Benjamin Gascoigne, Baron Gascoigne

The Right Honourable
The Lord Gascoigne
Official portrait, 2023
Lord-in-Waiting
Government Whip
In office
14 November 2023 – 5 July 2024
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office
11 July 2023
Life peerage
Political Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office
2019–2020
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byDanny Kruger
Succeeded byDeclan Lyons
Personal details
Born
Benjamin Alexander Gascoigne

(1983-03-05) 5 March 1983 (age 41)
NationalityBritish
Political partyConservative
EducationNelson and Colne College
Alma materUniversity of Hull
OccupationSpecial adviser

Benjamin Alexander Gascoigne, Baron Gascoigne (born 5 March 1983)[1][2] is a British political adviser and life peer. He served as Political Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2020 and the deputy chief of staff to Prime Minister Boris Johnson from 2021 to 2022.[3] Gascoigne had also been his private secretary when Johnson was Mayor of London, and also served as an adviser when Johnson was Foreign Secretary.[4]

He was given a life peerage in the 2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours.[5]

Biography

[edit]

Gascoigne was educated at Nelson and Colne College, a further education college in Nelson, Lancashire, where he studied A-levels in politics, history and English language. He studied politics at the University of Hull.[6]

Following graduation, Gascoigne worked at Pendle Community Credit Union for two years.[6] He then took a job at Conservative Campaign Headquarters, before working on Boris Johnson's campaign to become Mayor of London in 2008.[6]

From 2009 to 2015, Gascoigne was private secretary to Johnson when he was Mayor of London.[7] He worked on Johnson's campaign to be elected member of parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in the 2015 General Election.[8] He was then a special adviser to Johnson when he was Foreign Secretary from 2016 to 2018.[7] In 2019, he briefly left politics: he worked at Grayling, a PR company, as a director in its public affairs team.[8] From December 2019 to 2021, he served as Political Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; to Johnson when he was Prime Minister.[9] Then, from 2021 to 2022, he was deputy chief of staff at 10 Downing Street.[9]

House of Lords

[edit]

In 2023, Gascoigne was nominated for a life peerage by Johnson in his delayed resignation honours.[5][10] He was created Baron Gascoigne, of Pendle in the County of Lancashire, on 10 July,[1] and was introduced to the House of Lords on 18 July.[11] He sits in the Lords for the Conservative Party.[12] He made his maiden speech on 13 November 2023 during the debate following the 2023 King's Speech.[13]

In Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's November 2023 cabinet reshuffle, Gascoigne was appointed a lord-in-waiting and junior government whip in the Lords.[14]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "No. 64114". The London Gazette. 14 July 2023. p. 13966.
  2. ^ "Benjamin Gascoigne". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  3. ^ PA, Helen William (2023-06-09). "Boris Johnson's seven allies who are to join the House of Lords". The Irish News. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
  4. ^ "Who's Inside No.10? These Are The Key Figures In Downing Street's Power Struggle". HuffPost UK. 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  5. ^ a b "Resignation Peerages 2023" (PDF). gov.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Taylor, Leanne (13 August 2014). "Former College student Ben continues to shine". Nelson & Colne College. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  7. ^ a b Cardwell, Peter (2020). The secret life of special advisers. London: Biteback Publishing. ISBN 978-1785906312.
  8. ^ a b Harrington, John (18 January 2019). "Grayling hires ex-Boris Johnson adviser". PRWeek.com. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  9. ^ a b Seldon, Anthony; Newell, Raymond (2023). Johnson at 10: The Inside Story. London: Atlantic Books. ISBN 978-1838958022.
  10. ^ "No. 64120". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 July 2023. p. 14502.
  11. ^ "Introduction: Lord Gascoigne". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 831. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Lords. 18 July 2023. col. 2193.
  12. ^ "Lord Gascoigne". Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  13. ^ Lord Gascoigne (13 November 2023). "King's Speech". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 834. United Kingdom: House of Lords. col. 302–303.
  14. ^ "Lord Gascoigne". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
[edit]
Government offices
Preceded by Political Secretary to the Prime Minister
2019–2020 		Succeeded by
Declan Lyons
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gentlemen
Baron Gascoigne 		Followed by


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