Jack Michael Rankin[1] (born 19 August 1992) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Windsor since 2024. Before being elected, he worked as an energy markets professional, having a career background in commodity trading and corporate finance. He was a councillor for Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council between 2015 and 2019.
Jack Rankin | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Windsor | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Adam Afriyie |
| Majority | 6,457 (14.3%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 August 1992 Ashton-under-Lyne, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | University of Warwick |
| Website | Official website |
Early life
editRankin was born in Ashton-under-Lyne in 1992.[2] He was educated at West Hill School,[3] a state comprehensive in Stalybridge, followed by the University of Warwick, where he read Mathematics and Physics, graduating with a BSc, MMathPhys in 2014.[4]
Career
editIn 2014, Rankin began working for Centrica, at their headoffice in Windsor, Berkshire.[5] His work related to long-term commodity trading and mergers and acquisitions in the energy industry. He joined Pexapark in 2022[6]
Rankin was elected as a councillor for the Castle Without ward covering central Windsor in the 2015 Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council election.[7]
Rankin contested Ashton-under-Lyne at the 2017 general election,[8][9] coming second with 32.0% of the vote behind the incumbent Labour MP Angela Rayner.
He was selected for the marginal seat of Warwick and Leamington[10] in the first tranche of candidates ahead of what became the 2019 General Election. He came second losing by 789 votes.[11][12]
Rankin was then selected as the candidate for Windsor in September 2023 [13] in what was described as a "gruelling process".[14]
In September 2023, Rankin was accused of sharing transphobic social media posts after describing LGBTQ rights charity Stonewall as "dangerous" and criticised public and corporate funding of the organisation.[15] Rankin defended his comments saying he opposes discrimination against LGBTQ people, but that "a number of organisations have been pushing a politically contentious agenda in schools, an agenda that tells children they may have been 'born in the wrong body' and promotes the permanent and irreversible medical and surgical treatments to children."
In April 2024, he described the UK as in a "pre-war environment" and called for the UK to re-arm.[16]
Rankin was elected as Member of Parliament for Windsor at the 2024 general election, winning 36.4% of the vote and a majority of 6,457.[17]
Rankin gave his maiden speech on 22 October 2024, during a debate in the Commons on the Commonwealth of Nations. [18] During his speech, Rankin paid homage to the constituency’s former MP Adam Afriyie and spoke of key issues in the constituency including a third runway at Heathrow and flooding, as well as sharing the history of the constituency. [19]
Personal life
editIn 2016, Rankin married non-practising barrister Sarah New.[20] He lives in Sunninghill with his wife and two sons.[21]
References
edit- ^ House of Commons, Votes and Proceedings, Tuesday 9 July 2024.
- ^ Moules, James (11 September 2023). "Ex-councillor chosen as Windsor Tory parliamentary candidate". Slough & South Bucks Observer. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "GCSE results 2008". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "About Jack Rankin". jackrankin.org.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Jack Rankin for Windsor". Jack Rankin. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ Rankin, Jack (2023-10-09). "The rise of hybrid PPAs in the renewables industry". Power Engineering International. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ RBWM (2015). "Borough Election Results 2015 – By Ward" (PDF).
- ^ "General Election – Meet the Candidates – Ashton-Under Lyne (includes Failsworth)". www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ "Royal Borough councillor bids to become Tory MP for Ashton-under-Lyne". www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ "Windsor councillor selected as parliamentary candidate for Warwick and Leamington constituency". www.windsorexpress.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ "General election 2019: Labour holds seats in Warwickshire and Coventry". BBC News. 2019-12-13. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ "Matt Western narrowly holds Warwick & Leamington seat for Labour". Leamington Observer. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ "Jack Rankin has been adopted as the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for the new Windsor Constituency". Windsor Conservatives. 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ Atkinson, William (2023-09-04). "Rankin selected in Windsor in a 'gruelling' and 'very divisive' local contest". Conservative Home. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ "Windsor parliamentary candidate accused of sharing 'transphobic' social media posts". Slough Observer. 2023-09-19. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ Rankin, Jack. "Working for Windsor". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ "Windsor – General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ "Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill [Lords]". Hansard. 22 October 2024.
- ^ Kidd, Jade (2024-10-25). "Windsor MP vows to continue campaign against Heathrow third runway in Maiden Speech". www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
- ^ "Windsor Town Group Supper with Jack Rankin" (PDF). Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "General Election 2024: Meet the candidates standing in Windsor". maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
