27 Facts About Craig Mackinlay

Craig Mackinlay was Member of Parliament for South Thanet from 2015 to 2024.

Craig Mackinlay underwent a quadruple amputation following an infection of sepsis in 2023.

Craig Mackinlay stood down as an MP at the 2024 general election and was appointed to the House of Lords.

Craig Mackinlay's parents, Colin and Margaret Mackinlay, were both born in Kent.

Craig Mackinlay first became engaged in politics after observing the impact of Britain's membership of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism on clients and friends who were going bankrupt as a result of soaring interest rates.

Craig Mackinlay stood again in Gillingham at the 1997 general election, receiving 590 votes.

Craig Mackinlay decided that the only way to keep the party going was to rework its constitution and hold a leadership election.

Craig Mackinlay stood in the election against Michael Holmes and Gerald Roberts.

Craig Mackinlay stood unsuccessfully in the 1994,1999 and 2004 European elections.

In July 2005, Craig Mackinlay defected from UKIP to the Conservative Party.

Craig Mackinlay was elected as a Conservative councillor on Medway Council in 2007 and re-elected in May 2011 with an increased majority.

In May 2011, Craig Mackinlay was appointed a member of Kent Police Authority.

In June 2012, Craig Mackinlay was selected as the Conservative candidate for the office of Kent Police and Crime Commissioner.

In 2015, Craig Mackinlay was elected as Member of Parliament for South Thanet at the general election, where he stood against UKIP leader Nigel Farage and comedian Al Murray, among others.

In June 2018 it was reported that Craig Mackinlay had been found to have twice breached parliament's rules due to a potential financial interest, according to a decision by its standards watchdog.

Craig Mackinlay has previously sat on the Work and Pensions Select Committee and European Scrutiny Committee.

Craig Mackinlay leads the Net Zero Scrutiny Group, a group created in 2021 of about 20 Conservative MPs who argue against the Westminster consensus to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 regardless of the economic cost.

Craig Mackinlay initially planned to contest the new seat of East Thanet, which contained the majority of his former seat of South Thanet, at the 2024 general election, but announced on 24 May 2024 that he would not do so, owing to his ongoing rehabilitation and recovery from a severe case of sepsis that required the amputation of his lower arms and legs.

Kent Police began an investigation into the spending returns of Craig Mackinlay following the Channel 4 report.

On 14 March 2017, it was reported that Craig Mackinlay had been interviewed under caution by officers investigating the allegations.

Gray was acquitted in December 2018, and Craig Mackinlay was acquitted on 9 January 2019.

Craig Mackinlay was appointed a justice of the peace on the North Kent bench in 2006.

Craig Mackinlay pledged to use his position to campaign for greater awareness of sepsis and to improve the quality of prosthetics offered to amputees.

Craig Mackinlay married Katalin "Kati" Madi, a Hungarian pharmacist, in 2011.

In September 2023, Craig Mackinlay developed a very rapidly progressing case of sepsis and was placed in an induced coma for 16 days.

Craig Mackinlay was fitted with prosthetic limbs and expressed a desire to be known as the first "bionic MP".

Craig Mackinlay received a rare standing ovation when he returned to the House of Commons on 22 May 2024.