Steve Baker
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| Steve Baker | |
|---|---|
| Name | Steve Baker |
| Birth date | 1971 |
| Birth place | Epsom, Surrey, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Politician; former RAF engineer; entrepreneur |
| Party | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Alma mater | University of York |
Steve Baker
Steve Baker is a British politician, former Royal Air Force engineer, and entrepreneur who has served as a Member of Parliament and held ministerial and shadow ministerial roles. He is associated with Eurosceptic campaigns, free-market think tanks, and parliamentary reform initiatives. Baker is notable for contributions to debates on Brexit, regulatory reform, and defence procurement.
Early life and education
Baker was born in Epsom, Surrey, and raised in Devon and Surrey. He trained as an engineering apprentice in the Royal Air Force and later studied physics and philosophy at the University of York, where he completed an undergraduate degree. He subsequently gained postgraduate qualifications in management and business from institutions including Henley Business School and professional training linked to Chartered Institute of Management Accountants pathways.
Professional career and business activities
After his RAF apprenticeship with exposure to Panavia Tornado maintenance and systems engineering, Baker worked in technology and consultancy roles for aerospace and defence suppliers engaging with clients like BAE Systems and agencies associated with Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). He co-founded and directed small businesses in the information technology and consultancy sectors, engaging with procurement processes for public-sector bodies including local authorities and national departments such as Department for Transport. Baker was involved with market-oriented think tanks and advocacy groups, collaborating with organisations such as the Adam Smith Institute and Policy Exchange on regulatory reform and small business policy.
Political career
Baker's parliamentary career began after selection as a candidate for the Conservative Party (UK); he was first elected to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in the 2010s representing a constituency in Cheshire. Within Parliament he served on committees including the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee and chaired groups focused on procurement and fiscal policy. He held ministerial posts in units attached to the Department for Exiting the European Union and later served as a minister with responsibilities linked to procurement and procurement reform under successive prime ministers. Baker also took roles on the Conservative Party’s internal committees and was active in parliamentary caucuses such as the European Research Group.
Throughout the Brexit period he campaigned with organisations like Vote Leave and engaged in parliamentary debates on withdrawal agreements and the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. He resigned from government posts at points of policy disagreement and later occupied frontbench positions in shadow ministerial teams under Conservative leadership changes involving figures such as Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and Rishi Sunak.
Positions and ideology
Baker is known for libertarian-leaning and classical liberal stances associated with free-market advocates such as the Institute of Economic Affairs and membership circles linked to the TaxPayers' Alliance. He advocated for deregulation, standing against what he described as excessive statutory interference in markets, and supported reform of public procurement practices drawing on models from New Zealand and United States Department of Defense procurement reforms. On European integration he argued for national sovereignty and parliamentary primacy, aligning with the objectives of Euroscepticism in the United Kingdom and the Brexit movement. In defence and security, Baker supported maintaining capability through procurement reform and has engaged with debates involving NATO commitments and procurement of platforms like the Eurofighter Typhoon and naval vessels.
Baker has taken positions on civil liberties emphasizing scrutiny of surveillance legislation debated alongside organisations such as Liberty (human rights organisation) during votes on surveillance and investigatory powers. Economically he has expressed support for lower taxation and regulatory simplification promoted by groups such as the Centre for Policy Studies.
Personal life and public image
Baker is married and has children; his personal details have occasionally been discussed in local media in connection with constituency work in Cheshire East. He has cultivated a public image as a principled backbencher and minister, often media-visible on programmes of BBC and print outlets including The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian during debates over Brexit and procurement. Critics and supporters alike cite his work with pressure groups and think tanks such as Reform (think tank) and the Adam Smith Institute as central to his public persona. He has written articles and given speeches at events hosted by institutions like the Institute for Government and universities such as the University of Oxford on constitutional and economic subjects.