Richard is a member of Parliament's public spending watchdog, the influential Public Accounts Committee.  He has led moves to increase scrutiny of private finance initiative projects including the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital (as featured recently in BBC Radio 4's 'File on 4' programme), as well as campaigning for government IT projects to be open to greater public scrutiny (click here for details). Computer Weekly magazine described his efforts as ‘set to save millions of pounds’.

Richard is also a member of the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee and has been a trenchant critic of financial mismanagement and fraud in the European Union (click here for details).

Born in 1962, Richard was educated at The King's School, Worcester before going to the London School of Economics, where he took a First Class Honours degree in politics and economics. He also studied at the Goethe Institut in Berlin.  After working in investment banking and financial journalism, Richard became an Associate Partner of Brunswick, a leading financial public relations consultancy, before setting up his own business, the English Word Factory, advising blue chip international companies on communications.

Richard first became active in politics in the late 1970s while still at school. He has held a wide variety of voluntary positions in the Conservative Party and was Chairman of Hammersmith Conservative Association.  He was one of the founders of Geneva, the Conservative Party's General Election Voluntary Agency and fought the parliamentary seat of Vauxhall in the 1997 general election.  He was selected to fight the South Norfolk constituency at the 2001 General Election and, following his election to Parliament, was re-elected as MP in 2005 with an increased majority.

Richard was a member of the James Committee on Taxpayer Value set up by former Conservative Leader Michael Howard under the chairmanship of leading company doctor David James, in order to review the effectiveness and efficiency of all government spending.

In 2006 his fellow MPs voted him ‘Backbencher of the Year’. Richard was also awarded the title ‘Parliamentarian of the Year’ twice, both by the Spectator magazine and by the Political Studies Association.  The ConservativeHome website also voted him the ‘Outstanding Parliamentarian of the Year’.

Richard is married to Victoria, a BBC news producer.  For relaxation, he enjoys reading, modern painting, music, including jazz and choral singing, and playing the bongos.