Maynard replaces Trott as Pensions Minister

Paul Maynard MP, 47, has been appointed Pensions Minister, taking the title of Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) He replaces Laura Trott who was promoted to be Chief Secretary to the Treasury in the government’s latest Cabinet reshuffle. Mr Maynard has been an MP since the 2010 election, representing the constituency of Blackpool North and Cleveleys. He has previously been a government whip and minister at both the Department for Transport and the Ministry of Justice. He was parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Transport (DOT) between July 2019 and February 2020, having previously served in the same role from July 2016 to January 2018. He was briefly parliamentary under secretary of state at the Ministry of Justice between May 2019 and July 2019. Before that he was government whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury). Before becoming an MP Mr Maynard worked as a political adviser and speechwriter. He worked as an adviser to the Tory MP Liam Fox and as a speechwriter for William Hague, when he was leader of the opposition. While in parliament Mr Maynard has campaigned on a range of issues, such keeping fuel prices low and disability issues. He suffers from mild cerebral palsy and accused rival MPs of mocking his disability at the House of Commons in 2012. On his personal bog he wrote: "I have cerebral palsy. It’s very mild, and doesn’t really affect how I live. It probably affects the way some people see me, and there will always be people who write you off because of it – but I’ve never let them stop me." He claims to have been inspired to enter politics by Margaret Thatcher. He wrote: "Ever since Mrs Thatcher visited the special school I attended in Winsford, Cheshire, at the age of 4, politics has always held a certain fascination for me." He said he went to a special school for some intensive physio, before transferring to the local village primary two years later. He added: "By the time I reached 21, I had got myself a first class degree from Oxford and started a career in management consultancy. Politics then seduced me yet again, and I worked for Dr Liam Fox as speechwriter and adviser." The role of Pensions Minister has become become a short-term one in recent years. Laura Trott lasted just 383 days in the post, but that was considerably more than the previous incumbent. Alex Burghart lasted just 37 days after being appointed by former PM Liz Truss on 20 September 2022 and losing the role on 27 October 2022.

Maynard replaces Trott as Pensions Minister

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