Lionel Richard-Spence
| The Right Honourable Sir Lionel Richard-Spence Bt, MP | |
|---|---|
| |
| Secretary of State for Foreign and Colonial Affairs | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 15 January 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Catherine Willoughby |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Bainbridge |
| Minister of State for Trade Promotion | |
| In office 4 June 2014 – 19 August 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Catherine Willoughby |
| Preceded by | Lynn Moran |
| Member of Parliament for Croydon | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 12 December 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Arthur Cox |
| Majority | 819 (1.8%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lionel Roland Richard-Spence 1 August 1979 Suffolk Downs, Suffolk, Kiribati |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Emmeline Primrose (m. 2014) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Navigation House |
| Alma mater | Chatham College, Westminster (B.A., M.Phil) |
| Religion | Church of Tarawa |
Sir Lionel Roland Richard-Spence, 4th Baronet is a Kiribatian Conservative politician and current Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs since 2018. Elected as the Member of Parliament for Croydon in 2012, Richard-Spence began his ministerial career as a junior minister in the Department of Commerce. He supported Catherine Willoughby in the 2014 Conservative Party leadership election and was later appointed by her as Foreign Secretary following the Conservative gains in the 2017 general election, in which Richard-Spence played a key role in coordinating the party campaign.
Like many in Catherine Willoughby's second cabinet, Richard-Spence is considered to be on the right wing of the Conservative Party on most issues and was a muted critic of Thomas Attenborough's government, in which he himself served in a junior ministerial role. He was instrumental in the early 2018 purge of the civil service and personally ordered the dismissal of over 40 career diplomats from the Foreign Office in an effort to consolidate and economise the department.
Prior to entering politics, Richard-Spence worked as a researcher in the economic policy department at Conservative Central Office. An advocate of hard power diplomacy, he has repeatedly advocating for the cutting of cultural promotion programmes, foreign aid, and other similar initiatives in favour of defence investment.
Early Life
Lionel Richard-Spence was born in Suffolk Downs, a gentrified rural village in Suffolk, Kiribati. His father was Sir Molyneux Richard-Spence, 3rd Baronet, a landowner and professional golfer; his mother was the Hon. Lady Cynthia Roland, daughter of the 10th Duke of Bilsborough and sister of the 11th Duke. His grandfather, Sir Ambrose Richard-Spence, was also a member of Parliament and his great grandfather, Sir Molyneux Richard-Spence, 1st Baronet, served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1912-1915.
Education
From the age of 11, Richard-Spence attended Putney College, where he was a member of the polo team and the debating society; his skills tended to favour the former over the latter. He was nearly expelled in his seventh year at Putney for a series of disciplinary infractions, but was spared punishment after an intervention by his father, a member of Parliament and Old Putneyan.
Nonetheless, Richard-Spence was accepted to Chatham College, Westminster where he read Modern History, graduating in 2000. After graduation, Richard-Spence remained at Chatham, earning an M.Phil in Modern History. He would later be described by one of his professors as "exceptionally ordinary - a perfectly good scholar, nothing to get excited about."
Political career
Member of Parliament
In the 2012 general election, Richard-Spence was selected to contest the competitive Croydon constituency, then held by Arthur Cox of the Labour Party. Richard-Spence won the seat by a slim majority (less than 1,000 votes) and took up office in the new Parliament. His maiden speech made headlines for his subtle criticism of the then-prime minister, Thomas Attenborough, as being weak on the issue of crime. The speech was noted in the gutter press, as Attenborough's government relied on a majority of one, so even the dissent of a newly-elected MP such as Richard-Spence would have been enough to topple the Government.
In Parliament, Richard-Spence sided consistently with the backbench right wing of the Conservative Party and became involved in the Park Street Group, an unofficial parliamentary group led by Catherine Willoughby that viewed the governing establishment as overly moderate and weak. As a legislator, however, Richard-Spence proved to be less-than prolific, and was seen by many in the Park Street Group as being more interested in fine dining and haute couture than in bringing down the Tory establishment.
Junior minister
Upon Catherine Willoughby's ascension to the premiership in January 2014, Richard-Spence was appointed Minister of State for Trade Promotion, a junior ministerial position in the Department of Commerce. He was among many Park Streeters appointed by the prime minister to ministerial positions, but was not considered for a Cabinet-level post on account of his lack of parliamentary experience.
