Simon Murray, Baron Murray of Blidworth

The Right Honourable
The Lord Murray of Blidworth
The Right Honourable The Lord Murray of Blidworth
	Lord Murray of Blidworth, 2022
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State ; for Migration and Borders [lower-alpha 1]
	In office; 7 October 2022 – in office
Prime Minister	Liz Truss; Rishi Sunak
Preceded by	The Baroness Williams of Trafford
Member of the House of Lords; Lord Temporal
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 24 October 2022; Life Peerage
Personal details
Born	Simon Peregrine Gauvain Murray; 2 August 1974; London, England
Nationality	British and Irish
Political party	Conservative
Alma mater	University of St Andrews

Simon Peregrine Gauvain Murray, Baron Murray of Blidworth (born 2 August 1974), is a British government minister and lawyer, who since 2022 sits on the Conservative benches in the House of Lords.[1]

Early life and education

The only son of Nigel Ormiston Gauvain Murray (1944–2002) and his wife Shirley née Arbuthnot (born 1949), a descendant of the Arbuthnot baronets, his matrilineal great-great-grandfather, Sir Henry Blake GCMG,[2] was a British colonial administrator and Governor of Hong Kong who hailed from the Anglo-Irish gentry being seated at Myrtle Grove, County Cork.[3] Of Scots patrilineal descent, his grandfather was Dr Ronald Murray MBE FRCPE,[4] a kinsman of the Duke of Atholl.

After graduating from the University of St Andrews (MA), Murray was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 2000[5] and practised public law at 39 Essex Chambers.[6]

In 2011 he appeared on the BBC show, Fake or Fortune? for his family who claim ownership of the painting Children Under a Palm by Winslow Homer, which had been found by a skip over 23 years earlier;[7] although determined to be genuine, who owns this work of art is still a matter of dispute.

Political career

Murray served as a Conservative Councillor on Gedling Borough Council, representing Newstead Abbey Ward from the 2019 election until he stood down in November 2022.[8]

Under the premiership of Liz Truss, his appointment as a Minister of State for the Home Office was announced on 9 October 2022.[9][10] Created a Life Peer on 21 October 2022, taking the title of Baron Murray of Blidworth, of Blidworth in the County of Nottinghamshire, he became a member of the House of Lords[10] so as to be answerable to parliament.[11]

Lord Murray made his maiden speech in the Upper House on 26 October 2022 during a debate on British Passports for those born the Republic of Ireland but living in Northern Ireland.[12] Since 30 October 2022, he has served as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Home Office.[11]

Family

Murray married Amelia May Beaumont (born 1983), a granddaughter of the Baron Beaumont of Whitley and a great-granddaughter of Lady May Abel Smith, at Temple Church London, on 4 October 2007.

Lord and Lady Murray have two children.

A member of MCC, Lord Murray has served as a ceremonial officer of the Order of St John.[13]

References

www.gov.uk
www.dib.ie
www.burkespeerage.com
www.rcpe.ac.uk
www.innertemple.org.uk
"Simon Murray - 39 Essex Chambers | Barristers' Chambers". 39 Essex Chambers. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
English, Eoin (5 July 2011). "Row over €150k painting found in dump to be settled". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
Council, Gedling Borough (8 October 2022). "Councillor details - Councillor Simon Murray". democracy.gedling.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
"Minister of State - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
"Ministerial Appointments: September 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
"Lord Murray of Blidworth". MPs and Lords. UK Parliament. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
Lord Murray of Blidworth, The Minister of State, Home Office (26 October 2022). "Republic of Ireland: British Passports". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 824. United Kingdom: House of Lords. col. 1540–1544.
www.thegazette.co.uk

Notes

Minister of State for Home Affairs until 30 October 2022

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[2] www.gov.uk

[3] www.dib.ie

[4] www.burkespeerage.com

[5] www.rcpe.ac.uk

[6] www.innertemple.org.uk

[7] "Simon Murray - 39 Essex Chambers | Barristers' Chambers". 39 Essex Chambers. Retrieved 8 October 2022.

[8] English, Eoin (5 July 2011). "Row over €150k painting found in dump to be settled". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 18 June 2023.

[9] Council, Gedling Borough (8 October 2022). "Councillor details - Councillor Simon Murray". democracy.gedling.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 October 2022.

[10] "Minister of State - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022.

[appointments_sept-11] "Ministerial Appointments: September 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 8 October 2022.

[parliament_career-12] "Lord Murray of Blidworth". MPs and Lords. UK Parliament. Retrieved 18 June 2023.

[maiden-13] Lord Murray of Blidworth, The Minister of State, Home Office (26 October 2022). "Republic of Ireland: British Passports". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 824. United Kingdom: House of Lords. col. 1540–1544.

[14] www.thegazette.co.uk

[1] Minister of State for Home Affairs until 30 October 2022