Mark Garnier

Mark Robert Timothy Garnier[2] OBE (born 26 February 1963) is a British Conservative Party politician and former banker who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Wyre Forest since 2010 and Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury since November 2024.

[7] Garnier subsequently worked as an associate director at Edmond de Rothschild Group and US investment bank Bear Stearns.

[10] Garnier stood as the Conservative candidate in Wyre Forest at the 2005 general election, coming second with 28.7% of the vote behind the incumbent independent MP Richard Taylor.

He thinks can be achieved for young people through vocational courses in higher education that offer practical skills to become entrepreneurial.

[21] Garnier was named by the ConservativeHome website as one of a minority of loyal Conservative backbench MPs not to have voted against the government in any significant rebellions in September 2012.

[24] In November 2014, Garnier voiced his support for HS2, believing that Birmingham Airport will be an increasingly significant hub for the region that will help to ease pressure on Heathrow.

[25] In December 2014, Garnier was criticised by Labour's Jonathan Ashworth for comments he made during a speech at the Institute of Economic Affairs.

[29] In December 2015, Garnier expressed disappointment at the decision of the regulator not to investigate the incentives, pay and culture of banks and their potential association with misconduct including the Libor scandal.

Garnier, alongside MP Harriet Harman have since taken action to resolve the issues of the "rough sex" defence by advocating amendments to the Domestic Abuse Bill in England and Wales.

[33] On 17 July 2016, he was appointed to the newly created position of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade but was dismissed on 9 January 2018 after the cabinet reshuffle.

[36][37] The investigation, which reported on 21 December 2017, concluded that Garnier did not break the ministerial code (the incidents having occurred before he was appointed) and had not acted inappropriately since becoming a minister.

[41] In August 2021, former Carshalton and Wallington Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake, now Director of Unlock Democracy,[42] wrote to Chris Bryant MP, the Chair of the Commons Select Committee on Standards, to examine the dual roles of those MPs who sit on APPGs while also having paid appointments in the sectors of interest of the APPG.

[46] Garnier was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for political and public service.