Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (born 29 January 1958) is a British Conservative Party politician, landowner, journalist, and former Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dorset between 2010 and 2024.

[1][2] Drax passed out from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and was commissioned in the British Army joining the Coldstream Guards on 9 December 1978 as a second lieutenant.

In 2009, Drax faced criticism from political rivals for "hiding his aristocratic roots" by not using his full quadruple-barrelled name.

Drax denied the accusations, saying that he used the shortened version of his name only because of the "logistic mouthful", while Cameron's comments were a "throw away joke".

Drax responded to the incident by saying: "I popped in to get some literature and very thoughtlessly parked on those lines which I immediately regretted and apologise to the organisation straight away.

[23][24] In June 2020, Drax wrote an article in the Dorset Echo suggesting that rioters linked to the Black Lives Matter protests had been responsible for desecrating The Cenotaph war memorial in London.

[25] In May 2022, Drax criticised the decision by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to introduce a windfall tax on oil and gas firms to fund economic support for the public during the cost-of-living crisis, accusing him of "throwing red meat to socialists".

[30] In March 2024, Drax was criticised by wildlife charities after he called for the culling of animals, such as deer and foxes, to control their numbers.

[31][32] In the 2024 United Kingdom general election, Drax lost his 17,153 (33.6%) majority to Labour candidate Lloyd Hatton.

At least six of his ancestors, including John Samuel Wanley Sawbridge Erle-Drax and the 17th Lord Dunsany, were Members of Parliament for Dorset and Gloucestershire between the 1680s and 1880s.