Richard became Gloucester's MP on the 7th May 2010, with a majority of 2,420 and a swing of 8.9% from Labour to Conservative - one of the most dramatic changes in the country.
He was one of the first three MPs to intervene in debates before making his maiden speech, highlighting the need for additional apprenticeships and their role in stimulating growth in business and the manufacturing sector in particular.
Richard's maiden speech can be seen here:
http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=6332&st=15:02
His main theme was that Gloucester is a great working city which has always made things: today we need business growth from cutting business tax, reducing the mountains of regulations, avoiding the Jobs Tax and providing more apprenticeships. from business growth comes new jobs, and from both of those comes tax revenues to provide our services.
At the same time we need to reform the benefits system to encourage people to go back into work and reward them for working, not reward them NOT to work.
Richard lives with his wife Anthea and their three children in Westgate. Until the end of January, when he resigned his day time job to focus entirely on Gloucester, he was responsible for a business that looks after the investments of corporate and government pension funds and charities.
Richard has previous experience of the RAF, airline management and diplomacy, and has had board and trustee roles for charities, government trade bodies, Chambers of Commerce and local government.
He believes in a strong role for the voluntary sector, is a member of about 20 voluntary charities or voluntary organisations in Gloucester and plays cricket for Gloucester City Winget Cricket Club.
Richard's philosophy:
Politics is not primarily about political leaders, the House of Commons, Afghanistan or even Iraq, though these things grab the headlines.
It’s about every person’s daily experience of life – of lots of little and not so little things that make life better, or worse: the buses and bus shelters, the pension, housing and other support for the old, weak and vulnerable: the streets not filthy, the park not a hideout for drug distribution, and the rubbish collected. We hope for inspiration from the library and the local museum: and exercise and well being from our local leisure centre. We look to teachers to care about our children and the hospitals to care about our sick: to the police to protect us from crime; and to the armed forces and intelligence services to defend us from terrorism and other threats. and above all we need our businesses to be able to grow in a stable tax, regulatory and legislative environment - so that they can provide jobs for our young and tax for our public services.
Is there anyone who can read this and still say - these things don't matter, I'm not interested in politics?
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Council