Richard Benyon

Richard Henry Ronald Benyon, Baron Benyon (born 21 October 1960) is a British politician who has served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household since 4 November 2024. He previously was Minister of State for Climate, Environment and Energy from 2023 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Newbury from 2005 to 2019. Benyon studied at the Royal Agricultural College and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before serving in the British Army, and was posted to Northern Ireland and the Far East with the Royal Green Jackets. He was elected to Newbury District Council in 1991 and became Conservative group leader in 1994. Benyon became MP for Newbury at the 2005 general election. In opposition, he served on the Home Affairs Select Committee, as an opposition whip and as a shadow minister for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Under David Cameron, he first served as a government minister at DEFRA from May 2010 to October 2013. He had the Conservative whip removed on 3 September 2019 by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, after voting against the government, and sat as an independent MP until he had the whip restored on 28 October 2019. Benyon was appointed to the House of Lords by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Following the resignation of Lord Gardiner of Kimble in May 2021, he was made a parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.