David Ruffley

David Ruffley has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds since 1997.

Ruffley is a senior member of the influential Treasury Committee, which is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of HM Treasury, HM Revenue & Customs, and associated public bodies, including the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority.

Political career

In his own words:

On leaving grammar school I went to Cambridge University then practised as a solicitor dealing with banks and many small businesses. At the beginning of the 1990s I was headhunted by the Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke, QC MP – to be a trouble shooter in the Department of Education and Science and to keep a keen eye on his civil servants. I did this job for the same Cabinet Minister at the Home Office (1992-93) and then when he became Chancellor of the Exchequer in May 1993 until 1996. I was his Chief Special Adviser at the Treasury- a period when most acknowledge Ken Clarke got the British economy into the best shape for a generation. He left a golden economic legacy to Mr Blair's Government.

I won the 1997 General Election as the candidate for Bury St Edmunds, achieving the lowest Labour “swing” against me of any Conservative held seat in the whole of the United Kingdom - something I am proud of! Especially as many much safer Tory seats fell to Blair's Labour Party. The majority of 368 came after a recount. I increased my majority to 2,503 in 2001. In 2005, I increased it to 9,930 and in 2010 it increased again to 12,380.

I served on the Treasury Select Committee, the most influential in Parliament, from 1999 until March 2004 and got a national reputation for taking on Gordon Brown in head to head exchanges on tax and spending.

I then served on the Conservative front bench as Treasury Whip in Her Majesty’s Opposition Whips Office between March 2004 and July 2005 – this involved me managing detailed legislative scrutiny. Between December 2005 and July 2007 I was Shadow Minister for Welfare Reform. Between July 2007 and May 2010 I was Shadow Minister for Police Reform.

In October 2010 I was unanimously elected by the Conservative colleagues in the Commons to serve on the Treasury Select Committee. Our scrutiny is vital in ensuring the Government's economic and financial policy is effective. If it isn't we say so. In 2011 we are doing reports on the structure of banking and economic growth - both crucial to the success of this country.