Will Quince: Difference between revisions

| honorific-suffix = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]]

| office2 = [[Minister for Children (United Kingdom)|Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families]]

| majority4 = 9,423 (17.7%)

'''William James Quince'''<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=61230 |date=18 May 2015 |page=9122}}</ref> (born 27 December 1982) is a British [[Conservative Party UK|Conservative Party]] politician and former lawyer who served as [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Colchester (UK Parliament constituency)|Colchester]] from [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015]] to [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024]]. Quince was also [[Minister of State for Health (UK)|Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care]] from September 2022 to November 2023.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Ministerial Appointments: September 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-september-2022 |access-date=7 September 2022 |website=GOV.UK }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Will Quince MP |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/will-quince |access-date=9 September 2022 |website=GOV.UK }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Minister of State (Minister for Health and Secondary Care) – GOV.UK |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state--127 |access-date=3 November 2022 |website=www.gov.uk }}</ref> A member of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], he was first elected at the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]] as the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Colchester (UK Parliament constituency)|Colchester]], defeating the incumbent [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] MP [[Bob Russell (British politician)|Sir Bob Russell]].<ref name="auto">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000644 |title=Colchester parliamentary constituency |publisher=BBC |date=8 May 2015 |access-date=8 May 2015}}</ref> From 2011 to 2016, Quince was a borough [[councillor]] in Colchester.

After graduating, Quince worked for Concur Technologies Ltd as a market development executive and [[Britvic|Britvic plc]] as a customer development executive.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |title=Will Quince {{!}} LinkedIn |url=https://uk.linkedin.com/in/willquince |website=Linkedin |access-date=19 January 2016}}</ref> Based in [[Ware, Hertfordshire|Ware]] in [[Hertfordshire]], he was elected as one of two Conservative Party councillors for Ware Christchurch ward on [[East Hertfordshire District Council]] in May 2007, but stood down in April 2009 after he had won the nomination as Conservative Party [[prospective parliamentary candidate]] for [[Colchester (UK Parliament constituency)|Colchester]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/East-Hertfordshire-1973-2011.pdf |title=East Hertfordshire Council Election Results 1973–2011 |publisher=Plymouth University |access-date=6 October 2018}}</ref>

He stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative candidate at the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]] for the Colchester seat, coming second behind the incumbent [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] MP [[Bob Russell (British politician)|Sir Bob Russell]]. Following the electoral defeat, he had roles as a trainee solicitor with the law firm Asher Prior Bates, and as a solicitor with the law firm Thompson Smith and Puxon.<ref name="auto1"/> Quince was elected as a Conservative councillor for Prettygate [[ward (politics)|ward]] on [[Colchester Borough Council]] at the [[2011 Colchester Borough Council election|2011 local elections]], and served as leader of the Conservative group on the council from 2011 to 2014, when he stepped down to focus on the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|forthcoming general election]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Will Quince stands down as leader of the Conservative group on Colchester Council |url=http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/11551840.Will_Quince_stands_down_as_leader_of_the_Conservative_group_on_Colchester_Council/ |website=Colchester & Clacton Gazette |date=22 October 2014 |access-date=19 January 2016}}</ref>

After his defeat in 2010, Quince was successful at the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]] and was elected as the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Colchester (UK Parliament constituency)|Colchester]], replacing the incumbent Liberal Democrat Sir Bob Russell.<ref name="auto">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000644 |title=Colchester parliamentary constituency |publisher=BBC |date=8 May 2015 |access-date=8 May 2015}}</ref> In May 2016, it was reported that Quince was one of a number of Conservative MPs being investigated by police in the [[United Kingdom general election, 2015 party spending investigation|2015 party spending investigation]], for allegedly spending more than the legal limit on constituency election campaign expenses.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/elections/2017/03/70000-question-what-does-conservative-party-election-expenses-scandal |title=The £70,000 question: what does the Conservative party election expenses scandal mean for the government? |work=New Statesman |access-date=5 October 2018 |date=23 June 2016}}</ref> In May 2017, the [[Crown Prosecution Service]] said that while there was evidence of inaccurate spending returns, it did not "meet the test" for further action.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39865801|title=No charges over 2015 Conservative battle bus cases|work=BBC News|access-date= 5 October 2018}}</ref> He campaigned for the UK to leave the [[European Union]] during the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 referendum]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35616946 |work=BBC News |title=EU vote: Where the cabinet and other MPs stand |date=22 June 2016 |access-date=23 October 2018}}</ref>

On 17 September 2021, Quince was appointed [[Minister for Children (United Kingdom)|Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families]] at the [[Department for Education]], during the second [[2021 British cabinet reshuffle|cabinet reshuffle]] of the [[second Johnson ministry]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-september-2021|title=Ministerial appointments: September 2021|date=16 September 2021}}</ref>

On 6 July 2022, in the wake of the [[July 2022 United Kingdom government crisis|resignations]] of Chancellor [[Rishi Sunak]] and Health Secretary [[Sajid Javid]], Quince resigned from government after "accepting and repeating assurances to the media [from No 10] which have now been found to be inaccurate".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/willquince/status/1544583312353673217 |access-date=6 July 2022 |title=Tweet |website=Twitter }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Colchester MP Will Quince resigns as children's minister |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-62062077 |access-date=6 July 2022 |work=BBC News |date=6 July 2022}}</ref> The following day, after Johnson resigned, he accepted the role of Minister of State in the Department of Education.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Ministerial appointments: July 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-july-2022 |access-date=7 July 2022 |website=GOV.UK |date=7 July 2022 }}</ref>

On 7 September 2022, Quince was appointed [[Minister of State]] in the [[Department of Health and Social Care]] as part of [[Truss ministry|Liz Truss’s Truss's cabinet.]].<ref name=":1" /> On 26 October 2022, he was reappointed by Prime Minister [[Rishi Sunak]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Ministerial Appointments commencing: 25 October 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-25-october-2022 |access-date=26 October 2022 |website=GOV.UK }}</ref>

On 9 June 2023, Quince announced he would not run as an MP at the [[Next2024 United Kingdom general election|next2024 general election]].<ref name="auto2">{{cite web |date=9 June 2023 |title=Statement on the next General Election |url=https://www.willquince.com/news/statement-next-general-election |access-date=9 June 2023 |website=Will Quince }}</ref>

In February 2021, Quince said that he had [[Weight loss|lost]] six and a half stone (41&nbsp;kg) in 2020.<ref>{{cite news|last=Quince|first=Will|date=7 February 2021|title=Will Quince MP: 'How I lost six and half stone in a year'|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/will-quince-mp-lost-six-half-stone-year/|access-date=10 February 2021|issn=0307-1235}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bivdanewsletter.com/highlights/briefings-on-new-health-ministers-robert-jenrick-mp-and-will-quince-mp/|title=Briefings on new health ministers: Robert Jenrick MP and Will Quince MP – BIVDA Newsletter|first=Natalie|last=Creaney|accessdate=10 December 2023}}</ref>

{{s-ttl|title=[[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Colchester (UK Parliament constituency)|Colchester]]|years=[[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015]]–present–[[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024]]}}

{{s-incaft|after=[[Pam Cox]]}}

[[Category:UK MPs 2019–present2019–2024]]