Owen Paterson | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2020 | |
| Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | |
| In office 4 September 2012 – 14 July 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Caroline Spelman |
| Succeeded by | Liz Truss |
| Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |
| In office 12 May 2010 – 4 September 2012 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Shaun Woodward |
| Succeeded by | Theresa Villiers |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |
| In office 2 July 2007 – 11 May 2010 | |
| Leader | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | David Lidington |
| Succeeded by | Shaun Woodward |
| Member of Parliament for North Shropshire | |
| In office 1 May 1997 – 5 November 2021 | |
| Preceded by | John Biffen |
| Succeeded by | Helen Morgan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Owen William Paterson 24 June 1956 Whitchurch, Shropshire, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Radley College |
| Alma mater | Corpus Christi College, Cambridge |
Owen William Paterson (born 24 June 1956) is a British former politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2010 to 2012 and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2012 to 2014 under Prime Minister David Cameron. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North Shropshire from 1997 until his resignation in 2021. Paterson was also the President of the Northern Ireland Conservatives.[citation needed]
Paterson was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet of David Cameron in 2007 as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. During the formation of the Coalition Government in 2010, he was appointed to the Cabinet as Northern Ireland Secretary, where he remained until being moved to Environment Secretary in 2012. He was dismissed as Environment Secretary by Prime Minister David Cameron as part of the 2014 Cabinet reshuffle, and was replaced by Liz Truss. After returning to the backbenches, Paterson became a leading supporter of Brexit as a member of the European Research Group (ERG).
Paterson resigned from the House of Commons on 5 November 2021 amid controversy surrounding a report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards that found that he had broken paid advocacy rules.