Biography

Mark Lancaster has had something of an explosive career. He has worked in his family’s firework business, served as a bomb disposal officer in the army, and in 2005 was the first pyrotechnician to have been elected to the House of Commons.

Mark’s primary passion is his constituency, Milton Keynes North, to which he was returned with an 8,961 majority in May 2010. The 40-year-old lives in the town of Olney, which sits in the rural heart of the constituency, having grown up in nearby Kimbolton. He read his first degree at Buckingham University and went on to complete an MBA at Exeter University, before working in the family firework manufacturing company based in Kimbolton – the last such manufacturer in the country.

Mark’s military career spans 22 years, beginning when he served as an officer in the Queens Gurkha Engineers in Hong Kong on a gap year commission. Still serving as a bomb disposal officer in the Territorial Army, he spent the 2006 summer recess on active service alongside our troops in Afghanistan. This was the third time that Mark volunteered for active service since 2000, having previous served as part of the NATO peacekeeping force in both Kosovo and Bosnia.

Mark is a keen sportsman, supporting his local team, MK Dons, and has opened the batting for the House of Commons Cricket team. As a hobby, Mark collects and restores classic British motorcycles.

Campaigns

In nearly six years as an MP Mark has spearheaded numerous campaigns to great success. His most notable was pushing for infrastructure before expansion – I before E – to ensure that Milton Keynes has the facilities it needs before housing growth.

More recently he has been involved in raising awareness of safety in multi-occupancy houses after two tragic deaths in Fishermead in September 2010.

He recently scored a result when the Government admitted it would reconsider its school admissions processes after he called an adjournment debate on the matter in December 2010, following the chaos in Milton Keynes.

Fighting for the right of service men and women, he is currently he is pressing the Government to allow the armed forces to be able to play the National Lottery abroad. He cites one of his greatest victories as retaining funding for the TAs when the previous Government threatened to cut it.

This year Mark has introduced a Bill to Parliament that will allow the Royal Mint to produce a special coin to mark the 2012 Olympic Games.

Mark is determined to secure city status for Milton Keynes in 2012, having tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament in January 2010.

Meanwhile, Mark and his team fight countless individual battles on a daily basis; the office has completed more than 8,000 pieces of casework since 2005.

Parliamentary roles

Mark is currently Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell.

In opposition he served as a whip (2006) and Shadow Minister for International Development (2007-10). Mark has also served on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Select Committee (2005), Defence Committee (2006) International Development Select Committee (2009-10).  He is currently on the committee scrutinising the Armed Forces Bill.

He is also a member of the All Party Nepal, Hong Kong, China, USA, University, Football, Cricket, United Nations and Beer groups, as well as acting as an (unpaid) parliamentary advisor to the Royal Society of Chemistry

Useful links

Mark’s maiden speech: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debate/?id=2005-06-06a.1070.0

Mark’s registered interests: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/100927/lancaster_mark.htm