Editing Mark Simmonds (section)

==Parliamentary career==
He contested the [[Ashfield (UK Parliament constituency)|Ashfield]] seat in 1997. Simmonds was promoted to Shadow Health Minister in 2007.

On 5 September 2012, he was appointed as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office]].<ref>[http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/who-we-are/our-ministers/ "Who we are - our Ministers"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906210937/http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/who-we-are/our-ministers/ |date=6 September 2012 }}. FCO (Official website). Retrieved 6 September 2012.</ref>  In this role, he was also responsible for the [[British Overseas Territories]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cayman27.com.ky/2012/09/06/new-o-t-minister-for-cayman |title=New O.T. Minister for Cayman |publisher=Cayman 27 |date=6 September 2012 |accessdate=11 August 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414065711/http://www.cayman27.com.ky/2012/09/06/new-o-t-minister-for-cayman |archive-date=14 April 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> He resigned on 11 August 2014, claiming that he cannot support his family in London on £120k + expenses.<ref name=chris>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11027010/Minister-quits-because-120000-salary-and-expenses-is-not-enough-to-support-his-family-in-London.html|title=Minister quits because £120,000 salary and expenses is not enough to support his family in London|work=Daily Telegraph|author=Christopher Hope|date=11 August 2014|accessdate=12 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811220549/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11027010/Minister-quits-because-120000-salary-and-expenses-is-not-enough-to-support-his-family-in-London.html|archive-date=11 August 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the ''Telegraph'', although Simmonds legitimately received over £500k from expenses since 2001, changes in the rules following the 2009 [[United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal]] meant he was no longer able to claim mortgage relief on a house in Putney.<ref name=holly>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/11026474/Mark-Simmonds-Expenses-system-gave-Foreign-Office-minister-a-500000-lift.html|title=Mark Simmonds: Expenses system gave Foreign Office minister a £500,000 lift|author=Holly Watt|work=Daily Telegraph|date=11 August 2014|accessdate=12 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813030014/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/11026474/Mark-Simmonds-Expenses-system-gave-Foreign-Office-minister-a-500000-lift.html|archive-date=13 August 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>  He subsequently sold the house at a profit of £537k and bought [[Swineshead Abbey]] but said it was impossible for "a government minister with children to have a normal family life."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/conservative-mps-expenses/11029709/How-taxpayers-helped-fund-1m-home-of-minister-who-cant-live-on-MPs-pay.html|title=How taxpayers helped fund £1m home of minister who can't live on MP's pay|author=Steven Swinford, and Holly Watt|work=Daily Telegraph|date=12 August 2014|accessdate=13 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813115807/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/conservative-mps-expenses/11029709/How-taxpayers-helped-fund-1m-home-of-minister-who-cant-live-on-MPs-pay.html|archive-date=13 August 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

He voted against the [[Cameron–Clegg coalition]] government in 2013 on the issue of [[Operation Shader#Airstrikes in Syria|British military intervention]] in the [[Syrian civil war]].<ref>"[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/sep/03/tory-mps-syria-vote-assad-hospitality Nine Tory MPs who did not back Syria strike received Assad's hospitality] ''The Guardian'' September 2013</ref>

Following his decision not to stand again, Simmonds defended charging expenses to the taxpayer purported to total over £10,000 on hoardings and local radio. He claimed the money was necessary to communicate with constituents.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.skegnessstandard.co.uk/news/local/mp-mark-simmonds-hits-out-at-ridiculous-story-that-he-has-claimed-more-than-10-0000-in-advertising-back-on-expenses-1-6613545|title=MP Mark Simmonds hits out at 'ridiculous' story that he has claimed more than £10,0000 in advertising back on expenses|date=4 March 2015|accessdate=6 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150308174220/http://www.skegnessstandard.co.uk/news/local/mp-mark-simmonds-hits-out-at-ridiculous-story-that-he-has-claimed-more-than-10-0000-in-advertising-back-on-expenses-1-6613545|archive-date=8 March 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The political campaigning website [[38 Degrees]] set up a petition calling for him to pay it back.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/10-000-mark-simmonds-pay-it-back|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402115108/https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/10-000-mark-simmonds-pay-it-back|url-status=live|archive-date=2 April 2015|title=£10,000? Mark Simmonds, pay it back.|accessdate=6 March 2015}}</ref>

In 2014 he was appointed to the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]], entitling him to the style "[[The Right Honourable]]" for life.<ref name="10Dec14">{{Cite web |title=Orders for 10 Dec 2014 |url=http://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/orders-approved-at-privy-council-10-december-2014.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109181220/http://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/orders-approved-at-privy-council-10-december-2014.pdf |archive-date=9 November 2015 |access-date=5 August 2022 |publisher=Privy Council Office}}</ref>