Born in Swindon in 1970, Mark Harper studied PPE at the Brasenose College, Oxford and went onto become a chartered accountant in 1995. Prior to entering politics, Mark held positions with KPMG and Intel, before setting up his own accountancy practice.
Mark first contested the Forest of Dean seat in 2001, when he narrowly missed victory to Labour’s Diana Organ by 2,049 votes. In 2005, however, Mark captured the seat for the Conservatives and has held it ever since, most recently increasing his majority to over 23,000. Whilst in opposition, Mark was made the Shadow Minister for Defence and later the Shadow Minister for Disabled people. In 2010, Mark was appointed as Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, and made Minister of State for Immigration at the Home Office in 2012. Continuing his rise within the Conservatives, in 2014, Mark was made the Minister for Disabled People, and, after the Conservatives’ impressive 2015 general election victory, appointed as Chief Whip by the Prime Minister, also being made a member of the Privy Council.
Following his re-election in 2015, Mark said, “I am very grateful to all those who voted for me to continue to serve as your local MP. As I have always said over the last 10 years, I will continue to serve all my constituents to the best of my ability, whoever they voted for. Our manifesto is a manifesto for people across the UK, and together we can make Great Britain greater still.”
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