 votes for Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
(45.7%) while MacGregor got 16,210 for the Conservatives (41.1%). He stood once again in the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, when he failed by 664 votes to defeat Ladyman, and BBC suggests the 2,079 votes gained by the UK Independence Party candidate, Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage
Nigel Paul Farage MEP , a position he previously held from September 2006 to November 2009. He is a current Member of the European Parliament for South East England and co-chairs the Eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Democracy group....
, is likely to have cost MacGregor the seat.
Internal party posts
MacGregor was elected Chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students in 1985, and Chairman of the National Association of Conservative Graduates, 1989–90.Chief Executive
In 2002, MacGregor was named the new Chief Executive of the Conservative Central Office appointed by Iain Duncan SmithIain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
(IDS) on becoming Party leader. In his psychometric evaluation, he was judged to have "a brilliant mind". One of his first actions as chief executive was to push through a £1 million budget cut to stabilise the party's poor finances.
In his role, MacGregor was credited with drafting the speech for the then Chairman of the Conservative Party, Theresa May
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May is a British Conservative politician who is Home Secretary in the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition government. She was elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, and served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party, 2003–04...
MP, which described the Tories as "the nasty party". Former front-bencher, John Bercow
John Bercow
John Simon Bercow is a British politician who has been the Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom since June 2009. Prior to his election to Speaker he was a member of the Conservative party....
said MacGregor was a "talented and imaginative arch-moderniser" who organised a successful 2002 Party conference.
In a dispute over the leadership of IDS, Tebbit also called for McGregor's dismissal as the party's chief executive in 2002. Tebbit branded MacGregor as "one of the spotty youths" who were trying to make the Tories more socially inclusive. Tebbit said: "I don't think he was a good Chief Executive... I think that he was not a good influence in Central Office." In February 2003, IDS replaced MacGregor with the former MP, Barry Legg
Barry Legg
Barry Charles Legg was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Milton Keynes South West from 1992 until the 1997 general election when he was defeated by Labour's Phyllis Starkey. He was one of the Maastricht Rebels. He is the chairman of the Bruges GroupHe was controversially selected by Iain...
without consulting the party board, which is responsible for all operational matters; he also replaced Rick Nye, the director of policy. Board members were furious at not having been consulted.
Central Office was quoted as saying that MacGregor's departure was "long-planned and by mutual consent". He wanted to become a parliamentary candidate and could not do so while Chief Executive, but he had reportedly clashed with Smith both over policy and organisational issues as well as the vexed issue of Duncan-Smith's wife working for her husband. (See #Betsygate)
Central Office claims were undermined the following day when Michael Portillo
Michael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister...
MP (a leadership candidate should IDS have fallen on his sword), raised fresh doubts about Iain Duncan Smith's leadership of the Conservatives saying he was deeply disappointed by the replacement of Mark MacGregor. Portillo said : "Mark MacGregor and Rick Nye are two of the most talented people that the party has ever employed and their achievements will be badly missed." John Bercow praised MacGregor's loyalty, but also lamented the loss of his talent and creativity, adding "the modernising agenda has been at best, sidelined and at worst, lost".
Personal political allegiances
Mr MacGregor was an active member of the Thatcherite 'Conservative Way ForwardConservative Way Forward
Conservative Way Forward is a British campaigning group that operates within the Conservative Party. It is a Thatcherite group in outlook and agenda, and Baroness Thatcher herself is the President....
' group in the 1990s though he is no longer involved in the organisation. Robbie Gibb one-time Chief of Staff for Francis Maude and brother of Nick Gibb
Nick Gibb
Nicolas John "Nick" Gibb is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton...
, MP was best man at McGregor's wedding. The two were near neighbours in Pimlico
Pimlico
Pimlico is a small area of central London in the City of Westminster. Like Belgravia, to which it was built as a southern extension, Pimlico is known for its grand garden squares and impressive Regency architecture....
in the 1990s and have been friends since MacGregor was chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students and Gibb a leader of the Conservative Students in the mid-Eighties.
In the 1983
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
and 1987
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
General Elections, MacGregor worked for Michael Forsyth
Michael Forsyth, Baron Forsyth of Drumlean
Michael Bruce Forsyth, Baron Forsyth of Drumlean PC, Kt is a British financier and politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Stirling from 1983 to 1997 and served in the cabinet of John Major as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1995 to 1997...
who was elected in the marginal seat of Stirling
Stirling (UK Parliament constituency)
Stirling is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
in Scotland. He was Francis Maude
Francis Maude
Francis Anthony Aylmer Maude is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he currently serves as the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, and as a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Horsham...
's campaign manager in the 1992 General Election. Maude would lose his marginal North Warwickshire seat, despite winning more votes than at the election before.
Staunch supporter of Michael Portillo
Michael Portillo
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo is a British journalist, broadcaster, and former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister...
, MacGregor was behind the decision to install extra phone lines in a house in Lord North Street in 1995, as a possible campaign HQ for Portillo when it appeared Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
was on the point of being ousted by the right.
He also ran the Conservative Mayoral campaign in 2004
London mayoral election, 2004
The 2004 election to the post of Mayor of London took place on 10 June 2004. It was being held on the same day as other local elections and the UK part of the 2004 European Parliament elections, so Londoners had a total of five votes on three ballot papers. Polling opened at 07:00 local time, and...
to elect Steve Norris as Mayor of London – Norris eventually came a close second to Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
.
In 2006, he supported David Handley
David Handley
David Handley is the leader of the militant pressure group Farmers for Action.-Biography:He was a leader of the UK fuel protestors in September 2000...
in his bid for the leadership of the National Farmers Union
National Farmers Union
National Farmers Union may refer to:*National Farmers Union *National Farmers Union *National Farmers Union *National Farmers Union of Scotland*National Farmers Union -See also:...
.
Betsygate
Allegations which surfaced concerning the payment, out of the Parliamentary purse, of wages to Betsy Duncan Smith led to an investigation into the conduct of IDS by the House of Commons Committee of Standards and PrivilegesIn January 2006 the Conservatives launched an inquiry into the "Betsygate
Betsygate
Betsygate was a minor political scandal in the United Kingdom while Iain Duncan Smith was Leader of the Conservative Party. The scandal was over the level of pay that lain Duncan Smith’s wife Elisabeth enjoyed as her husband’s diary secretary....
affair" and MacGregor's alleged role in it. The Sunday Telegraph revealed that the party had been re-investigating the saga surrounding payments made by the former leader, Iain Duncan Smith, to his wife, Betsy, for secretarial work in 2003. In the private report MacGregor was cleared of any wrongdoing. IDS, however, lays the blame for his downfall completely at MacGregor's feet, and threatened to resign the party whip if either MacGregor or alleged co-conspirator Vanessa Gearson were ever again able to stand as Conservative candidates.
The then party chairman, Francis Maude
Francis Maude
Francis Anthony Aylmer Maude is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he currently serves as the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, and as a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Horsham...
, is accused by the traditionalist Cornerstone Group
Cornerstone Group
The Cornerstone Group is a socially conservative or traditional conservative political organisation within the British Conservative Party. The group emphasises traditional values, exemplified by the motto: Faith, Flag, and Family. It consists of Members of Parliament with a traditionalist stance,...
of backbenchers of wanting to rehabilitate the two figures as part of Mr Cameron's wider drive for young, talented would-be MPs. These 40 or so backbench MPs have been working to prevent either being adopted as parliamentary candidates, and have thrown down the gauntlet.
Both MacGregor and Gearson were put back onto the parliamentary candidates list. On 17 October 2006, Thanet South Conservative Association announced that it had selected Laura Sandys
Laura Sandys
Laura Jane Sandys is a British Conservative Party politician. She has been the Member of Parliament for South Thanet since the general election on 6 May 2010.-Early life:...
to fight the seat at the next General Election in preference to MacGregor who had wished to contest the seat again.