Until Thursday, it had been the most uncomfortable image of the Tory leadership campaign: Foreign Office minister Mark Field clutching his boss Jeremy Hunt’s wife by the head and kissing her like a vampire.
This was the last time that Field was in the headlines, just two weeks ago — at the launch of Hunt’s campaign.
Now he’s back in the news after aggressively bundling a Greenpeace protester out of the Mansion House dinner, a blue riband City event attended by Chancellor Philip Hammond.
Once may be considered a misfortune . . . but twice?
The irony is that during a well-regarded speech in Parliament last month, Mark Field was stout in his defence of the Government’s attempts to ensure women felt safe from physical harm.
This was the last time that Field was in the headlines, just two weeks ago — at the launch of Hunt’s campaign. Pictured, kissing Lucia Hunt
In the human rights debate in Westminster Hall, Field declared on behalf of the Government that: ‘Women are exposed to risks by virtue of being women; from sexual abuse, harassment, to domestic abuse and hostility in the workplace.
‘We should all be proud that the UK remains committed to helping women all over the world feel safe and protected in the work that they do so they are able to speak very freely, and to be part of the change that we all wish to see.’
How hollow these words now sound to his critics. After his kiss with Lucia Hunt, it emerged that Field and his wife are close friends with Mr and Mrs Hunt, and he escaped with his reputation unscathed.
But following his dramatic clash with Greenpeace activist Janet Barker — who runs an angora wool business in Wales — Field, 54, is fighting for his political life after being suspended as a minister and referring himself to the Cabinet Office for investigation.
Until now, he had been regarded as a safe pair of hands at the Foreign Office, where he has responsibility for Asia and the Pacific region. Before he became a minister in 2017, Field had been a backbencher since 2001 in the seat of the Cities of London and Westminster. He defended MPs’ rights to have second jobs, but upset colleagues by arguing before the 2009 expenses scandal that the system should be transparent. ‘We now have a system where constituents can look up an MP’s expense claims and make their own mind up,’ he said.
Following his dramatic clash with Greenpeace activist Janet Barker — who runs an angora wool business in Wales — Field, 54, is fighting for his political life
An Army major’s son, he went to a Reading grammar school and studied law at Oxford, where he was a contemporary of Jeremy Hunt . . . and Boris Johnson.
After working as a lawyer with blue-chip firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Field set up a legal recruitment company, but sold it before going into politics.
His first marriage ended in divorce in 2006, with wife Michele citing his affair with an ambitious Tory councillor named Liz Truss.
Three years later, the affair became news when Truss was selected for the safe seat of South West Norfolk. Senior local Tories claimed they learned of the affair only after they had chosen Truss.
His first marriage ended in divorce in 2006, with wife Michele citing his affair with an ambitious Tory councillor named Liz Truss (pictured)
Their unsuccessful attempt to deselect her was called the battle of the ‘Turnip Taliban’.
Truss’s marriage survived and she is now Chief Secretary to the Treasury. As for Field, for 12 years he has been married to Vicki, who runs her own public relations company, and they have two children.
Tellingly, in the light of his dramatic encounter this week, Field wrote to Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick in April urging her to ‘take a much firmer grip’ on climate change protesters who brought parts of London to a standstill.
Hunt will be saddened by Field’s present imbroglio. There had been speculation that, should Hunt become PM, Field might get a bigger job, possibly in the Cabinet.
All he can hope for now is merely to hang on to the one he’s got.
‘Off-grid’ activist who sells rabbit wool
By Vanessa Allen for the Daily Mail
Eco-warrior Janet Barker runs an ‘ethical’ rabbit wool business from a remote farm in Wales. She and her husband Peter – a fellow Greenpeace activist – keep dozens of Angora rabbits, living off-grid and using renewable energy for their needs.
The couple use the rabbit hair to knit gloves, hats and bolero cardigans, which sell for up to £70. Among the rabbits are Flopsy, Puff and Manuka, which are shown on the couple’s social media posts, with pictures of their own environmental protests.
Mr Barker posted a video of his wife’s clash with Tory MP Mark Field and told friends: ‘She’s OK, she’s taking down the Government, one Tory at a time.’ The comment was later deleted. Mrs Barker, 40, has demonstrated against fracking, diesel cars, fuel giants BP and Shell, and the use of krill from Antarctica in food supplements.
Eco-warrior Janet Barker runs an ‘ethical’ rabbit wool business from a remote farm in Wales
She joined the Extinction Rebellion climate change protests in London in April. She and her husband postponed their honeymoon in 2015 to protest against Shell drilling in the Arctic.
At the time, Mrs Barker said she had studied environmental science at university and worked teaching children about energy-saving but became disillusioned because her work was sponsored by energy company N-Power. She told the website Vice.com: ‘I’m aware I’ll be arrested, but your gut instinct overrides any fear of arrest.’
Two years later she was part of a Greenpeace protest against Volkswagen diesel cars.
Friends said she had been passionate about the environment since school in Wigan. Her mother Dorothy Payne, 79, from Wigan, said she had seen her daughter’s protest on TV, and thought: ‘That’s just Janet. I agree with her and support her.’
Mrs Barker, now a support worker at a hostel for the homeless, and her husband drive an electric car and grow vegetables on their 12-acre farm in Powys.
A neighbour said: ‘They are vegans and live off their land. They’re lovely.’
Mr Barker said their business idea was born after his wife was given a jumper for Christmas, and was horrified when she saw videos from Chinese fur farms showing the conditions in which Angora rabbits were kept. He said: ‘We eventually found 12.5 acres in rural mid Wales and set about bringing our ideas to life.’
Friends said she had been passionate about the environment since school in Wigan
Mark Field faces the sack for manhandling an eco-gatecrasher at a black-tie event with ‘lax’ security
By Sam Greenhill and Jason Groves for the Daily Mail
A minister who grabbed a climate change protester by the neck was suspended yesterday amid accusations of ‘violence against women’.
Foreign Office minister Mark Field could ultimately be sacked and faces possible police action after forcefully marching environmental campaigner Janet Barker out of a black-tie event.
A dramatic video from the Mansion House dinner for bankers and senior politicians in the City of London showed Mr Field, 54, leaping to his feet and pinning Mrs Barker, 38, to a pillar before angrily shoving her out of the hall by her neck.
No 10 said Theresa May found the footage ‘very concerning’ and suspended Mr Field as a minister.
Foreign Office minister Mark Field could ultimately be sacked and faces possible police action after forcefully marching environmental campaigner Janet Barker out of a black-tie event.=
Mrs Barker, a seasoned activist, called for Mr Field to take ‘anger management’ lessons for manhandling her but said she did not want to press charges.
City of London Police said it was ‘looking into’ the incident, which happened as about 40 Greenpeace protesters noisily interrupted Chancellor Philip Hammond’s speech at the annual Bankers and Merchants Dinner.
Masquerading as guests, many wore make-up and red evening dresses and suffragette-style sashes emblazoned with the words ‘Climate emergency’.
Some of those attending criticised security at the event, questioning how the protesters were able to get in.
Greenpeace said its activists had simply declared themselves to security on arrival, and many were allowed in. Other eco-warriors apparently had invitations to the VIP feast, rising from their chairs in unison as the protest began and throwing devices sounding ‘alarms’ under tables.
Mr Field later apologised for his actions but said he had feared Mrs Barker might have been be armed and ‘instinctively reacted’.
Mrs Barker, a seasoned activist, called for Mr Field to take ‘anger management’ lessons for manhandling her but said she did not want to press charges
The minister – who earlier this year called for police to take a ‘much firmer grip’ on climate change protesters – added: ‘I grasped the intruder firmly to remove her from the room as swiftly as possible.’
He referred himself to inquiries by the Cabinet Office and Conservative Party.
Dawn Butler, Labour’s shadow women and equalities secretary, called the video ‘horrific’ and said he should be sacked for ‘violence against women’. London mayor Sadiq Khan welcomed the police statement and said: ‘Violence against women is endemic in our society and this behaviour is unacceptable.’
Although Mr Hammond continued his speech after the protesters were finally ejected, furious Treasury sources suggested the Chancellor’s annual address to the City could be moved to another location unless security is improved.
An attendee at Thursday night’s dinner said: ‘The lack of security was ridiculous – there didn’t appear to be anyone trying to evict these people. They came from nowhere.
‘This woman started advancing towards the top table and Mark stopped her. If he hadn’t stopped her she would have been right on top of the Chancellor in seconds.’
The minister – who earlier this year called for police to take a ‘much firmer grip’ on climate change protesters –said: ‘I grasped the intruder firmly to remove her from the room as swiftly as possible.’
Another diner said the protest appeared to be an ‘inside job’, adding: ‘The security was shocking. Some protesters seem to have been guests at the dinner… others were being let in through a security door.’
It is understood the Treasury raised concerns in advance that the guest list for the event did not appear to have been properly vetted and even asked for one guest to be removed after it turned out that he was a well-known eco-activist.
No 10 said the Cabinet Office would ‘swiftly’ examine whether Mr Field had breached the ministerial code requiring ministers to ‘maintain high standards of behaviour’.
One Whitehall source said he was likely to be sacked.
Downing Street also criticised security at the event, saying: ‘Mansion House has said it is looking at its security and we believe it right that they do so.’
Dawn Butler, Labour’s shadow women and equalities secretary, called the video ‘horrific’ and said he should be sacked for ‘violence against women’