Conservative MP Reigate

Date of birth

15 July 1960

Political profile

One of several former Army officers on the Conservative benches, Crispin Blunt resigned his commission in 1990 and after a stint in business became special adviser to Malcolm Rifkind, who was then Secretary of State for Defence.

He still takes every opportunity to speak on defence matters, serving for a time as a junior frontbench Northern Ireland spokesman.

He is also a supporter of British arms exports.

Despite his hawkishness on defence matters, he is something of a Tory moderate: he supported Michael Ancram's bid for the leadership and is liberal leaning on some social issues, such as abortion and stem cell research.

He can, however, be boisterously partisan in the Commons chamber and was one of a handful of MPs to vote against Michael Martin's election as speaker.

He was made a junior spokesman on trade and industry in Iain Duncan Smith's 2002 re-shuffle.

He resigned from the frontbench in May 2003 to call for IDS' resignation.

Contact

crispinbluntmp@parliament.uk

Constituency office 01306 888228