Neil Parish

Neil Parish was born in Bridgwater and left school at 16 to manage his family’s farm. He began his political career as a local councillor and was later elected as an MEP, representing the South West region from 1999 until 2009. Representing a rural constituency, Parish was appointed a member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development as soon as he started in Brussels. Parish first stood for election in 1997, unsuccessfully contesting the safe Labour seat of Torfaen. After his election in 2010, he joined the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and established three APPGs relating to: beef and lamb; eggs, pigs and poultry; and dairy. In 2014, Parish became PPS to John Hayes, the then-transport minister. In 2015, he was elected as chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. A Brexiter who was against May’s deal, in the 2019 Conservative leadership election Parish initially threw his support behind Michael Gove, the then-environment secretary, but backed Boris Johnson when Gove was knocked out.