We take a quick glance at the MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire
FOLLOWING the resignation of Iain Duncan Smith on Friday as work and pensions secretary, Prime Minister David Cameron turned to Stephen Crabb as his replacement.
Crabb was elected as an MP in 2005 and served as Welsh secretary from 2014 until his appointment as work and pensions secretary.
The Inverness-born 43 year old was brought up by a single mum on a council estate in Pembrokeshire in Wales and is now the man the Tories have called on to head up their series of welfare cuts.
CommonSpace finds out a bit more about the Preseli Pembrokeshire MP
1. His stance on welfare cuts
Crabb has previously stated his support for the work done by his predecessor in the DWP.
During his time as Welsh secretary in 2015, Crabb said in an interview with The Spectator : “One of the arguments I’ve been trying to make is that we can’t go soft on welfare reform in a place like Wales — it’s precisely the place that needs it.
“Every party should want to see welfare spending come down. That should be an aspiration for all of us because what you’re saying is we are working towards a society where there are fewer people caught in dependency, fewer people who are out of work and need that intervention from the state.”
2. His connections to Care
Crabb has connections to the Christian Action Research and Education (CARE). CARE in 2009 co-sponsored an event which supported “therapeutic approaches to same-sex attraction”.
He was one of 20 MPs, including Liz Kendell and David Lammy, in 2012 who was taking paid-for interns from the group
However, Crabb has distanced himself from Care’s views telling the Telegraph in 2014: “I don’t support or endorse any views about ‘gay cure’ theology.”
3. His voting record
Crabb Voted against the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act in 2013 which allows people in England and Wales to marry and voted against the Assisted Suicide Bill in 2015.
4. His expenses
In 2009 Crabb was one of many MPs who came under scrutiny during the expenses scandal.
He had made a profit on a London flat following taxpayer funded refurbishments and claimed over PS9,000 in stamp duty. He bought the flat in 1997 for PS68,000 and sold it for PS240,000 in 2007.
Following the sale of the flat, he then registered his main home as a room in the property of another MP.
In an interview with the Western Telegraph, Crabb said: “I am mortified that my name has been linked to the growing expenses scandal. I have always sought to stay safely inside the rules for expenses and allowances.”
5. His beard
In 2014 he became the first Tory cabinet member to sport a beard since the 4th Earl of Onslow’s beard was the last to make an appearance at the cabinet in 1905.
However, his star status was short lived after he lost the 2015 Parliamentary Beard of The Year competition to Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn.
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Picture courtesy of Number 10