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Ben Maguire
Benedict Maguire (born 10 August 1991) is a Cornish Liberal Democrat politician and solicitor in the United Kingdom serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for North Cornwall since the 2024 general election. Maguire currently sits on the Liberal Democrat frontbench team as their Shadow Attorney General. Early life and careerMaguire was born in Truro and grew up in Withiel. His mother was a teacher and his father was a doctor, both working in Bodmin.[1] Maguire worked as a parliamentary aide and constituency caseworker for Dan Rogerson and later Ian Swales. He also had research placements in the Hong Kong Legislative Council and the United States Senate. More recently, Ben has worked as a solicitor.[2][3] Parliamentary careerIn February 2024, Maguire was named as the Liberal Democrats' prospective parliamentary candidate for the North Cornwall.[2] At the 2024 general election, Maguire was elected to Parliament as MP for North Cornwall, receiving 47.0% of the vote and a majority of 9,957.[3] The incumbent Conservative MP was unseated with a vote swing of 24.9% towards Maguire.[4] Ben Maguire was sworn in after making the parliamentary oath in Cornish.[5][6][7] On 15 July, Andrew George and Ben Maguire submitted a letter in support of Cornish devolution to the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. Maguire described existing devolved responsibilities as window-dressing that did not go far enough. He also stated his support for a Cornish Assembly akin to the Welsh Senedd, and rejected the notion of a Mayor of Cornwall.[7][8] On 18 September 2024, Ed Davey announced his new Frontbench Team, in which Ben Maguire took the position of Shadow Attorney General.[9] On 10 October 2024, Ben Maguire made his maiden speech in the House of Commons.[10] Maguire has served as a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee since October 2024.[11] On 16 October 2024, during Prime Minister's Questions, called on Keir Starmer to meet with the six Cornish MPs a Cornish Assembly, and critisied the top-down approach Westminster took towards devolution. Keir Starmer noted he was encouraging "broader" devolution deals regarding Combined Authorities, but agreed to meet with the MPs.[12][13] In January 2025, Maguire called for the resignation of South West Water's Chief Executive, Susan Davy, due to her company's ongoing service failings and sewage dumping during the Christmas period.[14] The letter, written by Maguire and co-signed by a number of MPs from the Liberal Democrats and Labour Party, referenced Davy's decision to increase her annual pay by over £300,000, while failing to address the sewage infrastructure upgrades needed to prevent further storm overflows. Personal lifeMaguire is married to his husband.[15] References
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