John Penrose, MP for Weston-super-Mare and Minister for Tourism & Heritage

John had an extensive and successful business career before he entered Parliament, working for large, blue chip companies as well as his own small, entrepreneurial firms [details here]. As a result he understands the pressures – and the rewards – of working in business and is committed to helping wealth creators in big companies or tiny start-ups to build successful firms that provide jobs, growth and economic security for everyone.

In 2009, John was appointed Shadow Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), where he wrote the Party’s policy on cutting red tape and quangos (details here) which has now become coalition Government policy. John’s ideas of ‘one-in, one-out’ regulatory budgets and regular reviews of all quangos are now making a profound and continuing impact on the way Whitehall works.

John believes it’s essential Britain has stronger skills to compete in the ‘knowledge economy’ of the 21st century. He is a long-standing Governor and Associate Governor of Weston College, and was joint Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning from 2005 to 2009 for the same reason.

After the 2010 election John became Tourism minister and produced the country’s first fully-fledged Tourism Policy [details here] for many years. The sector grew strongly during John’s tenure as Minister; you can read more about his achievements [here].

In 2013 John published a new Policy Paper on Britain’s unloved utilities companies (gas, electricity, water, banks etc) called ‘We Deserve Better’, on how politicians could give consumers more powers to find better deals when they’re being ripped off by their current suppliers. It was favourably reviewed by the FT and has attracted widespread interest from regulators, utilities firms and consumer groups alike.

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