London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Richard Henry Ronald Benyon is a popular British politician. He is serving as the Minister of State for Biosecurity, Marine, and Rural Affairs since 2022. Moreover, he is a member of the Conservative party and has been an active member of parliament for Newbury from 2005 to 2019. If you are interested to know more about Richard Benyon, here are some details.
Bio & Early Life
Richard Henry Benyon was born on 21st October 1960. He completed his studies at Royal Agricultural College and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Right after his studies, he started to serve in the British Army. For that, he was posted to Northern Ireland and the Far East along with the Royal Green Jackets. If this isn’t enough he was elected to the Newbury Council in 1991.
In 1994 he became one of the active members of a Conservative group leader. He is the son of Sir William Richard Benyon who was a Conservative Member of Parliament. Moreover, he is the great-great-grandson of former Conservative Prime Minister Lord Salisbury.
Military Service & Political Career
As Richard completed his studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he had to join the military. He became a part of the British Army as a Lieutenant on 8th August 1981. Therefore he was promoted to Lieutenant in 1983. During this four-year service, he got posted to Northern Ireland, the UK, and the Far East.
He was transferred to the regular Army Reserve of officers. Right after that, he completed his military career. Once he completed the military service he was elected to politics in 1991. He started working at the Newbury District Council. Moreover, he became the leader of the Conservative group in 1994. At this time he lost his seat in the council in 1995.
House of Commons
Richard Benyon started to contest at the Newbury constituency at the general elections in 1997. However, he lost heavily to the election of incumbent Liberal Democrat David Rendel. In the general elections of 2001, Rendel came out as the victor but with a reduced majority. After some years he contested the elections in Newbury again. This time Benyon was elected with a majority of 3,460 and replaced Rendel.
Richard made an impressive maiden speed on 20th May 2005. From 2005 to 2007, he served on the Home Affairs Select Committee. After that, he became an Opposition Whip. If this isn’t enough he became the Shadow Minister for the Environment, Food and Rural affairs. After being elected for the general elections in 2010 he became a prominent part of the Government. He became one of the first 15 MPs to support David Cameron’s conservative Party Leadership bid.
In 2012 Richard refused a personal request from other MPs. He was against the deadly poison that is given to the kill raptors. This was eventually banned in Canada and European Union. As it seemed like a criminal offense an action was taken against it. According to the Green Party MP Caroline Lucas:
“The minister’s shocking refusal to outlaw the possession of a poison used only by rogue gamekeepers to illegally kill birds of prey would be inexplicable were it not for his cozy links to the shooting lobby’’.
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Personal Life, Relationships & Net Worth
According to Sunday Time Rich List, Richard Benyon has a net worth of £130 million. He is in control of Englefield Estate which was around 14,000-acre estate. It included both rural land and property in West Berkshire, Hampshire, and Reading. Along with that, he has some other properties in Newbury and Basingstoke. He has become the largest private landowner in West Berkshire.
His family is living in an Englefield house that is built for many generations till now. Moreover, he is the owner of Glenmazeran Estate in Inverness, Scotland. According to a report from the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, he signed a big partnership. He paid around £15,000 per annum for the UK Water Partnership. This non-profit organization is set up to promote the water Sector in the UK.
After some time he employed his sister, Catherine Haig who is a part-time researcher. Richard has been receiving many donations that feature a total amount of £8,250 in 2018. He got a total of three payments with a total amount of £7,000.
In 2017, Richard was banned from driving for about six months. He was caught talking on the phone while driving and got into an accident. Richard got married twice to ladies Emma Villiers and Zoe Robinson. He has got a total of five children.