James Duddridge, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Rochford and Southend East, has been reappointed by Conservative Prime Minister as the Minister for Overseas Territories (OT). This is part of his job as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

It was only last August Duddridge got the appointment following the resignation of Mark Simmonds.

From Wikipedia

James Philip Duddridge (born 26 August 1971) is a British Conservative politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Rochford and Southend East and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

He has served as a government whip, and before entering politics he worked as a merchant banker.

Early life

Born in Bristol, Duddridge was educated at Huddersfield High School and The Blue School, Wells. He read Government at the University of Essex, tutored by Professor Anthony King, graduating B.A. in 1993.

Duddridge served as Chairman of the Wells Young Conservatives from 1989 until 1991, and was elected Chairman of Essex University’s Conservative Association in 1990. In 1991, Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin appointed him as a researcher.
Professional career

After graduating in 1993, Duddridge embarked upon a retail and merchant banking career with Barclays until 2005. The company posted him to Africa with the Bank of Swaziland between 1995 and 1996, before he went on to be sales director for Banque Belgolaise in Ivory Coast until 1998. Duddridge returned to the UK in 1998 as Barclays national sales manager, and was seconded as service delivery director by Barclays Bank of Botswana in 2001. He was also a consultant and director of YouGov from 2000, remaining in both positions until his election as an MP in 2005.
Political career

Duddridge contested Rother Valley at the 2001 general election unsuccessfully for the Conservative Party, finishing second some 14,882 votes behind the sitting Labour MP, Kevin Barron. He was subsequently selected as the Conservatives’ parliamentary candidate for Rochford and Southend East at the 2005 general election, following Sir Teddy Taylor’s retirement. He held the seat for the Conservatives with a majority of 5,494 and delivered his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 9 June 2005.[1]

From 2005 to 2007, Duddridge served on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, and the International Development Committee from 2006 to 2008, and in January 2008, he was appointed an Opposition Whip. He was returned at the 2010 general election again as Rochford and Southend East’s MP, becoming a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury (Government Whip) with responsibility for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Education, but later left government in Prime Minister David Cameron’s September 2012 reshuffle.

Notably, on 3 December 2010, Duddridge was permitted to reply on HM Government’s behalf from the Despatch Box during an Adjournment debate, a rarity as Commons Whips — particularly Government Whips — by convention do not speak in the Chamber.[2]

James Duddridge voted in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill at both its second reading in February 2013[3] and its third reading in May 2013.[4]

On 11 August 2014, it was announced that Duddridge would return to Government as Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs following the resignation of Mark Simmonds.[5]

Duddridge is seen as a hardline Eurosceptic having suggested in Parliament that the Government should tell the European Commissioner to “sod off” rather than pay benefits to Romanians and Bulgarians[6]

Controversies

During the expenses scandal it was alleged that Duddridge claimed £53,000 over three years for redecoration and mortgage repayments on his second property.[7] Despite owning two properties in London, he still claims a further £11,000 of expenses per year to fund overnight accommodation at London hotels.[8]

In Spring 2014, Duddridge caused controversy by holding his constituency surgery in a branch of Halifax bank, exclusively for Halifax customers.[9]

In April 2015, Duddridge faced criticism for blocking some of his constituents on Twitter. The users who were blocked had politely asked him to clarify his policies and complained that they were left unable to contact their local MP on the social media site.[10]

It was reported that Duddridge earns £6,000 a year from a second job as an advisor to a firm of financial planners.[11]

Personal life

Duddridge married Kathryn (Katy) Thompson in May 2004 at St Albans, and they live in Southend-on-Sea with their sons, Tom and Henry, and daughter Mary.

He is a member of the Carlton Club and MCC.