Richard Fuller CBE is the Conservative MP for North Bedfordshire, having first been elected to parliament at the 2010 general election for the predecessor seat of Bedford. He represented North East Bedfordshire (2019-2024) and Bedford (2010-2017).

In the 2024 general election, Fuller won 19,981 votes, representing 38.8% of the vote. The Labour candidate, Uday Nagaraju, received 14,567 votes (28.3%), while the Reform UK candidate, Pippa Clayton, secured 8,433 votes (16.4%). Fuller was duly elected with a majority of 5,414 votes.

The North Bedfordshire constituency was re-established for the 2024 election, largely replacing the former North East Bedfordshire seat. It covers the northern part of the county, including towns such as Biggleswade and Sandy. The area is considered safe Conservative territory.

Fuller was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2024 Birthday Honours for political and public service.

Political Career

Fuller was appointed shadow chief secretary to the Treasury in November 2024 by Kemi Badenoch, the newly elected Conservative leader.

Previously, Fuller served as chairman of the Conservative Party from July to November 2024 on the interim/caretaker frontbench constructed by Rishi Sunak after the 2024 general election. In this capacity, Fuller – along with Bob Blackman of the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers – guided his party through the difficult months that followed the July poll. Fuller was appointed following resignation of his predecessor, Richard Holden

As party chair, Fuller ran “career transition sessions” for unseated Conservative MPs. He also urged the party’s leadership candidates to avoid “blue on blue” attacks.

Addressing Tory members at the party’s annual conference in 2024, Fuller said he was “profoundly sorry” for the general election loss and that the parliamentary party “needs to learn and has to change”.

He added: “To our activists. To our current and former councillors, police and crime commissioners and mayors who found their strong local records of service were dominated by negative national headlines.

“To Conservative voters and to the country at large for the consequence: a reckless, ideological socialist government with a huge majority based on a paltry share of the electorate.

“I am deeply sorry.”

During the Conservative Party’s tenure in government, Fuller served as economic secretary to the Treasury from July 2022 until October 2022 – under prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

Fuller has introduced several private members’ bills, including:

• The Hares (Closed Season) Bill, which was introduced in December 2021 and sought to establish a closed season for hunting hares;
• The Hare Coursing Bill, introduced in June 2021 to increase penalties for hare coursing offences;
• The Licensed Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles (Closed Circuit Television) Bill, introduced in October 2013, which aimed to require CCTV in taxis.

Fuller was a member of the House of Commons public accounts committee in May 2024, the business and trade committee from October 2016 to May 2017, and again from March 2020 to October 2022; the regulatory reform committee from December 2012 to May 2017; and the business, innovation and skills committee from July 2015 to October 2016.

Fuller notably harangued Sir Philip Green over the collapse of high street firm BHS during a 2016 committee session. Fuller accused Green of being a Judas by “betraying” employees.

The businessman later asked Fuller to not look at him “like that all the time – it’s really disturbing”.

He added: “It’s just uncomfortable, that’s all.”

In October 2016, Fuller tabled a commons motion calling on the honours forfeiture committee to recommend Green’s knighthood “be cancelled and annulled”. It was approved by MPs.

Addressing the commons, Fuller said: “[MPs] have spoken to me privately and said that they may well agree that Sir Philip Green is no longer deserving of the knighthood, but they are not sure that the House has a role to play in that.

“Respectfully, I disagree. We are here to assert a view on the opinion of the people, and I think it is perfectly valid… We do not make the final decision, but it is worthy and honourable for this House to have a view about Sir Philip Green.”

Fuller was the Conservative MP for Bedford from 2010 until 2017 – when he lost the seat to Labour’s Mohammad Yasin. Yasin was elected on a razor-thin majority of 789 votes.

Fuller returned to parliament as the MP for North East Bedfordshire, having won the seat at the 2019 election with a 24,283-vote majority.

Fuller had stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative candidate for Bedford in the 2005 general election, finishing second to Labour incumbent Patrick Hall on 14,174 votes (33.7%). Fuller would go on to unseat Hall at the 2010 general election.

Fuller delivered his maiden speech as MP for Bedford on 22 June 2010 during a debate on the budget. In it, he said: “The challenge for the government, met in the Budget, is to balance our books while rewarding work; to find a way in which our public services can support and raise up the people of this country who need their help, and not – as happens too frequently, despite the best intentions – hold them down.

“I believe that a key to that is unleashing the power, potential, leadership and creativity of our social enterprises and charities.”

He added: “We need a House that can both strive for the most important interests of this country and amplify the weakest and quietest voices in our community. The people need a House that can be a beacon for liberty, freedom and democracy for those in the world for whom those are still ideals and not reality.

“We need a House that will restore probity to the public finances, so that future generations of Britons are not shackled by the excesses of this generation.”

Fuller was national chairman of the Young Conservatives from 1985 to 1987.

Political views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Fuller was a loyal supporter of Johnson until the end of his premiership – voting for him in the June 2022 confidence ballot. “I have supported the prime minister throughout”, Fuller declared in a statement following Johnson’s resignation as PM.

He added: “There have been mistakes as well as an absence of a compelling vision for taking the country forward: one that is based on traditional conservative principles.

“However, I am under no illusion that the decision in 2016 by the British people to leave the European Union reinforced in the 2019 general election remains the critical dividing line in our politics.

“This resignation potentially could undo much of the healing and reconciliation that has occurred in recent years. The resignation of the prime minister means that millions of people have lost the one person they trusted to be on their side against the powerful forces that have never accepted that 2016 decision.”

Tory leadership 2022 (I): Fuller supported Rishi Sunak’s candidacy in the Conservative Party’s July-September 2022 leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Boris Johnson, following the mass exodus of more than 60 frontbenchers.

Sunak, the former chancellor, warned against “comforting fairytales” regarding unfunded tax cuts. Although he won every round of the parliamentary ballots, securing 137 votes in the final stage, Sunak was defeated by Liz Truss in the membership vote, finishing with 60,399 votes (42.6%).

Tory leadership 2022 (II): Fuller also supported Sunak’s candidacy in the Conservative Party’s October 2022 leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Truss after just 45 days in office, following the financial and political tailspin triggered by her “mini-budget”.

Unlike the summer contest, this election featured an expedited process requiring each candidate to secure at least 100 nominations from MPs to proceed. Sunak, having emerged as the clear frontrunner, was declared leader of the Conservative Party unopposed on 24 October.

During the 2024 Tory leadership contest, Fuller faced allegations that he was secretly backing Kemi Badenoch’s campaign – something a spokesperson for the then-party chairman strongly denied.

Fuller stated: “[Fuller] is and has remained neutral throughout the contest. TV debates and hustings are to be agreed by the party board and are for the campaign teams to decide to commit to.”

Owen Paterson report: In November 2021, Fuller was one of 13 Conservative MPs who voted against a government-supported amendment to defer the suspension of Conservative MP Owen Paterson. The vote took place after a report by the commons standards committee found Paterson had breached paid advocacy rules in what was described as an “egregious” case of lobbying on behalf of two companies.

Factional identity and party tradition

Tory Reform Group: Fuller is listed as a member of the Tory Reform Group (TRG) – a pressure group within the Conservative Party that represents the “one nation” tradition of political thought. Historically associated with senior party figures such as Kenneth Clarke and Michael Heseltine, the TRG was established in 1975 to champion socially progressive and centrist policies – acting as an intellectual counterweight to the emerging free-market, Thatcherite wing of the party.

The Free Market Forum: Fuller has been listed as a supporter of the Free Market Forum (FMF) of Conservative MPs and peers. The group, co-chaired by Dehenna Davison and Greg Smith in the 2019-2024 parliament, set out to “encourage free market thinking, winning over the unpersuaded and providing intellectual firepower and a public platform to proponents of classical liberalism.” Founded in 2021, the forum, associated with the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), was seen as aligned with the economic policies of the Liz Truss government.

Blue Collar Conservatives: Fuller was previously listed as a member of the Blue Collar Conservatives group. This faction within the Conservative party was founded in 2012 by the former cabinet minister Esther McVey, but came to greater prominence following the 2019 general election. The group aimed to “champion working people and develop a conservative agenda to benefit the voters and communities most neglected by Labour”. In October 2022, McVey was succeeded by Lee Anderson as the group’s chair.

Brexit and Europe

Brexit referendum: Fuller supported the Leave campaign in the 2016 referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union (EU), and therefore agreed with a majority of his (Bedford) constituents, 51.9% of whom also voted to Leave.

Article 50: In February 2017, Fuller voted in favour of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill. The legislation empowered the prime minister to notify the Council of the European Union of the UK’s intention to withdraw, formally triggering the process set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. MPs supported the bill by 498 votes to 114 at second reading.

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, Fuller voted against the UK-EU Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill. The bill, introduced under the ten-minute rule procedure by Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton, sought to mandate the government to enter into negotiations with the European Union to establish a bespoke customs union.

Assisted dying

Fuller voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at both second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

In a statement setting out his position, issued shortly after the bill’s second reading, Fuller said: “I have deep concerns that the safeguards, as currently written, are not robust enough and that the scope of the bill could widen with legal challenge.

“I worry that it could leave vulnerable people exposed to coercion, and that a ‘right to die’ could easily morph into a ‘duty to die’.”

He added: “MPs must now await the bill’s third reading, which is the final opportunity for a debate in the House of Commons on the bill. I will look carefully at the bill on its return, but I remain extremely sceptical that sufficiently robust safeguards can be devised to make it fit for purpose.”

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Fuller voted against a backbench amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that sought to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in June 2025. The amendment, which was passed by a majority of 242 votes, removed women from the threat of prosecution for ending a pregnancy at any stage. As an issue of conscience, MPs were allowed to vote according to their personal beliefs.

Foreign policy and security

Palestinian recognition vote (2014): In October 2014, Fuller was one of 39 Conservative MPs who voted in favour of recognising Palestine as a state. The motion, passed by 274 votes to 12 after it was roundly supported by Labour MPs, called on the government to “recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution”.

In April 2025, Fuller appeared to distance himself from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s comments backing Israel’s decision to deny two UK Labour MPs (Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang) entry to the country.

Badenoch had told the BBC that Israel had a right to “control its borders”, adding it was “very significant” there were Labour MPs other countries did not want to let in.

Fuller, despite his role on the Tory frontbench as chief secretary to the Treasury, told Times Radio he thought MPs on official trips should be “welcomed in any country”.

He said: “Any member of parliament who goes on an official trip should be, I would think, welcomed in any country.

“They’re going there to be better informed about the situation and then report back to their parliamentary colleagues about what they have found.”

Asked whether he was concerned over an “increasingly authoritarian tone being taken” by some countries, Fuller replied: “I think we should all be very worried about democracy. Democracy isn’t a guarantee in life. Freedom isn’t guaranteed.”

https://x.com/NatashaC/status/1908831317459955814

Trident renewal (2016): Fuller voted in favour of a government motion calling for the renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent system in July 2016. The motion, which was passed by 472 votes to 117, committed the UK to constructing a new fleet of submarines to carry the nation’s nuclear weapons.

Syria airstrikes (2015): Fuller voted in favour of a government motion to extend UK airstrikes against Isis from Iraq into Syria in December 2015. The motion, which was passed by 397 votes to 223 after a ten-hour debate in the House of Commons, authorised the RAF to conduct strikes against Isis targets in Syria.

Syria airstrikes (2013): Fuller voted in favour of the government’s motion on the principle of military intervention in Syria in August 2013. The government motion was defeated by 285 votes to 272, a move which effectively ruled out UK participation in any US-led military strikes.

Civil liberties

In March 2015, Fuller argued that the use of detention in immigration cases was “costly, ineffective and unjust” as well as being a “stain on the conscience of this country”.

Speaking in the commons, he asked the Home Office minister on duty (Karen Bradley): “When will the two front benches wake up and smell the coffee?”

Bradley had been hauled before the commons to answer an urgent question on a three-month undercover investigation by Channel 4 News, which filmed guards describing various detainees as “black b****”, “animals”, “beasties” and “evil”.

In full, Fuller stated: “The individual employees at Yarl’s Wood let down their colleagues, their company and their country with their vile comments, which were exposed on Channel 4.

“However, the issue is not just individual people; it is the policy of the overuse of detention in managing immigration. That policy was introduced by the last Labour government and has been continued by the [Conservative-Liberal Democrat] coalition government.

“When will the two frontbenches wake up and smell the coffee? Immigration detention is costly, ineffective and unjust. It costs millions of pounds a year. Some 70% of people who go into immigration detention go back into the community.

“These experiences in Yarl’s Wood are a stain on the conscience of this country.”

In March 2022, Fuller heavily criticised the government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill – arguing that future protests might only be legal if they are “barely audible”.

Speaking in the commons, Fuller appeared to accuse his own government of misleading him.

He stated: “At the start of the bill process I was discussing the bill with a friend of mine and I said, ‘Don’t worry, the government will accept amendments at committee stage’.

“The government didn’t do that. I said, ‘Don’t worry, if they don’t do it at committee stage they will surely accept their lordship’s amendments’. And I’m certainly yet to see the government make enough concessions on that.

“And that has led me to worry, at a time when Conservatives should be promoting freedom of speech, that we have created a weapon for our opponents to say we oppose freedom of speech; we shouldn’t be doing that.

“I worry, that we give the impression that on this side that we think that demonstrations are okay so long as they are nicely decorous, that they are barely audible, that they are easily to miss, and we forget that anger and frustration are natural human emotions that find their expression in a democratic society through the ability to protest, and yes, make a noise.”

https://x.com/femi_sorry/status/1498448748678111246

Covid passes vote (2021): Fuller was one of 99 Conservative MPs to vote against Covid passes in England in December 2021.

Before Politics

Born Richard Quentin Fuller in Bedford on 30 May 1962, he attended local schools including Bedford Modern School.

He studied politics, philosophy and economics (PPE) at University College, Oxford (1981-84) and later gained an MBA from Harvard Business School (1987-89).

His career was in international business and finance. He worked for LEK Consulting, including assignments in Australia and the Philippines. He joined the venture capital firm Investcorp in 2000, focusing on technology ventures.

Trivia

Fuller later rejoined LEK Consulting before serving as a non-executive director of the software company Impero Solutions prior to re-entering parliament in 2019.