John Hayes

In the government formed by Theresa May in July 2016, Hayes was reshuffled back to become a Minister at the Department for Transport. He resigned from his post as Minister of State for Transport on 9 January 2018 during a cabinet reshuffle and was replaced by Jo Johnson.

He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in November 2018, outside the normal timing of such appointments. This was an honour that was widely reported as bringing the awards system into disrepute; the supposition being that he had been offered and accepted the award in return for support for (or lack of opposition to) the Prime Minister's Brexit Draft Withdrawal Agreement. However, he subsequently announced his intention to vote against the proposed withdrawal agreement anyway.

Hayes was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours for political and public service.

After the 2015 general election, Hayes was moved to the Home Office, being appointed "Minister of State, Minister for Security", with responsibility for counter-terrorism, security, serious organised crime and cyber crime, amongst other issues.

Hayes was appointed as Minister of State at the Department for Transport in the reshuffle on 15 July 2014 with responsibility for national roads, Highways Agency reform and the Infrastructure Bill, and maritime issues. He is also the commons spokesman on bus policy.

Hayes was appointed as a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in April 2013, giving him the Honorific Title "The Right Honourable" for life.

On 13 May 2010, Hayes was appointed as Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning jointly at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Education. On 4 September 2012 he was appointed Minister of State for Energy at the Department for Energy and Climate Change. On 28 March 2013, he was removed from the DECC and replaced by Michael Fallon. Hayes became Minister without Portfolio and Senior Parliamentary Adviser to the prime minister in the Cabinet Office. He was appointed to the Privy Council on 9 April 2013.

Hayes is a member of the Countryside Alliance and of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC). He has served as the chairman of the All Party Group on disability and secretary of the All Party Group on brain injury. Since 2009, he has been Honorary Chairman of the British Caribbean Association.

In 2003, after Michael Howard became Conservative leader, Hayes was appointed as Shadow Minister for Housing & Planning. He was briefly a spokesman on transport following the 2005 general election before being moved by David Cameron later in 2005 to again speak on education and skills and in particular on vocational education. He was promoted by Cameron to Shadow Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education in 2007.

First elected in 1997, Hayes is the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Lincolnshire constituency of South Holland and The Deepings - the safest Conservative seat in the United Kingdom. South Holland delivered the nation's second-highest Leave vote in the 2016 referendum on the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union. 73.6% of voters voted for withdrawal from the EU, second only to neighbouring Boston.

Hayes was first elected to the House of Commons for the newly created seat of South Holland and The Deepings in Lincolnshire at the 1997 general election. He secured a majority of 7,991 and has been elected with increased majorities at successive elections since with swings to him of 4.4% in 2001, 4.3% in 2005 and 0.3% in 2010, increasing the Conservative share of the vote to 59.1%, so making it a safe seat for the Tories. He made his maiden speech on 2 July 1997.

In parliament, Hayes served on the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Select committee for two years from 1997 and two years on the education and employment committee from 1998. In 1999, he was appointed as a vice chairman of the Conservative Party with responsibility for campaigning by William Hague, and in 2000 continued on the frontbench as Shadow Schools Minister in the education and skills. He was appointed Assistant Chief Whip Opposition Whip by Iain Duncan Smith — for whom Hayes had been a speech writer — in 2001, before entering his shadow cabinet as the shadow Agriculture & Fisheries Secretary in 2002.

Hayes married Susan Hopewell in 1997; they have two sons.

He was elected to Nottinghamshire County Council in 1985 where he was the Conservative Group Spokesman on Education and Chairman of its Campaigns Committee. He served there for 13 years, standing down following his election to parliament. He contested Derbyshire North East at the 1987 general election but was defeated by Labour's Harry Barnes by 3,720 votes. He fought the same seat at the 1992 general election and although he increased the Tory vote, finished some 6,270 votes behind Barnes.

Hayes was born into a working-class family in Woolwich and grew up on a council estate. He was educated at the Colfe's Grammar School (Lewisham) and at the University of Nottingham from where he graduated with a BA degree in politics and a PGCE in history and English. Hayes was involved in a campaign to create a pipe-smoking society affiliated to the Students' Union. He also chaired the University's Conservative Association from 1981-82 while being President of one of the residential halls, Lincoln's Junior Common Room, and served as treasurer of the University's Students' Union from 1982–83.

Sir John Henry Hayes CBE FRSA (born 23 June 1958) is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He has held five ministerial positions and six shadow ministerial positions. Hayes served as Senior Parliamentary Adviser to David Cameron and was appointed as a Privy Councillor in April 2013, and a Knight Bachelor in November 2018.