Richard Drax

Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (born 29 January 1958), known as Richard Drax, is a former army officer and journalist, now Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dorset.

Education
Drax was educated at Harrow School, an independent school in Middlesex. He attended the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester from which he graduated with a Diploma in Rural Land Management in 1990. He earned a Diploma in Journalism in 1995.

Military service
Having graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Drax was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards, British Army, on 9 December 1978 as a second lieutenant. He was given the service number 506831. He was promoted to lieutenant on 9 December 1980. He was transferred to the Regular Army Reserve of Officers on 9 December 1983, ending his first period of full time, active service.

He was reinstated on the Active List on 10 September 1984, beginning his second and final period of full time service. He retained the rank of lieutenant and was given seniority in that rank from 10 September 1981 to reflect the three years of seniority he previously held. He was promoted to captain on 10 March 1986.

He relinquished his commission on 9 September 1987, thereby retiring from the British Army after nine years service in the Coldstream Guards.

Journalism
Drax became a reporter for the Evening Press, York in 1991. He later joined BBC South, appearing on both radio and television media in the region, including the daily television news programme South Today.

Parliamentary career
Drax was selected as a prospective parliamentary candidate by the Conservative Party in July 2006.

In the general election in May 2010, Drax defeated the incumbent for South Dorset, Labour MP Jim Knight.

On 5 February 2013, he voted in the House of Commons against a second reading of the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples Bill), which would legalise marriage for same-sex couples.

Family
Drax is the son of Walter Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax and The Hon. Pamela Weeks and a grandson of Admiral The Hon. Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax KCB DSO JP DL, younger son of the 17th Baron of Dunsany, and he is also the grandson of Lieutenant-General The Lord Weeks KCB CBE DSO MC TD. His first wife was Zara Legge-Bourke, younger sister of the royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke now Pettifer. Drax has married twice more and has four children. At least six of his ancestors, including John Samuel Wanley Sawbridge Erle-Drax and John Plunkett, 17th Baron of Dunsany, were members of parliament in Dorset and Gloucestershire between the 1680s and 1880s. His home is the family seat, Charborough House, Dorset.