Danny Kruger
Daniel Rayne Kruger[3] MBE (born 23 October 1974)[4] is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Devizes in Wiltshire since 2019.
Danny Kruger | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Member of Parliament for Devizes | |
| Assumed office 12 December 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Claire Perry |
| Majority | 23,993 (47.1%) |
| Political Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |
| In office 23 July 2019 – 12 December 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Stephen Parkinson |
| Succeeded by | Ben Gascoigne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Daniel Rayne Kruger 23 October 1974 Westminster, London[1] |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Children | 3[2] |
| Parents |
|
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh University of Oxford |
The son of writer and property developer Rayne Kruger and restaurateur and television presenter Prue Leith, Kruger was educated at Eton College, subsequently studying history at the University of Edinburgh and University of Oxford. After university, he worked at the Centre for Policy Studies think tank, and then became a policy adviser for the Conservative Party.
Kruger became David Cameron's chief speechwriter in 2006. He left this role two years later to work full-time at a youth crime prevention charity that he had co-founded called Only Connect. For his charitable work, Kruger received an MBE in 2017. He was Prime Minister Boris Johnson's political secretary between August and December 2019.
Early life and career
Kruger was born in Westminster to South African parents, writer and property developer Rayne Kruger, and restaurateur and television presenter Prue Leith.[5][6] He was privately educated at Eton College.[7] Kruger studied history at the University of Edinburgh.[8] While at the university, he was the editor of the magazine Intercourse, which had a controversial issue featuring three naked students and an advertisement for a massage parlour.[7][9] He obtained a doctorate in history from the University of Oxford in 2000.[8]
After university, he became the director of research at the centre-right think tank Centre for Policy Studies in 2001.[10] Kruger worked as a policy adviser in the Conservative Party's Policy Unit from 2003 to 2005.[11] During this time, he was credited with contributing to then Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith's speech at the 2003 Conservative Party Conference.[12] In 2005, Kruger became the chief leader writer of The Daily Telegraph.[11]
Kruger was selected as the Conservative candidate for Sedgefield at the 2005 general election, challenging prime minister Tony Blair in the seat.[13][14] He was forced to drop out of the contest, however, after The Guardian quoted him stating that the party had planned "to introduce a period of creative destruction in the public services".[15][16] Kruger left his position at The Daily Telegraph to become the chief speechwriter to then Conservative Party leader David Cameron in 2006.[7] He wrote Cameron's 2006 address to the think-tank Centre for Social Justice, which was later dubbed the "hug-a-hoodie" speech, and was noted as a call to re-brand the party with compassionate conservatism at its core.[17][18]
He co-founded the London-based youth crime prevention charity Only Connect in 2006[19][20] and in 2008 left his position as Cameron's chief speechwriter to work full-time for the charity.[21] In 2015, the charity was acquired by Catch22 but continued to operate independently with its own brand.[22] He also founded the charity West London Zone, which aims to provide support to at-risk youth.[23] Kruger was made an MBE for services to charity in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours.[24] In the same year, he voiced his support for the legalisation of cannabis.[25]
Kruger supported Brexit in the 2016 UK EU membership referendum.[26] He was a senior fellow at the pro-Brexit think-tank Legatum Institute, which he left in 2018 to become an adviser at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.[8][27] In August 2019, Kruger became the political secretary to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.[28]
Parliamentary career
Kruger was selected as a parliamentary candidate for the safe Conservative seat of Devizes on 9 November 2019.[29] The constituency's incumbent Conservative MP, Claire Perry O'Neill, had previously announced that she would be standing down at the next election to become the president of the 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference, and spend more time with her family;[30] she was later fired from that role by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on 31 January 2020 for unspecified reasons.[31] Kruger was elected as MP for Devizes in the 2019 general election, with a majority of 23,993 (47.1%).[32] After the election, he was replaced as political secretary to the PM by Ben Gascoigne.[33] He made his maiden speech on 29 January 2020, in which he called for a return to Christian values.[34][35]
In May 2020 he tweeted extensively in support of the apparent breach of lockdown by Dominic Cummings and Mary Wakefield, describing them as "old friends".[36]
In August 2020 Kruger was photographed breaching the rules on the mandatory wearing of masks on public transport. He apologised and stated that he "simply forgot", but also criticised the photographer for not asking him to put on a mask.[37] He has also referred to his dislike for "absurd masks" in an interview with local media.[38]
In May 2021 Kruger wrote an essay entitled "Restoring Rights, Reclaiming Liberty" for inclusion in Common Sense: Conservative Thinking for a Post-Liberal Age published by the Common Sense Group, an informal group of Conservative MPs.[39] He was appointed as a Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in September 2021.[40]
In June 2022, Kruger supported Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the 2022 Conservative Party vote of confidence in his leadership, saying "I don't judge people's private morals, or rather I do but I oughtn't. I judge public conduct. And on that, I think we should be forgiving about minor slips".[41] In the same month, while speaking during a debate on the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court of the United States which resulted in the removal of pregnant women's constitutional right to abortion, he commented that he did not agree "that women have an absolute right to bodily autonomy" in relation to abortion as "in the case of abortion that right is qualified by the fact that another body is involved".[42]
On 6 July 2022, as part of the crisis of confidence in Boris Johnson of 2022, Kruger resigned as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.[43]
Kruger endorsed Suella Braverman during the July 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.[44]
Personal life
Kruger is married to Emma, a former teacher. They are both co-founders of the charity Only Connect.[45][46] He is an evangelical Christian.[47] He was fined after his puppy caused a stampede when it chased a 200-strong herd of deer in London's Richmond Park in March 2021.[48] Kruger apologised and said he would be more careful in future.[49]
In 2020–2021 he submitted the highest energy bill claim of any Westminster MP.[50]
References
- ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007
- ^ "Tory MP fined after puppy caused stampede of deer in London park". The Independent. 8 June 2021. from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- ^ "Members Sworn". parliament.uk. 18 December 2019. from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. p. 168. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574. from the original on 9 November 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Boris Johnson aide chosen as Tory candidate". BBC News. 10 November 2019. from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
- ^ "Rayne Kruger". The Daily Telegraph. 9 January 2003. from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ a b c "Cameron's inner circle". The Daily Telegraph. 1 October 2006. from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ a b c "Aspects of Conservatism: Danny Kruger – The Country We Want to Be". Blavatnik School of Government. from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "Focus: Reservoir toffs". The Sunday Times. 8 October 2006. from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.(subscription required)
- ^ "Danny Kruger". Centre for London. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ a b "What's Right Now: Conservative essays on the role of civil society , markets, and the state" (PDF). The Social Market Foundation. October 2005. p. 6. (PDF) from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "Was this the week the Quiet Man lost the plot?". The Daily Telegraph. 12 October 2003. from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "Tory candidate quits over remark". BBC News. 15 March 2005. from the original on 26 July 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "Tories pick Iraq veteran to take on Blair". The Guardian. 23 March 2005. from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ Toynbee, Polly (11 March 2005). "A mission to destroy". The Guardian. from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "The men behind the Cameron effect". The Guardian. 30 September 2006. from the original on 25 September 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ Townsend, Mark (10 August 2013). "David Cameron's vision has been lost, says author of 'hug a hoodie' speech". The Guardian. from the original on 4 January 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "David Cameron and hug-a-hoodie phrase history". BBC News. 6 June 2011. from the original on 30 November 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "Our history". Only Connect. from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ Ricketts, Andy. "Charity founder Danny Kruger among the voluntary sector figures to have been elected to parliament". Third Sector. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Kruger, Danny (25 June 2008). "I wrote 'hug a hoodie' and I'm proud of it". The Spectator. from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ Ritchie, Matt (13 October 2015). "Catch22 acquires Only Connect". Charity Times. from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ Preston, Rob (1 August 2019). "DCMS civil society adviser moves to Number 10". Civil Society. from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "Members of the Order of the British Empire" (PDF). gov.uk. p. 95. (PDF) from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ Kruger, Danny (11 March 2017). "Make drugs dull: legalising cannabis the Canadian way". The Spectator. from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ Kruger, Danny (3 February 2020). "Danny Kruger: 'Leaving the EU is about more than Global Britain. It is a response to the call of home.'". ConservativeHome. from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ Weakley, Kirsty (20 March 2018). "DCMS appoints charity founder to work on civil society strategy". Civil Society. from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ Mason, Rowena (5 August 2019). "Boris Johnson ushers in radical new era of special advisers". The Guardian. from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ Pantall, Amy (9 November 2019). "Danny Kruger announced as new Devizes Conservative parliamentary candidate after Claire Perry steps down". Gazette & Herald. from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ Moore, Joanne (6 September 2019). "Devizes MP's reason for not standing at next election". Gazette and Herald. from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ Rayner, Gordon; Sheridan, Danielle (31 January 2020). "Claire Perry O'Neill sacked from role as president of COP26 UN Climate Change Conference". The Daily Telegraph. from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
- ^ "Devizes". BBC News. from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ Lambert, Harry (4 March 2020). "Who's in charge inside No 10: the maverick advisers running Britain". The New Statesman. from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Policing and Crime". parliament.uk. 29 January 2020. from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "MP urges Britain to return to its Christian heritage". Christian Institute. from the original on 7 February 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
- ^ Paessler, Benjamin (26 May 2020). "John Glen, Danny Kruger respond to Dominic Cummings allegations". Salisbury Journal. from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ "MP apologises after being pictured not wearing a mask during train journey". Salisbury Journal. from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- ^ McLaughlin, Matthew (10 September 2020). "Devizes MP reacts to new coronavirus measures". Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ Bale, Tim (25 May 2021). "Opinion: The Tory 'war on woke' has a manifesto – and its targets are crushingly familiar". The Guardian. from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ Hargrave, Russell (21 September 2021). "Danny Kruger joins Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities". Civil Society News. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- ^ "Danny Kruger MP will support Boris Johnson in no-confidence vote". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ Langford, Eleanor (28 June 2022). "MPs Call For Stronger UK Abortion Rights After Historic US Abortion Bans". PoliticsHome. from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ @danny__kruger (6 July 2022). "Very sorry indeed to hear @michaelgove has been fired by the PM. As I told No 10 earlier today it should be the PM leaving office. I am resigning as PPS at @Dluhc" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Gavaghan, Beth (11 July 2022). "Danny Kruger backs Attorney General Suella Braverman to be Prime Minister". Wiltshire Times. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
- ^ "Our people". Only Connect. from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ "Aide who wrote Cameron's hug-a-hoodie speech is attacked... by a hoodie". London Evening Standard. 3 July 2008. from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- ^ Aaronovitch, David (5 February 2020). "Tory fantasists want to turn back the clock". The Times. from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2020.(subscription required)
- ^ Vaughan, Henry (7 June 2021). "Tory MP fined after puppy caused stampede of deer in London park". Yahoo News. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ "Danny Kruger MP fined over puppy's Richmond Park deer stampede". BBC News. 7 June 2021. from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Wiltshire MP claimed £3,600 energy bill for second home – the most of any MP". from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
External links
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou