Mark Eastwood, Conservative MP for Dewsbury, has been appointed Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Furniture Industry Group (APPFIG). He takes over from Mike Wood, Conservative MP for Dudley South, who has led the Group since it was newly formed in 2020, following the December 2019 General Election.
Mr Eastwood was appointed at the AGM of the APPFIG along with other officers of the Group. The other elected officers of the Group are: Rosie Cooper, Labour MP for East Lancashire; Mike Wood MP, Conservative MP for Dudley South; Greg Smith MP, MP for Buckingham; Paul Howell MP, MP for Sedgefield; Steve Baker MP, MP for Wycombe; Kim Leadbeater MP, MP for Batley and Spen; James Daly MP, MP for Bury North and Conservative Peer Baroness Warsi.
“I am honoured and delighted to have been elected as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Furniture Industry Group. Having worked in the industry for more than 15 years prior to my election as MP for Dewsbury in 2019, I am acutely aware of the big challenges the industry faces as we emerge from a global pandemic. In my position of Chair, I will champion the furniture and furnishings industry at the highest level of government, to help overcome these challenges and ensure that this vital sector for the UK economy continues to thrive”.
Jonathan Hindle, chairman of the British Furniture Confederation (BFC), which sponsors the secretariat of the APPFIG, welcomed Mark’s appointment and paid tribute to the support from Mike Wood over the past couple of years: “Mike has done a fantastic job in raising the industry’s concerns and working with the BFC to ensure ministers and civil servants are aware of the key policy issues. This was required particularly during the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020.
“I’m equally delighted to welcome Mark to the role. With his background of working in the industry and a constituency with many manufacturers from our sector within it, he is particularly well placed to understand the challenges we face. As Vice-Chair of the Group, he has already proved his willingness to be pro-active on supporting the industry and I’m sure he will continue with even more enthusiasm to help us ensure the furniture industry’s voice is heard.”
ENDS
About Mark Eastwood, MP for Dewsbury
Mark Eastwood was brought up by a single parent who worked as a nurse at Dewsbury Hospital for 25 years and lived on a council estate in Batley until his late teens.
He attended the local Junior and Comprehensive schools before passing his ‘O’ levels and leaving school for his first job in sales. He is now a successful businessman and has resided in Dewsbury for the last ten years with his wife and two teenage children.
In his spare time, Mark is a season ticket holder and avid supporter of his local football team. He also has a love of 90s dance and indie music and has been known to DJ at private events held locally.
Mark believes that his humble upbringing and knowledge of the area allows him a good understanding of the challenges and obstacles that hard-working people and their families face on a daily basis.
Over the last few years, Mark has been heavily involved in local politics, campaigning on a number of major issues within the constituency, including: fighting on behalf of local residents for the protection of unspoilt countryside in the area, standing shoulder to shoulder with the local Muslim Community in opposing the Labour Council’s unfair proposals to increase burial charges on a Friday afternoon and organising clean up campaigns to keep the area free of litter.
Mark’s political priorities are supporting businesses in the constituency to create a strong economy and more jobs for local residents, ensuring that young people are able to get on the housing ladder whilst still allowing protection for our green spaces and wildlife in the area as a result of any new homes development, and delivering a Brexit that respects the vote and brings prosperity to the area