16 Facts About Mike Penning

Sir Michael Alan Penning was born on 28 September 1957 and is a British Conservative Party politician, who has served as the Member of Parliament for Hemel Hempstead since 2005.

Mike Penning was the Minister of State for the Armed Forces from 2016 to 2017, having previously served as the Minister of State for Justice and Minister of State for Policing from 2014 to 2016, the Minister for Disabled People from 2013 to 2014, the Minister of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2013, and the Minister of State for Transport from 2010 to 2012.

Mike Penning remains in the House of Commons as a backbencher.

Mike Penning was born in Finchley, North London, and raised in the neighbouring county of Essex.

Mike Penning went to Appleton School, South Benfleet, before attending King Edmund School in Rochford.

Mike Penning enlisted in the British Army as a Grenadier Guardsman after leaving school, and served several tours in Northern Ireland, Kenya and Germany.

Mike Penning was the election agent to Sir Teddy Taylor during the 1997 general election.

Mike Penning stood for election in Thurrock at the 2001 general election, coming second to Labour's Andrew MacKinlay.

At the 2005 general election Mike Penning stood in the Labour-held seat of Hemel Hempstead, narrowly defeating sitting MP Tony McWalter.

Mike Penning overturned McWalter's 2001 majority of 3,742 votes and won the seat by 499 votes.

In July 2007, Mike Penning was promoted by Conservative Leader David Cameron to the post of Shadow Minister for Public Health.

Mike Penning received replies to an "above average" number of written questions.

The quality of those questions was disputed by a 2006 Times article about the Theyworkforyou website which Mike Penning used to email constituents.

Mike Penning "occasionally rebelled", with two percent of his votes being against the Whip, and was "very strongly" in favour of a smoking ban.

Mike Penning was promoted a second time on 15 July 2014 to serve as both the Minister of State for Policing and the Minister of State for Justice, and was sworn of the Privy Council.

Mike Penning resigned as vice chairman of the Conservative Party in order to publicly support Penny Mordaunt's campaign in the July 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.