Richard John Foord[2] (/fɔːrd/; born 13 February 1978)[1][3] is a British politician and former British Army officer who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tiverton and Honiton in Devon since 2022.[4] A member of the Liberal Democrats, he won the seat in a by-election held on 23 June 2022, following the resignation due to scandal of the previous Conservative MP Neil Parish.
Richard Foord | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Tiverton and Honiton | |
Assumed office 23 June 2022 | |
Preceded by | Neil Parish |
Majority | 6,144 (14.4%) |
Liberal Democrat portfolios | |
2022- | Defence |
Personal details | |
Born | Richard John Foord 13 February 1978[1] Weston-super-Mare, Avon, England |
Political party | Liberal Democrats |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater | |
Signature | |
Website | www |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Branch/service | British Army |
Years of service | 2001–2010 |
Rank | Major |
Unit | Adjutant General's Corps |
Battles/wars | Iraq War |
Foord was born in February 1978 [1] in Weston-super-Mare and went to school in Backwell.[5] He has a BA in history from Royal Holloway, University of London, an MSc in global security from Cranfield University and an MBA from the Open University.[6]
Having attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Foord was commissioned into the Educational and Training Services Branch of the Adjutant General's Corps of the British Army on 13 April 2001.[7] He was promoted to captain on 13 October 2003.[8] After attending Staff College, he was promoted to major on 31 July 2009.[3][9] He served in both the Balkans and Iraq, receiving three campaign medals.[10][11]
Before the election he was International Collaboration and Export Control Manager at the University of Oxford[12] having previously worked at the University of Exeter since 2010, most recently as acting head of global partnerships.[13][6] He grew up in North Somerset and lived in Yatton for 19 years; by 2017, he lived in Uffculme, Devon.[5]
Foord stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate for North Somerset in the 2017 general election, reaching third place.[5] He was elected to parliament in the 2022 Tiverton and Honiton by-election. In his victory speech, he made a critique of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's lack of integrity as a leader: "By any measure you are unfit to lead".[14][15]
In January 2023, Foord tabled his first bill in Parliament to legalise wild camping on Dartmoor National Park.[16] This came in the wake of a High Court ruling which saw the assumed right to wild camp at Dartmoor, established by the 1985 Dartmoor Commons Act,[17] overturned and replaced by an agreement between the Park Authority and local landowners.[18]
Due to boundary changes and the abolition of Foord's Tiverton and Honiton constituency at the next general election, Foord announced in July 2023 that he would be standing as a candidate for the new Honiton and Sidmouth constituency at the next general election.[19] The formation of the new constituency of Honiton and Sidmouth will also involve the abolition of the neighbouring East Devon constituency. The 2024 general election will see two serving MPs in Devon, Simon Jupp (Conservative, for East Devon) and Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat, for Tiverton and Honiton) go head to head in the general election for the new constituency.[20][21]
Foord is married and has three children.[15] He is a member of Sustrans and a qualified mountain leader.[5]