26 Facts About Craig Tracey

Craig Paul Tracey was born on 21 August 1974 and is a British Conservative Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for North Warwickshire from 2015 until his defeat in 2024.

Craig Tracey's father came to England from Ireland during the 1960s, while his mother is a native of the North East.

Craig Tracey's parents founded a business in Durham, and after leaving school at 17, Tracey started his own insurance broker's business in 1996, at the age of 21.

Craig Tracey moved to North Warwickshire in 1997, settling in the village of Shuttington.

Shortly before his 2015 election to the House of Commons Craig Tracey sold his Lichfield-based business, Dunelm Insurance, to Academy Insurance of Berkshire.

Craig Tracey was selected by secret ballot to contest the North Warwickshire constituency for the Conservatives in September 2014, after the sitting MP, Dan Byles, decided not to re-contest the seat.

Craig Tracey supported Conservative plans for a referendum on European Union membership.

However, Craig Tracey secured an increased majority for his party, from 54 to 2,973, winning 20,042 votes, compared to 17,069 for O'Brien.

Shortly after his election Craig Tracey told the trade journal Insurance Age that he would promote small businesses, as well as involving himself in the All Party Parliamentary Group on Insurance and Financial Services, with a view to highlighting the impact financial regulations can have on small businesses.

Craig Tracey was appointed co-chair of the group in July 2016, after the previous chair, Heather Wheeler, stood aside after being appointed an assistant Conservative whip.

Craig Tracey was elected on to the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee in July 2015, alongside the Labour MPs Iain Wright, Paul Blomfield, Peter Kyle and Jo Stevens, Conservatives Richard Fuller, Amanda Milling, Amanda Solloway, Kelly Tolhurst and Chris White, and Scottish National Party MP Michelle Thomson.

Craig Tracey asked his first question in the House of Commons in June 2015, when he quizzed Junior Health Minister Sam Gyimah about childcare provisions.

Craig Tracey gave his maiden speech to the House of Commons on 9 July 2015.

That month saw Craig Tracey establish his constituency office in Atherstone.

Craig Tracey gave evidence to the House of Commons HS2 select committee in January 2016, raising concerns about the effect the railway may have on the villages of Kingsbury and Water Orton.

However, Craig Tracey was one of eight MPs barred from giving evidence to a similar House of Lords committee, established in 2016.

Craig Tracey subsequently supported the Criminal Driving Bill, introduced by Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland.

In September 2015 Craig Tracey joined Tamworth MP and fellow Conservative Christopher Pincher in giving his backing to a campaign calling for safety improvements at a notorious accident blackspot in his constituency.

Craig Tracey was one of 129 Conservative MPs to support a vote to leave the European Union during the 2016 European Union membership referendum.

Craig Tracey joined other Midlands Conservative MPs in paying tribute to Prime Minister David Cameron after he announced his resignation in the aftermath of the referendum.

Craig Tracey gave his support to Andrea Leadsom in the subsequent Conservative leadership election to replace Cameron.

In September 2016, Craig Tracey wrote to the Electoral Commission calling for his constituency to be renamed North Warwickshire and Bedworth in the proposed 2018 review of Westminster constituency boundaries.

Craig Tracey was selected as North Warwickshire's Conservative candidate again for the 2017 general election.

Craig Tracey won the seat with 26,860, increasing his majority to 8,510.

Craig Tracey married his fiancee, Karen Mercer-West, two weeks after he was selected as the candidate for North Warwickshire, and the couple spent their honeymoon at the 2014 Conservative Party Conference.

Craig Tracey is a founding Trustee of the Lichfield Garrick Theatre.