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[[Surgeon Commander]] '''Andrew William Murrison''' (born 24 April 1961) is a British doctor, [[Royal Navy|naval officer]] and politician. A member of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], he has served as the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[South West Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)|South West Wiltshire]], previously [[Westbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Westbury]], since [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001]]. He has been serving as [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence People and Families]] since October 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ministerial Appointments commencing: 25 October 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-25-october-2022 |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:SouthWestWiltshire2007Constituency.svg|thumb|right|125px|[[South West Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)|The South West Wiltshire constituency]] within [[Wiltshire]]]]
[[Surgeon Commander]] '''Andrew William Murrison''' (born 24 April 1961) is a British doctor, [[Royal Navy|naval officer]] and politician. A member of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], he has served as the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[South West Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)|South West Wiltshire]], previously [[Westbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Westbury]], since the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 general election]]. He has been serving as [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence People and Families]] since October 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ministerial Appointments commencing: 25 October 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-25-october-2022 |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref>


Murrison has held a variety of positions within the British government, including [[Minister for International Security Strategy]], and [[Minister of State, Northern Ireland|Minister of State for Northern Ireland]]. Most recently he served as the [[Minister of State for International Development and the Middle East]]. In Parliament, he chaired the [[Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee|Northern Ireland Affairs Committee]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Northern Ireland Affairs Committee – Dr Andrew Murrison elected as Chair|url=https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/northern-ireland-affairs-committee/news-parliament-2017/chair-elected-17-19/|access-date=13 July 2017|website=UK Parliament|language=en|archive-date=4 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704213805/https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/northern-ireland-affairs-committee/news-parliament-2017/chair-elected-17-19/|url-status=live}}</ref> from July 2017 to May 2019.
Murrison has held a variety of positions within the British government, including [[Minister for International Security Strategy]], and [[Minister of State, Northern Ireland|Minister of State for Northern Ireland]]. Most recently he served as the [[Minister of State for International Development and the Middle East]]. In Parliament, he chaired the [[Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee|Northern Ireland Affairs Committee]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Northern Ireland Affairs Committee – Dr Andrew Murrison elected as Chair|url=https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/northern-ireland-affairs-committee/news-parliament-2017/chair-elected-17-19/|access-date=13 July 2017|website=UK Parliament|language=en|archive-date=4 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704213805/https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/northern-ireland-affairs-committee/news-parliament-2017/chair-elected-17-19/|url-status=live}}</ref> from July 2017 to May 2019.


==Early life==
==Early life and education==
The son of William Gordon Murrison [[Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Reserve|RD]] and Marion Murrison, Murrison was born in [[Colchester]] and grew up in [[Harwich]], Essex, where he attended the local Harwich High School (now [[Harwich and Dovercourt High School]]),<ref name="Biography">{{Cite web|url=http://www.andrewmurrison.co.uk/biography.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924101029/http://www.andrewmurrison.co.uk/biography.htm|url-status=dead|title=andrewmurrison.co.uk biography|archivedate=24 September 2008}}</ref><ref name="Ukwhoswho"/> and the [[Britannia Royal Naval College]], [[Dartmouth, Devon|Dartmouth]].<ref name="Almanac">Robert Waller & Byron Criddle, ''The Almanac of British Politics'', Routledge, 2002, [https://books.google.com/books?id=bDtm2o0m7gIC&dq=Andrew+Murrison&pg=PA852 p. 852] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708143828/http://books.google.com/books?id=bDtm2o0m7gIC&pg=PA852&dq=Andrew+Murrison&lr=#PPA852,M1 |date=8 July 2014 }} at books.google.com</ref>
Andrew Murrison was born on 24 April 1961 in [[Colchester]], the son of William Gordon Murrison [[Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Reserve|RD]] and Marion Murrison. He grew up in [[Harwich]], where he attended [[Harwich and Dovercourt High School]],<ref name="Biography">{{Cite web|url=http://www.andrewmurrison.co.uk/biography.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924101029/http://www.andrewmurrison.co.uk/biography.htm|url-status=dead|title=andrewmurrison.co.uk biography|archivedate=24 September 2008}}</ref><ref name="Ukwhoswho"/> and the [[Britannia Royal Naval College]], [[Dartmouth, Devon|Dartmouth]].<ref name="Almanac">Robert Waller & Byron Criddle, ''The Almanac of British Politics'', Routledge, 2002, [https://books.google.com/books?id=bDtm2o0m7gIC&dq=Andrew+Murrison&pg=PA852 p. 852] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708143828/http://books.google.com/books?id=bDtm2o0m7gIC&pg=PA852&dq=Andrew+Murrison&lr=#PPA852,M1 |date=8 July 2014 }} at books.google.com</ref>


==Medical and naval career==
==Medical and naval career==
Having been awarded a [[Royal Navy]] scholarship, Murrison qualified as a doctor from the [[University of Bristol]]'s medical school in 1984. He holds the degrees of [[Doctor of Medicine#United Kingdom.2C Ireland and some Commonwealth countries|MD]] and [[Bachelor of Medicine|MB ChB]].<ref name="Biography"/><ref name="Almanac"/>
Having been awarded a [[Royal Navy]] scholarship, Murrison qualified as a doctor from the [[University of Bristol]]'s medical school in 1984. He holds the degrees of [[Doctor of Medicine#United Kingdom.2C Ireland and some Commonwealth countries|MD]] and [[Bachelor of Medicine|MB ChB]].<ref name="Biography"/><ref name="Almanac"/>


Until 2000, Murrison served in the Royal Navy as a medical officer based at [[Fareham]] and retired with the rank of Surgeon-Commander.<ref name="Biography"/><ref name="Almanac"/> During his naval career he served as an Honorary Research [[Specialist registrar|Registrar]] at [[Southampton General Hospital]] and spent one year as a postgraduate student at [[Hughes Hall, Cambridge]], obtaining a Diploma in Public Health.<ref name="Biography"/> From 2000, he worked as a [[general practitioner]] [[locum]] in Wiltshire and as a [[Consultant (medicine)|consultant]] in occupational health at [[Gloucestershire Royal Hospital]].
After his graduation and until 2000, Murrison served in the Royal Navy as a medical officer based at [[Fareham]] and retired with the rank of Surgeon-Commander.<ref name="Biography"/><ref name="Almanac"/> During his naval career he served as an Honorary Research [[Specialist registrar|Registrar]] at [[Southampton General Hospital]] and spent one year as a postgraduate student at [[Hughes Hall, Cambridge]], obtaining a Diploma in Public Health.<ref name="Biography"/> From 2000, he worked as a [[general practitioner]] [[locum]] in Wiltshire and as a [[Consultant (medicine)|consultant]] in occupational health at [[Gloucestershire Royal Hospital]].


In 2003, as a [[Royal Naval Reserve|naval reserve officer]], Murrison was recalled to serve in [[Iraq]] for a six-month tour of duty.<ref name="Biography"/>
In 2003, as a [[Royal Naval Reserve|naval reserve officer]], Murrison served in [[Iraq]] for a six-month tour of duty.<ref name="Biography"/>


==Political career==
==Political career==
Before entering full-time politics, Murrison was a member of the [[Bow Group]], an assistant to [[Peter Lloyd (politician)|Sir Peter Lloyd]] (the MP for his home constituency of [[Fareham (UK Parliament constituency)|Fareham]]), and then from 1999 to 2000 an assistant to [[Roger Freeman, Baron Freeman|Lord Freeman]], whose role at [[Conservative Central Office]] was screening potential [[Prospective parliamentary candidate|parliamentary candidates]].<ref name="Almanac"/>
Before entering full-time politics, Murrison was a member of the [[Bow Group]], an assistant to [[Peter Lloyd (politician)|Sir Peter Lloyd]] (the MP for [[Fareham (UK Parliament constituency)|Fareham]]), and then from 1999 to 2000 an assistant to [[Roger Freeman, Baron Freeman|Lord Freeman]], whose role at [[Conservative Central Office]] was screening potential [[Prospective parliamentary candidate|parliamentary candidates]].<ref name="Almanac"/>


== Parliamentary career ==
In September 2000, Murrison was selected as the prospective [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] candidate for the [[West Wiltshire]] constituency of [[Westbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Westbury]] and in June 2001 he was elected as Member of Parliament for the constituency. He was then appointed to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] [[Science and Technology Select Committee]] and was also a member of the Standing Committee on the NHS Reform Bill.{{clarify|date=July 2014}}
At the [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001 general election]], Murrison was elected to Parliament as the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] MP for[[Westbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Westbury]] with 42.1% of the vote and a majority of 5,294.<ref>{{cite web |title=Westbury: General Election result, May 1997 |url=http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/constit/505.htm |access-date=1 February 2011 |work=Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources}}</ref>


In the [[2001 Conservative Party (UK) leadership election|2001 Conservative leadership election]], Murrison supported [[Michael Portillo]].<ref name="Almanac"/>
In the [[2001 Conservative Party (UK) leadership election|2001 Conservative leadership election]], Murrison supported [[Michael Portillo]].<ref name="Almanac"/>


In 2004, in a free vote, Murrison voted against the bill to ban [[foxhunting]] and [[hare coursing]] which became the [[Hunting Act 2004]].<ref name="howtheyvoted" />
In November 2003, Murrison was appointed as a [[Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom)|Shadow Minister]] for [[Department of Health (United Kingdom)|Health]], while also taking an active interest in defence policy.


Murrison was re-elected as MP for Westbury at the [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005 general election]] with an increased vote share of 44.5% and an increased majority of 5,346.<ref>{{cite web |title=UK General Election results May 2005 |url=http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge05/i21.htm |access-date=1 February 2011 |work=Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources}}</ref> After the election, he was appointed as shadow [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|defence minister]].<ref name="Guardian">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/6181/andrew-murrison|title=Andrew Murrison: Electoral history and profile|website=The Guardian|access-date=29 July 2014|archive-date=10 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810052908/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/6181/andrew-murrison|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2004, in a free vote, he voted against the bill to ban [[foxhunting]] and [[hare coursing]] which became the [[Hunting Act 2004]].<ref name="howtheyvoted"/>


In 2005, he spoke in parliament against a proposed [[European Defence Initiative|European military union]], saying "The threat that the proposed Euro force might pose to one of the most successful post-war organisations, [[NATO]], and to our [[symbiosis|symbiotic]] relationship with the United States, has surely not been adequately explored".<ref name="Guardian" />
He was returned to Parliament at the [[2005 United Kingdom general election|General Election in May 2005]], and was appointed as shadow [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|defence minister]].<ref name="Guardian">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/6181/andrew-murrison|title=Andrew Murrison: Electoral history and profile|website=The Guardian|access-date=29 July 2014|archive-date=10 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810052908/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/person/6181/andrew-murrison|url-status=live}}</ref>


In a [[Division of the assembly|Commons divisions]] in 2007 on a number of [[House of Lords]] [[Reform of the House of Lords|reform options]], Murrison voted for options 7 and 8, proposing a 100% elected House of Lords, including the removal of all remaining [[hereditary peer]]s, and against options 4 and 5, which proposed a partly elected and partly appointed upper chamber.<ref name="howtheyvoted">{{Cite web|url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/howtheyvoted/0,,-6181,00.html|title=Politics &#124; The Guardian|website=the Guardian|access-date=20 October 2008|archive-date=19 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919111645/http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/howtheyvoted/0,,-6181,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2005, he spoke in parliament against [[European Defence Initiative|European military union]], saying "The threat that the proposed Euro force might pose to one of the most successful post-war organisations, [[NATO]], and to our [[symbiosis|symbiotic]] relationship with the United States, has surely not been adequately explored".<ref name="Guardian"/>

In [[Division of the assembly|Commons divisions]] in 2007 on a number of [[House of Lords]] [[Reform of the House of Lords|reform options]], Murrison voted for options 7 and 8, proposing a 100% elected House of Lords, including the removal of all remaining [[hereditary peer]]s, and against options 4 and 5, which proposed a partly elected and partly appointed upper chamber.<ref name="howtheyvoted">{{Cite web|url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/howtheyvoted/0,,-6181,00.html|title=Politics &#124; The Guardian|website=the Guardian|access-date=20 October 2008|archive-date=19 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919111645/http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/howtheyvoted/0,,-6181,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the debate on a Human Embryology and Fertilisation Bill in May 2008, he supported amendments to the bill aimed at reducing the maximum [[Gestational age (obstetrics)|gestational age]] for an abortion from twenty-four to twenty weeks, commenting: "The shock of the abortion list twenty-five years ago is still clear in my mind. Since then, societal attitudes have changed, in part because of improved imaging of the unborn child. I'm sure the law needs updating and twenty weeks appears to strike the right balance".<ref name="andrewmurrison.co.uk events">{{Cite web|url=http://www.andrewmurrison.co.uk/events.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015214852/http://www.andrewmurrison.co.uk/events.htm|url-status=dead|title=andrewmurrison.co.uk events|archivedate=15 October 2008}}</ref>


He is the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Clinical Leadership and Management, and is a member of the "Cardiac Risk in the Young All Party Parliamentary Group".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/dr_andrew_murrison_MP.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012095826/http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/dr_andrew_murrison_MP.htm|url-status=dead|title=c-r-y.org.uk Andrew Murrison MP|archivedate=12 October 2007}}</ref>
He is the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Clinical Leadership and Management, and is a member of the "Cardiac Risk in the Young All Party Parliamentary Group".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/dr_andrew_murrison_MP.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012095826/http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/dr_andrew_murrison_MP.htm|url-status=dead|title=c-r-y.org.uk Andrew Murrison MP|archivedate=12 October 2007}}</ref>


Prior to the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]], Murrison's constituency of [[Westbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Westbury]] was abolished, and replaced with [[South West Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)|South West Wiltshire]]. At the election, Murrison was elected as MP for South West Wiltshire with 51.7% of the vote and a majority of 10,367.<ref name="electoralcalculus2010">{{cite web |title=Election Data 2010 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726162034/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2010.txt |archive-date=26 July 2013 |access-date=17 October 2015 |publisher=[[Electoral Calculus]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=7 May 2010 |title=Results of Poll, South West Wiltshire |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/e29.stm |work=BBC News}}</ref>
Murrison's Westbury constituency was abolished at the end of the Parliament of 2005 to 2010, but he was the Conservative party candidate for the new [[South West Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)|South West Wiltshire constituency]], which includes most of his former constituency, and was elected on [[2010 United Kingdom general election|6 May 2010]].


In November 2011, Murrison was appointed as the Prime Minister's special representative for First World War centenary commemorations.<ref>{{cite web
===Appointments since 2010===

* After re-election to Parliament – appointed as [[Parliamentary Private Secretary|PPS]] to the [[Secretary of State for Health|Health Secretary]], [[Andrew Lansley]] owing to his experience as a physician.
* November 2011 appointed as the Prime Minister's special representative for First World War centenary commemorations.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/afternoon-press-briefing-for-2-november-2011/
| url = http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/afternoon-press-briefing-for-2-november-2011/
| title = Afternoon press briefing from 2 November 2011: Special representative for WWI commemorations
| title = Afternoon press briefing from 2 November 2011: Special representative for WWI commemorations
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| url-status = live
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
}}</ref>
* September 2012 – as part of the Prime Minister's first major cabinet reshuffle, appointed as [[Minister for International Security Strategy]] in the Ministry of Defence.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/People/Ministers/MinisterForInternationalSecurityStrategy.htm | title=Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for International Security Strategy - GOV.UK | access-date=7 October 2012 | archive-date=15 November 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115033543/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/People/Ministers/MinisterForInternationalSecurityStrategy.htm | url-status=live }}</ref>
* July 2014 appointed as [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State]] at the [[Northern Ireland Office]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state--19|website=www.gov.uk|access-date=17 July 2014|date=15 July 2014|archive-date=17 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917115452/https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state--19|url-status=live}}</ref>
*January 2016 appointed [[Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy]] to Tunisia and Morocco,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/trade-envoys|title=Trade Envoys|website=www.gov.uk|access-date=18 April 2017|archive-date=9 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909142426/https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/trade-envoys|url-status=live}}</ref> until his resignation on 5 July 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Twitter - Rt Hon Andrew Murrison MP |url=https://twitter.com/awmurrison/status/1544380831178825733 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705181514/https://twitter.com/AWMurrison/status/1544380831178825733 |archive-date=5 July 2022 |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=Twitter |language=en-GB}}</ref>


He was in September 2012 appointed as [[Minister for International Security Strategy]] in the Ministry of Defence.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/People/Ministers/MinisterForInternationalSecurityStrategy.htm | title=Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for International Security Strategy - GOV.UK | access-date=7 October 2012 | archive-date=15 November 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115033543/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/People/Ministers/MinisterForInternationalSecurityStrategy.htm | url-status=live }}</ref>
==Family==

In July 2014, Murrison was appointed as [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State]] at the [[Northern Ireland Office]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state--19|website=www.gov.uk|access-date=17 July 2014|date=15 July 2014|archive-date=17 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917115452/https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state--19|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]], Murrison was re-elected as MP for South West Wiltshire with an increased vote share of 52.7% and an increased majority of 18,168.<ref name="electoralcalculus">{{cite web |title=Election Data 2015 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017112223/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_2015.txt |archive-date=17 October 2015 |access-date=17 October 2015 |publisher=[[Electoral Calculus]]}}</ref>

In January 2016, he appointed [[Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy]] to Tunisia and Morocco,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/trade-envoys|title=Trade Envoys|website=www.gov.uk|access-date=18 April 2017|archive-date=9 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909142426/https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/trade-envoys|url-status=live}}</ref> until his resignation on 5 July 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Twitter - Rt Hon Andrew Murrison MP |url=https://twitter.com/awmurrison/status/1544380831178825733 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705181514/https://twitter.com/AWMurrison/status/1544380831178825733 |archive-date=5 July 2022 |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=Twitter |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Murrison was again re-elected at the snap [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]] with an increased vote share of 60% and an increased majority of 18,326.<ref>{{cite web |title=Parliamentary elections 2017 |url=http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/elections-general-2017 |access-date=13 May 2017 |website=Wiltshire Council}}</ref> He was again re-elected at the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]] with an increased vote share of 60.2% and an increased majority of 21,630.<ref>{{Cite web |title=General Election 12 December 2019 - Wiltshire Council |url=http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/elections-general |access-date=2019-11-16 |website=www.wiltshire.gov.uk}}</ref>

In February 2023, Murrison was re-selected as the Conservative candidate for South West Wiltshire at the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 February 2023 |title=Murrison readopted as Parliamentary Candidate |url=https://www.andrewmurrison.co.uk/news/murrison-readopted-parliamentary-candidate |access-date=5 March 2024 |publisher=[[Andrew Murrison]]}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Murrison is married to Jennifer (Jenny) Munden, a [[physiotherapist]]. They have five daughters and live near [[Mere, Wiltshire|Mere]] in Wiltshire.<ref name="Biography"/><ref name="Ukwhoswho">[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U41746/MURRISON_Dr_Andrew_William?index=1&results=QuicksearchResults&query=0 MURRISON, Dr Andrew William] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508110139/https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-41746;jsessionid=7FE218B16C1172B39041B7E5832BBB48?index=1&query=0&results=QuicksearchResults |date=8 May 2020 }} at ukwhoswho.com (subscription site)</ref>
Murrison is married to Jennifer (Jenny) Munden, a [[physiotherapist]]. They have five daughters and live near [[Mere, Wiltshire|Mere]] in Wiltshire.<ref name="Biography"/><ref name="Ukwhoswho">[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U41746/MURRISON_Dr_Andrew_William?index=1&results=QuicksearchResults&query=0 MURRISON, Dr Andrew William] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508110139/https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-41746;jsessionid=7FE218B16C1172B39041B7E5832BBB48?index=1&query=0&results=QuicksearchResults |date=8 May 2020 }} at ukwhoswho.com (subscription site)</ref>



Revision as of 20:17, 23 May 2024

Andrew Murrison
Official portrait, 2019
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence People and Families
Assumed office
30 October 2022
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak
Preceded bySarah Atherton
Minister of State for International Development and the Middle East
In office
9 May 2019 – 13 February 2020
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Boris Johnson
Preceded byAlistair Burt
Succeeded byJames Cleverly
Chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee
In office
12 July 2017 – 9 May 2019
Preceded byLaurence Robertson
Succeeded bySimon Hoare
Minister of State for Northern Ireland
In office
14 July 2014 – 12 May 2015
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byAndrew Robathan
Succeeded byBen Wallace
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Security Strategy
In office
4 September 2012 – 14 July 2014
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byGerald Howarth
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Member of Parliament
for South West Wiltshire
Westbury (2001–2010)
Assumed office
7 June 2001
Preceded byDavid Faber
Majority21,630 (39.4%)
Personal details
Born (1961-04-24) 24 April 1961 (age 63)
Colchester, England
Political partyConservative
SpouseJenny Murrison
Children5 daughters
Alma materUniversity of Bristol
Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth
Hughes Hall, Cambridge
ProfessionPhysician
AwardsIraq Medal (2004)
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002)
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012)
Websiteandrewmurrison.co.uk
Military service
Allegiance United Kingdom
Branch/service Royal Navy
Royal Naval Reserve
Years of service1989–present
RankSurgeon Commander
Battles/warsIraq War

Surgeon Commander Andrew William Murrison (born 24 April 1961) is a British doctor, naval officer and politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Wiltshire, previously Westbury, since 2001. He has been serving as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence People and Families since October 2022.[1]

Murrison has held a variety of positions within the British government, including Minister for International Security Strategy, and Minister of State for Northern Ireland. Most recently he served as the Minister of State for International Development and the Middle East. In Parliament, he chaired the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee[2] from July 2017 to May 2019.

Early life and education

Andrew Murrison was born on 24 April 1961 in Colchester, the son of William Gordon Murrison RD and Marion Murrison. He grew up in Harwich, where he attended Harwich and Dovercourt High School,[3][4] and the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.[5]

Medical and naval career

Having been awarded a Royal Navy scholarship, Murrison qualified as a doctor from the University of Bristol's medical school in 1984. He holds the degrees of MD and MB ChB.[3][5]

After his graduation and until 2000, Murrison served in the Royal Navy as a medical officer based at Fareham and retired with the rank of Surgeon-Commander.[3][5] During his naval career he served as an Honorary Research Registrar at Southampton General Hospital and spent one year as a postgraduate student at Hughes Hall, Cambridge, obtaining a Diploma in Public Health.[3] From 2000, he worked as a general practitioner locum in Wiltshire and as a consultant in occupational health at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

In 2003, as a naval reserve officer, Murrison served in Iraq for a six-month tour of duty.[3]

Political career

Before entering full-time politics, Murrison was a member of the Bow Group, an assistant to Sir Peter Lloyd (the MP for Fareham), and then from 1999 to 2000 an assistant to Lord Freeman, whose role at Conservative Central Office was screening potential parliamentary candidates.[5]

Parliamentary career

At the 2001 general election, Murrison was elected to Parliament as the Conservative MP forWestbury with 42.1% of the vote and a majority of 5,294.[6]

In the 2001 Conservative leadership election, Murrison supported Michael Portillo.[5]

In 2004, in a free vote, Murrison voted against the bill to ban foxhunting and hare coursing which became the Hunting Act 2004.[7]

Murrison was re-elected as MP for Westbury at the 2005 general election with an increased vote share of 44.5% and an increased majority of 5,346.[8] After the election, he was appointed as shadow defence minister.[9]

In 2005, he spoke in parliament against a proposed European military union, saying "The threat that the proposed Euro force might pose to one of the most successful post-war organisations, NATO, and to our symbiotic relationship with the United States, has surely not been adequately explored".[9]

In a Commons divisions in 2007 on a number of House of Lords reform options, Murrison voted for options 7 and 8, proposing a 100% elected House of Lords, including the removal of all remaining hereditary peers, and against options 4 and 5, which proposed a partly elected and partly appointed upper chamber.[7]

He is the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Clinical Leadership and Management, and is a member of the "Cardiac Risk in the Young All Party Parliamentary Group".[10]

Prior to the 2010 general election, Murrison's constituency of Westbury was abolished, and replaced with South West Wiltshire. At the election, Murrison was elected as MP for South West Wiltshire with 51.7% of the vote and a majority of 10,367.[11][12]

In November 2011, Murrison was appointed as the Prime Minister's special representative for First World War centenary commemorations.[13]

He was in September 2012 appointed as Minister for International Security Strategy in the Ministry of Defence.[14]

In July 2014, Murrison was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office.[15]

At the 2015 general election, Murrison was re-elected as MP for South West Wiltshire with an increased vote share of 52.7% and an increased majority of 18,168.[16]

In January 2016, he appointed Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Tunisia and Morocco,[17] until his resignation on 5 July 2022.[18]

Murrison was again re-elected at the snap 2017 general election with an increased vote share of 60% and an increased majority of 18,326.[19] He was again re-elected at the 2019 general election with an increased vote share of 60.2% and an increased majority of 21,630.[20]

In February 2023, Murrison was re-selected as the Conservative candidate for South West Wiltshire at the 2024 general election.[21]

Personal life

Murrison is married to Jennifer (Jenny) Munden, a physiotherapist. They have five daughters and live near Mere in Wiltshire.[3][4]

Honours


Ribbon Description Notes
Iraq Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
  • 2002
  • UK version of this medal
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
  • 2012
  • UK version of this medal
Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal
  • 2022
  • UK version of this medal
Volunteer Reserves Service Medal

Publications

  • Andrew Murrison (31 October 2011). Tommy This an' Tommy That: The military covenant. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84954-255-5.
  • Andrew Murrison (19 April 2017). Redemption. Endeavour Press. ISBN 978-1-52131-825-6.

References

  1. ^ "Ministerial Appointments commencing: 25 October 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Northern Ireland Affairs Committee – Dr Andrew Murrison elected as Chair". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "andrewmurrison.co.uk biography". Archived from the original on 24 September 2008.
  4. ^ a b MURRISON, Dr Andrew William Archived 8 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine at ukwhoswho.com (subscription site)
  5. ^ a b c d e Robert Waller & Byron Criddle, The Almanac of British Politics, Routledge, 2002, p. 852 Archived 8 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine at books.google.com
  6. ^ "Westbury: General Election result, May 1997". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Politics | The Guardian". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  8. ^ "UK General Election results May 2005". Richard Kimber's Political Science Resources. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Andrew Murrison: Electoral history and profile". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  10. ^ "c-r-y.org.uk Andrew Murrison MP". Archived from the original on 12 October 2007.
  11. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  12. ^ "Results of Poll, South West Wiltshire". BBC News. 7 May 2010.
  13. ^ "Afternoon press briefing from 2 November 2011: Special representative for WWI commemorations". number10.gov.uk. 2 November 2011. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  14. ^ "Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for International Security Strategy - GOV.UK". Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  15. ^ "Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office". www.gov.uk. 15 July 2014. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  16. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  17. ^ "Trade Envoys". www.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  18. ^ "Twitter - Rt Hon Andrew Murrison MP". Twitter. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  19. ^ "Parliamentary elections 2017". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  20. ^ "General Election 12 December 2019 - Wiltshire Council". www.wiltshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  21. ^ "Murrison readopted as Parliamentary Candidate". Andrew Murrison. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  22. ^ Tilbrook, Richard (22 May 2019). "ORDERS APPROVED AND BUSINESS TRANSACTED AT THE PRIVY COUNCIL HELD BY THE QUEEN AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE ON 22ND MAY 2019" (PDF). The Privy Council Office. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Westbury
20012010
Constituency renamed
New constituency Member of Parliament for South West Wiltshire
2010–present
Incumbent