Richard Benyon
Richard Henry Ronald Benyon, Baron Benyon PC[1][2] (born 21 October 1960) is a British politician who has served as Minister of State for Climate, Environment and Energy since 2023.[3] A member of the Conservative Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Newbury from 2005 to 2019.
This article is about the former MP for Newbury. For other uses, see Richard Benyon (disambiguation).
The Lord Benyon
- Robbie Moore
(Rural) - The Lord Douglas-Miller
(Biosecurity)
Scott Mann
Vacant
21 October 1960
Reading, Berkshire, England
Emma Villiers (divorced)
Zoe Robinson
5 sons
1981–85
Benyon studied at the Royal Agricultural College and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before serving in the British Army, being posted to Northern Ireland and the Far East with the Royal Green Jackets. He was elected to Newbury Council in 1991 and became Conservative group leader in 1994.
Benyon became MP for Newbury at the 2005 general election. In opposition, he served on the Home Affairs Select Committee, as an opposition whip and as a shadow minister for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Under David Cameron, he first served as a government minister at DEFRA from May 2010 to October 2013. He had the Conservative whip removed on 3 September 2019 by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, after voting against the government, and sat as an independent MP until he had the whip restored on 28 October 2019.
In December 2020, it was announced Benyon would have a life peerage conferred after a nomination by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.[4] Following the resignation of Lord Gardiner of Kimble in May 2021, he was again made Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.[5]
Early life[edit]
Benyon was born on 21 October 1960 in Reading.[6] He is the son of Sir William Richard Benyon, a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1992,[7] and is the great-great-grandson of former Conservative Prime Minister Lord Salisbury.[8] He was educated at nearby Bradfield College and the Royal Agricultural College.
Military service[edit]
Having attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets, British Army, as a second lieutenant on 8 August 1981.[9] He was promoted to lieutenant on 8 August 1983.[10]
During his four years' service, he was posted to Northern Ireland, other parts of the UK, and the Far East.[11] He transferred to the Regular Army Reserve of Officers on 8 August 1984, thereby ending his military career but maintaining call-up liability.[12]
Philanthropy[edit]
Benyon is a patron of the charity, Berkshire Vision, a charity dedicated to supported the visually impaired in the county.[27]
Benyon is one of nine Vice-Presidents of Berkshire County Scout Council.
Property[edit]
He controls the Englefield Estate, a 14,000 acre estate of mainly rural land and property in West Berkshire and Hampshire between Reading, Newbury and Basingstoke. It is the largest private landowner in West Berkshire.[28] The family seat is Englefield House, a large Grade II* Listed building owned by the Benyon family for many generations.
Englefield Estates owns the Benyon Estate, a portfolio of 371 homes in Hackney, London. His brother Edward Benyon manages the London properties. In March 2014, the Benyon Estate bought a 10% stake in the New Era Estate in Hoxton, and was awarded the contract to manage the estate. They sold their share in November 2014 following a dispute over rent.[29]
Benyon also owns the Glenmazeran Estate in Inverness, Scotland.
Personal life[edit]
In December 2017, Benyon was banned from driving for six months after admitting to using a mobile phone while driving 5 to 7 metres in a traffic jam. He had previously spoken out against mobile phone-using drivers after four people were killed by a distracted driver in an accident in his constituency.[30]