Mark Reckless

Mark Reckless
Mark Reckless
Born	December 6, 1970 (age 55); London, England
Occupation(s)	Legal professional, politician
Years active	2001–present
Known for	Member of Parliament for Rochester and Strood (2010–2015); Member of the Senedd for South Wales East (2016–2021)

Mark John Reckless (born 6 December 1970) is a British legal professional and former politician who represented South Wales East as a Member of the Senedd (MS) from the 2016 election until 2021. Prior to this role, he served as the MP for Rochester and Strood between 2010 and 2015. Originally affiliated with the Conservative Party, Reckless defected to the UK Independence Party (UKIP) in September 2014 and has since switched his political allegiance several times. His current affiliation is with Reform UK.

During his tenure in the House of Commons, Reckless gained a reputation for defying party lines, having voted against the Conservative whip on 56 occasions from 2010 to 2014, placing him as the 13th most dissenting Conservative MP. He orchestrated a revolt involving 53 Conservative MPs concerning the EU budget, leading to the first parliamentary defeat faced by the Cameron–Clegg coalition. Beginning in November 2010, he was a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee. After joining UKIP, he retained his seat in the November 2014 Rochester and Strood by-election but was defeated in the subsequent 2015 general election.

A staunch Eurosceptic, Reckless secured election to the National Assembly for Wales in 2016 and actively supported Brexit during the 2016 EU referendum campaign. Subsequently, he departed from UKIP to join the Conservative group within the Assembly before assuming leadership of the Brexit Party in Wales in 2019 under Nigel Farage's appointment. On 19 October 2020, he aligned with the Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party, which failed to maintain representation following the 2021 Senedd election.

Personal life and career

Born in London, Reckless is descended from Henry McDevitt, a former Fianna Fáil TD representing Donegal East from 1938 to 1943. Although his mother relocated to the UK at age 17 to pursue nursing training, Reckless does not identify as having an immigrant heritage.

His education includes attendance at Marlborough College and studying philosophy, politics and economics at Christ Church, Oxford. He obtained an MBA from Columbia Business School, where he studied alongside author Jacob M. Appel. Subsequently, he qualified as a barrister after completing an LLB at the College of Law, being called to the Bar in 2007.

In the mid-1990s, Reckless held positions at UBS Warburg and later worked as a strategy consultant within Financial Services at Booz Allen Hamilton. Prior to his parliamentary election in May 2010, he practiced as a solicitor at Herbert Smith, focusing on legal cases involving private investigators. Additionally, he was a member of the Kent Police Authority between 2007 and 2011.

On 1 October 2011, Reckless married Catriona Brown at Westminster Cathedral, with their reception hosted at the Palace of Westminster. The best man was MEP Daniel Hannan, for whom Reckless had previously acted as best man. Catriona Brown-Reckless was elected as a UKIP Councillor for Strood South in Medway in May 2015 but resigned from this position in September 2016. Later, in May 2022, she won election as a Welsh Conservative Councillor representing the ward of Pentyrch and St Fagans in Cardiff.

Political career

During the 2001 UK General Election, Reckless stood as the Conservative contender for the Medway seat, ultimately finishing in second place. Throughout the campaign, he generated controversy by distributing a leaflet alleging that the sitting Labour MP, Bob Marshall-Andrews, aimed to admit 10,000 refugees each week. Marshall-Andrews later stated that his comments had been misrepresented concerning aid for those escaping the Kosovo genocide.

Between 2002 and 2014, Reckless was part of the policy unit at Conservative Central Office, where he authored a publication focused on deregulation policy and managed policy initiatives related to directly elected police commissioners. The inaugural elections for police and crime commissioners took place on 15 November 2012.

In 2002, Reckless was chosen again to represent the Conservatives in Medway for the 2005 UK general election. He finished second once more but significantly narrowed Marshall-Andrews' majority from 3,750 to just 213 votes.

From 2007 until 2011, Reckless served as a councillor on Medway Council.

Member of Parliament

Reckless was selected in 2008 as the Conservative candidate for the Rochester and Strood constituency and secured election in the 2010 general election. Notably, the UK Independence Party chose not to contest this seat in 2010, instead endorsing Reckless and sending their leader, Malcolm Pearson, to campaign on his behalf.

Upon entering Parliament, Reckless joined the Home Affairs Select Committee in 2010 and frequently appeared on political broadcasts such as Newsnight, advocating strongly for the deportation of clerics Abu Hamza and Abu Qatada. Between 2010 and 2014, he was among the Conservative MPs most often dissenting from party lines, voting against the whip on 56 occasions. He was one of six Conservatives opposing increased university tuition fees and publicly criticized the government's 2012 Energy Bill as "a sad retreat for Conservatives."

In July 2010, Reckless issued an apology after missing a budget vote due to intoxication. He chose to abstain from voting on the UK's military intervention in Libya in 2011.

A dedicated Eurosceptic, Reckless also voiced concerns about the European Court of Human Rights, claiming it threatens "British freedom and democracy." Additionally, he chaired an all-party parliamentary group focused on Georgia, aiming to raise parliamentary awareness about political developments there.

On 30 September 2014, Reckless resigned his seat by applying for the Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds. He subsequently contested the by-election held on 20 November as a UKIP candidate and was successfully re-elected, becoming UKIP’s second MP to win a parliamentary seat.

Opposition to European Union Budget

On 31 October 2012, Reckless spearheaded a revolt involving 53 Conservative MPs, leading to the coalition government's first defeat in the House of Commons (307 to 294 votes). The Conservative dissenters allied with Labour members to pass an amendment calling for a reduction in the 2014–2020 EU budget multi-annual financial framework in real terms, whereas the government had advocated merely for a real-terms freeze. Although this amendment was not legally binding, it significantly undermined Prime Minister David Cameron's position ahead of crucial EU budget discussions.

Switch to UKIP

Reckless announced his defection to the UK Independence Party at their Doncaster conference on 27 September 2014 and promptly resigned his seat to prompt a by-election. He became the second Conservative MP that month to join UKIP, following his close associate Douglas Carswell. Reckless openly criticized the Conservative leadership for their insufficient dedication to European reform.

He emerged victorious as a UKIP candidate in the by-election held on 20 November 2014, but subsequently lost his seat during the 2015 general election to Conservative candidate Kelly Tolhurst. In June 2015, Reckless was appointed as UKIP’s Director of Policy Development.

Service in the Senedd

In March 2016, despite lacking any previous connections to Wales, Reckless was selected as UKIP’s lead candidate for South Wales East. He secured election on 5 May 2016.

On 6 April 2017, Reckless departed from UKIP and joined the Conservative Group within the Welsh Assembly without rejoining the Conservative Party itself. This move elevated the Conservatives to become the second-largest group in the Assembly. Reckless described his switch as positive, citing the successful outcome of the EU referendum as a key milestone.

Reckless exited the Conservative Group on 14 April 2019 due to frustrations over Brexit delays and sat as an independent before affiliating with the Brexit Party in May of that year.

By May 2019, he led a newly formed Brexit Party faction in the Senedd alongside members Caroline Jones, Mandy Jones, and David Rowlands. In July 2020, he attracted criticism from pro-devolution volunteers within the Brexit Party after endorsing proposals to abolish the Senedd. Following this, he left to join the Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party, justifying his decision by stating that Brexit had been completed.

Reckless contested Monmouth in the 2021 Senedd election as Abolish’s candidate, receiving 1,173 votes (3.3%) and finishing behind independent former Conservative MS Nick Ramsay. As Abolish’s lead candidate on the South Wales East regional list, his party garnered 9,995 votes (4.8%) but failed to secure any seats.

Activities after Senedd tenure

In November 2024, Reckless participated as a speaker at Reform UK’s Wales conference and is currently confirmed by Caroline Jones of Reform Wales as contributing to policy development ahead of the 2026 Welsh election.

Electoral record

2016 Welsh Assembly Election – South Wales East

Rochester and Strood, 2015

Rochester and Strood, 2014

Refer to 2014 Rochester and Strood by-election

Rochester and Strood, 2010

This constituency was established following a Boundary Commission review in Kent, which renamed the former Medway seat to Rochester and Strood to better represent local government boundaries.

Medway General Elections from 2001 to 2005

2005 General Election Labour’s Bob Marshall-Andrews narrowly retained Medway with a margin slightly exceeding two hundred votes over Conservative Mark Reckless.

2001 General Election Labour comfortably held Medway under Bob Marshall-Andrews with a majority close to four thousand votes against Mark Reckless.

These contests illustrate the competitive dynamics between major parties within Medway/Rochester and Strood over time.

External links