Simon Baynes
MP
Official portrait, 2020
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration[1]
In office
8 July 2022 – 8 September 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byTom Pursglove
Succeeded byTom Pursglove[a]
Member of Parliament
for Clwyd South
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded bySusan Elan Jones
Majority1,239 (3.4%)
Personal details
Born (1960-04-21) 21 April 1960 (age 63)
Lesbury, Northumberland, England
Political partyConservative
Alma materMagdalene College, Cambridge
OccupationPolitician
WebsiteOfficial website

Simon Robert Maurice Baynes (born 21 April 1960) is a British Conservative politician who served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration from July to September 2022.[2][3] He was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Clwyd South at the 2019 general election.[4][5] Baynes worked in finance for J.P. Morgan Cazenove from 1982 to 2006, before running a small bookshop in Shrewsbury.[6][7]

Early life and education

Baynes was born in Lesbury, Northumberland, the son of Sir John Christopher Malcolm Baynes, 7th Baronet and Shirley Maxwell Baynes (née Dodds). He grew up in Montgomeryshire, where his father ran the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel. He and his father have since co-authored a book on the hotel.[6]

He was privately educated at Belhaven Hill Preparatory School and Shrewsbury School before going up to Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he completed a BA in History. Whilst at the university, he was a choral exhibitioner and won the Dunster History Essay Prize. He was also President of the Cambridge Union. In 1982, he was Chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association.[5]

Early career

Baynes was a partner at Cazenove & Co., and latterly a managing director of JPMorgan Cazenove, from 1982 to 2006. From 2007 to 2011, he was the owner and bookseller of Simon Baynes - Books and Music in Shrewsbury.[5]

He has been a trustee (and was the founder) of Concertina - Music for the Elderly, which he formed in 1998 with his wife. It provides live music in care homes for the elderly.[7] His mother-in-law suffered from dementia.[8] He founded the Bodfach Charitable Trust in 2006, which he is also a trustee of. In addition, he has been a trustee of the Y Dolydd Llanfyllin Workhouse (2005–12), Mid-Wales Opera (2012–19), Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod (2017–19) and Friends of St Myllin's Church (2018–19), the latter of which he is a patron of.[5]

From 2005 to 2012, Baynes was Chairman of North Powys Youth Music. He has also been Chairman of the Welsh Historic Gardens Trust (2016–19) and the Holroyd Community Theatre (2018–19). He was the founder and Chairman of the Montgomeryshire Literary Festival (2018–19). From 2017 to 2019, he was a governor at Llanfyllin High School.[5]

Political career

He stood as the Welsh Conservative candidate in Montgomeryshire in 2005, finishing second behind incumbent Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Öpik.[9] He unsuccessfully sought the Conservative nomination for the seat of South Staffordshire in 2010,[10] losing out to future cabinet minister Gavin Williamson. He then contested Dwyfor Meirionnydd at the 2010 general election,[11] and the same seat in the 2011 National Assembly for Wales Election, both times without success.[12]

Baynes was a Conservative member of Powys County Council from 2008 to 2012, and joint leader of the Conservative group.[6] The following year, he joined Llanfyllin Town Council, where he remained a member until 2019. He served as the mayor of the eponymous Montgomeryshire town of Llanfyllin from 2018 to 2020.[13]

He has contested elections in Clwyd South on three occasions. He first contested Clwyd South in the 2016 Welsh Assembly election. In 2017 he contested the marginal Westminster seat.[14][15] On all three occasions he finished second. He was elected to Parliament for Clwyd South at the 2019 general election, to serve in the 58th Parliament.[16] He defeated the incumbent Labour MP Susan Elan Jones.[17][18]

On 2 March 2020, Baynes became a member of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee.[19]

He endorsed Priti Patel in the July 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, but she did not end up standing.[20] He then supported Rishi Sunak.[21]

Clwyd South is set to be dissolved by the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, therefore Baynes was selected to fight neighboring English seat the seat of North Shropshire for the Conservatives in the next UK general election.[22]

Personal life

Baynes married his wife Margaret (known as Maggie), an architect, in 1992.[5] They have two daughters.[23][24]

He lists his recreations as "music (including playing the organ for church services), theatre, concerts, gardening, heritage".[5]

Publications

Electoral history

2019 UK general election

General election 2019: Clwyd South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Simon Baynes 16,222 44.7 +5.6
Labour Susan Elan Jones 14,983 41.3 -9.4
Plaid Cymru Christopher Allen 2,137 5.9 -0.2
Liberal Democrats Calum Davies 1,496 4.1 +2.2
Brexit Party Jamie Adams 1,468 4.0 N/A
Rejected ballots 110
Majority 1,239 3.4 N/A
Turnout 36,306 67.3 -2.4
Registered electors 53,919
Conservative gain from Labour Swing 7.5

2017 UK general election

General election 2017: Clwyd South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Susan Elan Jones 19,002 50.7 +13.5
Conservative Simon Baynes 14,646 39.1 +8.7
Plaid Cymru Christopher Allen 2,292 6.1 -4.2
UKIP Jeanette Bassford-Barton 802 2.1 -13.5
Liberal Democrats Bruce Roberts 731 2.0 -1.8
Rejected ballots 56
Majority 4,356 11.6 +4.7
Turnout 37,473 68.9 +5.1
Registered electors 54,266
Labour hold Swing +2.4

2016 Welsh Assembly election

Welsh Assembly Election 2016: Clwyd South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ken Skates 7,862 35.5 -6.9
Conservative Simon Baynes 4,846 21.9 -7.3
Plaid Cymru Mabon ap Gwynfor 3,861 17.4 -1.1
UKIP Mandy Jones 2,827 12.8 +12.8
Liberal Democrats Aled Roberts 2,289 10.3 +0.5
Green Duncan Rees 474 2.1 +2.1
Majority 3,016 13.6 +0.3
Turnout 22,159 40.9 +4.0
Labour hold Swing +0.2

2011 Welsh Assembly election

Welsh Assembly Election 2011: Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Plaid Cymru Dafydd Elis-Thomas 9,656 46.6 Decrease 13.1
Conservative Simon Baynes 4,239 20.4 Increase 0.8
Llais Gwynedd Louise Hughes 3,225 15.5 N/A
Labour Martyn Singleton 2,623 12.6 Increase 0.2
Liberal Democrats Stephen Churchman 1,000 4.8 Decrease 3.5
Majority 5,417 26.1 Decrease 14.0
Turnout 20,743 46.3 Decrease 1.1
Plaid Cymru hold Swing Decrease 7.0

2010 UK general election

General election 2010: Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Plaid Cymru Elfyn Llwyd 12,814 44.3 N/A
Conservative Simon Baynes 6,447 22.3 N/A
Labour Alwyn Humphreys 4,021 13.9 N/A
Liberal Democrats Stephen Churchman 3,538 12.2 N/A
Independent Louise Hughes 1,310 4.5 N/A
UKIP Frank Wykes 776 2.7 N/A
Majority 6,367 22.0 N/A
Turnout 28,906 63.7 N/A
Registered electors 45,354
Plaid Cymru win (new seat)

2005 UK general election

General election 2005: Montgomeryshire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Lembit Öpik 15,419 51.2 +1.8
Conservative Simon Baynes 8,246 27.4 −0.5
Labour David Tinline 3,454 11.5 −0.4
Plaid Cymru Ellen ap Gwynn 2,078 6.9 +0.1
UKIP Clive Easton 900 3.0 +0.3
Majority 7,173 23.8 +2.3
Turnout 30,097 64.4 −1.1
Registered electors 46,766
Liberal Democrats hold Swing +1.2

Notes

  1. ^ As Minister of State for Immigration

References

  1. ^ Jointly with the Home Office.
  2. ^ "Ministerial appointments: July 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Simon Baynes MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Clwyd South parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". bbc.com. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Baynes, Simon Robert Maurice, (born 21 April 1960), MP (C) Clwyd South, since 2019". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2020. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u293969. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  6. ^ a b c PoliticsHome.com (12 December 2019). "Class of 2019: Meet the new MPs". PoliticsHome.com. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  7. ^ a b "About Simon Baynes". SimonBaynes.co.uk. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  8. ^ ""It's vital we see a rehabilitation strategy in place for those living with dementia"". The Leader.
  9. ^ "BBC NEWS | Election 2005 | Results | Montgomeryshire". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Final six for Staffordshire South". conservativehome.com. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  11. ^ "BBC News | Election 2010 | Constituency | Dwyfor Meirionnydd". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  12. ^ "BBC News - Election 2011 - Wales - Dwyfor Meirionnydd". BBC News. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Llanfyllin Town Councillors | Llanfyllin Town Website". Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  14. ^ "Clwyd South parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  15. ^ Council, Denbighshire County (1 April 2013). "Denbighshire County Council". moderngov.denbighshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  16. ^ "Clwyd South parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". bbc.com. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Conservatives topple Labour in Clwyd South in shock result". Denbighshire Free Press. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  18. ^ "General Election 2019: The winners and the losers". BBC News. 15 December 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  19. ^ "Parliamentary career for Simon Baynes - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  20. ^ "'I urge her to stand': Simon Baynes backs Priti Patel for next Tory leader". Border Counties Advertiser. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  21. ^ House, Coffee. "Full list: Tory endorsements for next leader". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  22. ^ Robertson, Dominic (22 July 2023). "North Shropshire Conservatives choose their candidate for the General Election". www.shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  23. ^ "A view from Clwyd South's Member of Parliament". Wrexham.com.
  24. ^ "Simon Baynes".

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom Preceded bySusan Elan Jones Member of Parliament for Clwyd South 2019–present Incumbent
Conservative Party MPs in Wales
Authority control databases: People
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