Lord Henley has been appointed Ministerial Champion for Salisbury

Business Minister Lord Henley has been appointed Ministerial Champion for Salisbury, providing local leaders with a single point of contact in the heart of government as the local area focuses on boosting business following the nerve agent attack last year.

Lord Henley met Wiltshire Council, Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (SWLEP) and local businesses while seeing recovery efforts first-hand during a 2-day visit to South Wiltshire in early February.

Last year the government announced more than £7.5 million of funding to boost businesses, tourism and support the local community as a result of the incidents in Salisbury and Amesbury. The government is committed to supporting this historic British city as it recovers and will continue to do everything possible to help keep South Wiltshire and its businesses thriving.

Business Minister Lord Henley said:

'As the newly appointed Ministerial Champion for Salisbury I look forward to supporting efforts to ensure this great Cathedral city of commerce, culture and character continues to thrive. As Salisbury gets back to business, the government is working hand-in-hand with local leaders to deliver an ambitious local Industrial Strategy for the area, ensuring Salisbury not only recovers, but leads the way in some of the industries of the future.'

For the full story, visit the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy website.

Who is Lord Henley?

  • Lord Henley was appointed as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 27 October 2017.
  • He was a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions from 21 December 2016 to 15 June 2017, and a Lord in Waiting (Government Whip) from 21 November 2016 to 15 June 2017.
  • He is a Conservative member of the House of Lords.
  • Lord Henley served as Minister of State for Crime Prevention and Anti-Social Behaviour Reduction from September 2011 to September 2012. He served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2010 to 2011.
  • Lord Henley held a number of positions in the previous Conservative government, including Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department of Social Security, the Department for Employment and the Ministry of Defence. He was also Minister of State for the Department of Education and Employment. In Opposition, he served as Chief Whip, Deputy Speaker and was Opposition spokesperson for Legal Affairs and Justice.
  • He was educated at Clifton College, Bristol and Durham University. He was called to the Bar in 1977.

Previous roles in government

  • Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Lords) – 2016 to 2017
  • Lord in Waiting (Government Whip) – 2016 to 2017
  • Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Resource Management, the Local Environment and Environmental Science – 2010 to 2011