In 1993, he was a researcher for Barry Legg, the Conservative MP for Milton Keynes South West. He worked as a trainee solicitor with Richards Butler from 1995, being admitted as a solicitor in 1997. From 1999 to 2005, he was a solicitor in the financial services group at Macfarlanes,[2] a corporate law firm.
Gauke was elected as the vice-chairman of the Brent East Conservative Association for two years from 1998, and contested the seat at the 2001 general election finishing in second place 13,047 votes behind the Labour MP Paul Daisley.
Parliamentary career
Gauke was elected to the House of Commons at the 2005 general election for Hertfordshire South West following the retirement of Richard Page. Gauke won the seat with a majority of 8,473, making his maiden speech on 9 June 2005.[3] Between 2005 and 2008, he served as a member of the Procedure Select Committee. He was a member of the Treasury Select Committee between 2006 and 2007, before joining the Opposition front bench as Shadow Treasury Minister.
After four years in the post of Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, where he was one of the principal architects of austerity, Gauke moved to become the Financial Secretary to the Treasury.
On 8 January 2018, Gauke succeeded David Lidington as Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor.[6] He is the first solicitor to have held the post.[1]
On 8 June 2019, following Gauke's "refusal to enact the commitments made in the Conservative manifesto"[7] and his supporting the leadership candidacy of Rory Stewart in favour of persisting with May's withdrawal agreement, his constituency association wrote to all members calling a special meeting for a vote of no confidence.[8][9]
Gauke claimed £10,248.32 in stamp duty and fees involved in the purchase of his second home in London, a flat. A Channel 4Dispatches programme revealed that he was claiming expenses on the flat in central London despite having a property located only one hour away on public transport.
Gauke sold the flat in August 2012, keeping £27,000, the property price having increased by £67,000 since purchase. He paid nearly £40,000 of this to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) as MPs only have to pay back any profit made in the previous two years.[13]
He told the British public that negotiating a price discount with tradesmen for paying in cash for the purposes of evading tax is morally wrong.[14]
On 3 September 2019, Gauke joined 20 other rebel Conservative MPs to vote against the Conservative government of Boris Johnson.[15] The rebel MPs voted with the Opposition to seize control of parliamentary business from the government, allowing the subsequent passage of the Benn act. The government had declared that voting against the original motion would be viewed as a matter of confidence in the government, as voting in favour of the motion would effectively be "destroying the government's negotiating position and handing control of parliament to Jeremy Corbyn."[16] After voting against the government on a "confidence-issue," all 21 were advised that they had lost the Conservative whip,[17] expelling them as Conservative MPs and requiring them to sit as independents.[18][19] If they decided to run for re-election in a future election, the party would block their selection as Conservative candidates.[16]
Gauke stood in his constituency as an independent candidate, and came second with 26% of the vote.[20] The Conservative candidate won the seat with 49.6% of the vote and a majority of 14,408 votes.
Post-Parliament
In May 2020, six months after leaving Parliament, it was announced that Gauke was re-joining Macfarlanes as their head of policy.[21] He is also a political commentator and a columnist for the New Statesman where he writes about British and international politics from a liberal centrist perspective.
On 15 May 2024, he appeared on The Rest Is Politics, substituting for Rory Stewart.
In 2024, Gauke endorsed some Conservative candidates and some Independent MPs, such as James Bagge who stood against his former Cabinet colleague Liz Truss. He expressed support for Rejoin EU candidate in his constituency. In July 2024, he rejoined the Conservatives and called on centrist Conservatives to do the same.
In October 2024, it was confirmed that Prime MinisterSir Keir Starmer would appoint Gauke to lead an independent review into prison sentences.[22]
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