Ben was born in Derby in 1989, and grew up in Ripley and Belper. Having initially attended Bath University to study Sports Science, he decided that the course wasn't right for him, he dropped out and worked as a Landscape Gardener and an Administrator, as well as roles at Aldi and Frankie and Benny's. He later returned to University, where he graduated with a first-class honours degree in Politics from Nottingham Trent University in 2013. Following this, he took on several roles, including as a Recruitment Consultant, before venturing in to politics as a Campaign Manager for Mark Spencer, the Member of Parliament for neighbouring Sherwood prior to the 2015 General Election.
In 2015, Ben stood and was elected as a District Councillor in Hucknall, and was duly appointed as Group Leader for the Conservative Group on Ashfield District Council. He became Mr Spencer’s Parliamentary Office Manager, and in early 2017 successfully stood and was elected for Nottinghamshire County Council, again representing Hucknall North.
Ben became Member of Parliament for Mansfield in the snap General Election in June 2017 with a majority of just over 1000. Ben was re-elected in December 2019 with a hugely increased majority over 16,000 votes.
Following his successful re-election to Nottinghamshire County Council in May 2021, now representing Mansfield North, he was chosen by his Council colleagues to be the new Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council. This presents a huge opportunity to tie together local and national priorities in order to attract more change and investment for Mansfield, and for Notts.
Ben is married to Shanade, and has two young children and a dog, Dexter.
Ben says, "I’ve had the honour of being Mansfield’s MP since June 2017. I was the first blue brick in the red wall, in an election that started a huge political shift in the country and ended 94 years of Labour in Mansfield. I was then re-elected in December 2019 with a massively increased majority of over 16,000! I'm hugely grateful to local people for their continued support.
"I think it’s really important that I keep my constituents updated with what I’m doing in Parliament to represent them and work I’m doing locally, so I am incredibly active on social media. I post regularly on my Facebook page and also have a private Facebook group, which is only for Mansfield constituents.
"You can also subscribe to my YouTube Channel and follow me on Twitter or Instagram.
"As well as focusing on My Plan for Mansfield, I regularly raise issues that are important to constituents, which include Brexit, animal welfare, education, homelessness, fracking, the NHS, housing and many more. I’ve sent tens of thousands of letters and emails to and on behalf of constituents, so please never hesitate to get in touch if there’s something I can help out with!
"My time as an MP has been a whirlwind – I’ve been a member of the Education Select Committee, the Women & Equalities Select Committee, I've bee Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), and also to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). I've held regular MP surgeries, visited countless schools, sponsored nearly 200 parliamentary tour spaces, introduced a 10 Minute Rule Bill to protect bees and other pollinators, amongst many other things!
"Whilst I’m delighted with what I’ve achieved so far in Mansfield, I won’t stop shouting up for our community (I’m always mentioning Mansfield and Warsop in the Chamber!) and making sure my constituent’s concerns are at the top of the Government’s agenda."