Ben Wallace

Ben Wallace has been the Conservative MP for Wyre and Preston North since 2010. From 2005 to 2010, he was MP for Lancaster and Wyre.

He is an aide to Ken Clarke, the Minister Without Portfolio.

Background

After leaving school at eighteen, Wallace spent a short period as a Ski Instructor in Austria before entering the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the Scots Guards, aged twenty. Wallace saw operational service in Northern Ireland and Central America, serving as Platoon Commander, Company Commander, Operations Officer and as an Intelligence Officer in Northern Ireland. In 1991 he was Mentioned in Despatches.

Views on fracking

In an interview with The Telegraph newspaper in August 2013, Wallace 'hit out at the “risible” deals being offered to counties that allow fracking', the controversial method of gas extraction.

Mr Wallace suggested that opposition to fracking will grow and could “delay” shale gas exploitation unless councils are given a far greater proportion of revenue by drilling companies. Currently the Government has an agreement with industry that 1 per cent of any revenue generated will go to the local community where drilling took place. Of that one per cent, just one-third will go to county council coffers.

Although Mr Wallace supports the principle of fracking, he has written to the Prime Minister warning that the Government risks losing support for the process unless it “incentivises” local communities. “I was pleased… when the Government accepted the principle that localities affected would benefit and a percentage of revenue would go to counties,” Mr Wallace said in his letter.

He added: “The industry agreed figure of 1/3 of 1 per cent of revenue to counties is risible and risks delaying shale gas exploitation. It is also tiny compared to what the industry has to pay in the US and elsewhere.”

In January 2014 Wallace described as ‘pathetic’ and ‘insulting’ the Coalition government's new fracking incentives for communities which would allow them to keep 100 per cent of business rates from extraction sites.

Outside interests

Remunerated directorships

Oculus Insight Limited; investment consultancy in the security sector.

Overseas visits

28 July-1 August 2008, to Iran in my capacity as Chairman of the British-Iranian All-Party Parliamentary Group, for meetings with Iranian politicians and officials. Flights and accommodation were paid for by the Conservative Middle East Council. Some internal travel and hospitality was provided by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. (Registered 28 August 2008)

Registrable shareholdings

• Oculus Insight Limited

Resources

• Peter Dominiczak and Lucy Fenn, Senior ministerial aide hits out at consequences of fracking, The Telegraph, 26 Aug 2013, 10:00PM BST