Claire Perry O'Neill

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"Claire O'Neill" redirects here. For the Australian politician, see Clare O'Neil.
The Right Honourable
Claire Perry
Official portrait, 2018
Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth[a]
In office
12 June 2017 – 24 July 2019[b]
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Preceded byNick Hurd
Succeeded byKwasi Kwarteng
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Rail
In office
15 July 2014 – 14 July 2016
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byStephen Hammond
Succeeded byPaul Maynard
Member of Parliament
for Devizes
In office
6 May 2010 – 6 November 2019
Preceded byMichael Ancram
Succeeded byDanny Kruger
Personal details
Born
Claire Louise Richens

(1964-04-03) 3 April 1964 (age 60)
Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England
Political partyIndependent (since 2023)[3]
Other political
affiliations		Conservative (before 2023)
Spouses
  • Clayton Perry
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1996; div. 2013)​
    [4][5]
  • William O'Neill
    ​
    (m. 2018)​
Children3
Alma mater
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionInvestment banking

Claire Louise Perry O'Neill (née Richens; born 3 April 1964) is a British businesswoman and former politician who is the managing director for climate and energy at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, having previously served as Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth from 2017 to 2019.[a] Formerly a member of the Conservative Party, she was Member of Parliament (MP) for Devizes in Wiltshire from 2010 to 2019.

Early life

Claire Louise Richens was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, and brought up in North Somerset.[6][7][8] She is the youngest of three children of David and Joanne Richens. She was educated at Nailsea School in Somerset and at Brasenose College, Oxford, where she read geography, graduating in 1985.[8]

One of her contemporaries at Brasenose was George Monbiot, who described her in his column for The Guardian as at the time "a firebrand who wanted to nationalise the banks and overthrow capitalism".[9] She later earned an MBA at Harvard University. Following her graduation she worked for Bank of America, McKinsey & Company and Credit Suisse.[8]

Parliamentary career

After joining the Conservative Party in 2006, Perry worked for Shadow Chancellor George Osborne.[10] She was selected in November 2009 as a Conservative candidate after Michael Ancram announced his intention to stand down from Devizes, a safe seat for her party.[11] In her maiden speech she was critical of the previous Labour government's management of the rural economy, adding: "we do not get as many jobcentres per head of the population in rural Britain". She also paid tribute to the Armed Forces, as Devizes is home to 11,000 soldiers.[12]

In October 2011, Perry was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Philip Hammond, the Secretary of State for Defence.[8][13] She held this role until October 2013, when she became a Government Assistant Whip. On 15 July 2014, Perry was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, with responsibility for rail fares, rail franchising, freight and logistics and transport agencies.[1] She resigned from this position on 14 July 2016, at the time of a reshuffle, when Theresa May became Prime Minister, the day after saying in a debate she was "often ashamed to be the Rail Minister".[14][15]

Perry campaigned for improvements in online safety, and in 2011 led an Independent Parliamentary Inquiry into Online Child Protection, with a particular focus on online pornography.[16] She was subsequently appointed by the Prime Minister, David Cameron, as an adviser on preventing the sexualisation and commercialisation of children.[17]

Perry argued for blocks on pornography for all internet users unless they opt out of it, citing the need to protect children.[18][19] In July 2013, hackers placed pornographic images on Perry's own website. Perry accused political blogger Paul Staines – known for his Guido Fawkes blog – of sponsoring the attack,[20][21] while Staines threatened to sue her for libel if the claim was not removed.[22] After Internet filters started to be rolled out, news agencies reported that a wide range of non-pornographic websites were now being censored by UK ISPs as a result of false-positive results for blocked phrases, including Perry's own website, as a result of her frequent use of words such as "porn" and "sex" in web posts about her pro-censorship campaign.[23][24]

In October 2012, Perry mistakenly stated that the national debt and national deficit were the same thing in a discussion on BBC Radio 5 Live.[25][26]

In September 2014, she mentioned a possible revival of the use of women-only carriages during a speech to a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference.[27]

Perry campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU during the 2016 membership referendum, and argued after the vote that some members of her party were "like jihadis" in their support for a "hard Brexit" and said the tone of the debate on leaving the European Union "borders on the hysterical".[28] She was one of only seven Conservative MPs to vote for an amendment arguing that Parliament should have the final say on any deal to leave the EU.[29] She subsequently voted with her party in approving the decision to invoke Article 50.

Perry was appointed as Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy by Theresa May in her second ministry, after the June 2017 reshuffle.[30] During the January 2018 cabinet reshuffle, she was given the right to attend Cabinet.[31][32]

In September 2019, Perry announced she would not stand at the next general election, which took place in December of that year.[33]

In November 2018 the PCS, FDA and Prospect unions raised concerns with senior officials at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy that Perry had been accused of swearing and shouting at staff. The shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett said that the unions had raised "serious allegations" and urged officials to "look into them carefully".[34]

The Daily Telegraph reported in May 2019 that she was claiming £9,843 per year tax-free in Parliamentary expenses for her three children – aged 17, 19 and 22, the two eldest of whom were at university – on top of her salary as MP and Minister of State for Energy, totalling £111,148, and her standard tax-free "second home allowance" of £22,760. She did not deny the report, but said that she had not broken any Parliamentary rules.[35]

Post-Parliament career

Climate Change Conference

In September 2019, Perry was nominated as President of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, to be held in Glasgow in November 2020.[36] In the same month, she announced that she would not stand for re-election to Parliament, and she then gave up her seat in the general election of December 2019. She was succeeded as Conservative MP for Devizes by Danny Kruger.

The UK government abruptly removed Perry from the Presidential post on 31 January 2020, stating that the post would become "a ministerial role".[37][38][39] She later criticised actions of the prime minister's adviser Dominic Cummings, saying he "put out a deeply defamatory briefing to the media the day he fired me, claiming that the COP didn't need a President".[40]

WBCSD

In September 2020, Perry was appointed managing director for climate and energy at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a membership organisation for companies, which works on a variety of issues related to sustainable development.[41]

Political allegiance

In January 2023, Perry announced that she had resigned from the Conservative Party, despite her admiration for the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and his Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt.[42] Perry claimed that the Conservative Party had become dominated by "ideology and self-obsession" and explained that Britain's strained relations with the European Union were also behind her decision to quit. Perry praised Keir Starmer and backed him to provide "sober, fact-driven, competent political leadership".[43]

Personal life

Perry has three children from her former marriage.[4] Three months after she announced her separation, it was reported that Perry had begun a relationship with Professor Bill O'Neill, a researcher and academic on lasers, whom she had met through constituency work; Perry and O'Neill married in 2018.[44] In 2013, Perry lived in Pewsey Vale in Wiltshire.[45]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Perry initially served as Minister of State for Climate Change and Industry but the office was retitled and given right to attend Cabinet in January 2018.[1]
  2. ^ Perry went on leave of absence from 20 May 2019 – with Chris Skidmore taking over in the interim – until Boris Johnson appointed her successor, Kwasi Kwarteng, in July 2019.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Claire Perry MP". gov.uk. Archived from the original on 20 July 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Energy Minister Claire Perry takes leave of absence". Energy Live News. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  3. ^ Zeffman, Henry (9 January 2023). "Ex-minister quits 'self-obsessed' Tories and praises Keir Starmer" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  4. ^ a b Walker, Tim (21 March 2013). "'Cameron cutie' Claire Perry gives up on 'difficult' marriage". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  5. ^ Cowen, Lewis (21 March 2013). "Devizes MP Claire Perry reveals that her marriage is over". Gazette and Herald. Wiltshire. Archived from the original on 29 December 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  6. ^ "No. 59418". The London Gazette. 13 May 2010. p. 8746.
  7. ^ Staff writer (2013), "PERRY, Claire Louise", Who's Who 2013. A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. (subscription may be required or content may be available in libraries that are in the UK)
  8. ^ a b c d Perry, Claire. "About Claire". claireperry.org.uk. Archived from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  9. ^ Monbiot, George (31 March 2015). "'Wealth creators' are robbing our most productive people". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 February 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  10. ^ Barltrop, Paul (6 November 2009). "Claire Perry chosen for Devizes". Politics Show West. BBC News. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  11. ^ Isaby, Jonathan (1 November 2009). "Claire Perry selected to fight Devizes". ConservativeHome. Archived from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  12. ^ Claire Perry, Member of Parliament for Devizes (10 June 2010). "Tackling Poverty in the UK". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 511. United Kingdom: House of Commons. col. 555–558. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017.
  13. ^ Isaaman, Gerald (2 November 2011). "The Euro is going to continue to struggle for a long time, warns Claire Perry". Marlborough News Online. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  14. ^ "Southern: Claire Perry 'often ashamed' to be rail minister". BBC News. 13 July 2016. Archived from the original on 17 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  15. ^ "Rail minister Claire Perry resigns". BBC News. 15 July 2016. Archived from the original on 16 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  16. ^ "MPs call for better porn filters to protect children". BBC News. 18 April 2012. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  17. ^ Staff writer (2 March 2013). "Intrusive parenting 'damages children's lives' says Claire Perry, David Cameron's adviser on childhood". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  18. ^ Davies, Caroline (19 December 2010). "Broadband firms urged to block sex websites to protect children". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 February 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  19. ^ "MP calls for pornography 'opt-in' to protect children". BBC News. 23 November 2010. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  20. ^ "Net block MP Claire Perry in spat over porn hack" Archived 25 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 24 July 2013
  21. ^ Doctorow, Cory (24 July 2013). "Technologically illiterate MP who masterminded UK porn blocker gets hacked, threatens reporter for writing about it (blog)". boing boing. Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  22. ^ Halliday, Josh (24 July 2013). "Guido Fawkes blogger threatens to sue Tory MP over hacking accusation". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  23. ^ Worstall, Tim (25 December 2013). "The best story yet about the UK's online porn filters". Forbes. Archived from the original on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  24. ^ "FSC's Duke Argues Against Censorship at UK Roundtable". Adult Video News. 7 March 2014. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  25. ^ Bryant, Ben (26 October 2012). "Question Time: as it happened 26th October". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 October 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  26. ^ McSmith, Andy (8 October 2012). "If it's worth saying George, say it thrice". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  27. ^ Cartledge, James (30 September 2014). "Women-only train carriages could cut sex attacks, says transport minister". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  28. ^ England, Charlotte (8 February 2017). "Hard Brexiteers are like jihadis, says Tory MP". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  29. ^ Hughes, Laura (7 February 2017). "Brexit debate and vote: MPs reject rebel amendment calling for parliament to have final approval on EU deal". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  30. ^ Collier, Hatty (12 June 2017). "Theresa May sacks four ministers including Robert Halfon as Cabinet reshuffle continues". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  31. ^ Murray, James (9 January 2018). "Climate Minister Claire Perry awarded cabinet role". BusinessGreen. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  32. ^ "Reshuffle: Greg Clark to remain as Business Secretary". Archived from the original on 14 January 2018.
  33. ^ Forrest, Adam (6 September 2019). "Boris Johnson news – live: PM grapples with bull, declines to rule out quitting and suffers damning attack for 'misleading' police chief". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  34. ^ Walker, Peter (19 November 2018). "Energy minister Claire Perry accused of swearing and shouting at staff". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  35. ^ Mikhailova, Anna; Young, Charles (10 May 2019). "MPs claim expenses for adult children: allowances topped up under rule originally intended to help young families". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  36. ^ "United Kingdom, in partnership with Italy, to host COP 26 / CMP 16 / CMA 3". UNFCCC. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  37. ^ Shukman, David (31 January 2020). "Climate change: UK sacks its UN conference president". BBC News. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  38. ^ Rayner, Gordon; Sheridan, Danielle (31 January 2020). "Claire Perry O'Neill sacked from role as president of UN Climate Change Conference". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  39. ^ "Climate change summit chief sacked by PM ahead of Cabinet reshuffle". inews.co.uk. February 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  40. ^ @ClaireClimate (25 May 2020). "As I listen to Dominic Cummings bleat through his pitiful excuses – threats of violence, misreporting of his views- I recall that this is the bloke who put out a deeply defamatory briefing to the media the day he fired me, claiming that the COP didn't need a President" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  41. ^ Holder, Michael (11 September 2020). "Zoom in on Net Zero – with WBCSD's Claire O'Neill and Peter Bakker". BusinessGreen. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  42. ^ Gutteridge, Nick (9 January 2023). "Former Tory minister quits party and backs Sir Keir Starmer to lead Britain". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  43. ^ "Former Tory minister quits party and lavishes praise on Starmer". The Guardian. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  44. ^ "POLITICO London Playbook: Toilet humor — Slacking off — Playbook awards". Politico. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2020. Congratulations: Climate Change Minister Claire Perry will next year marry her partner, academic Bill O'Neill, according to today's Mail diary.
  45. ^ "Claire Perry, MP for Devizes – Fascinating to find out what changes are afoot". thisiswiltshire.co.uk. Newsquest. 24 October 2013. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Devizes
2010–2019 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
2014–2016 		Succeeded by
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