21 Facts About James Duddridge

1.

Sir James Philip Duddridge, was born on 26 August 1971 and is a British politician and former banker.

2.

James Duddridge first served under David Cameron as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from May 2010 to September 2012 and as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 2014 to 2016.

3.

James Duddridge was appointed by May's successor, Boris Johnson, as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union in July 2019, and served in the position until 31 January 2020 when the United Kingdom left the European Union and the office was abolished.

4.

James Duddridge returned to his former role as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa in February 2020 and served in this position until a government reshuffle in September 2021, when he left the government.

5.

James Duddridge later served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary to Johnson from February to July 2022 and as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from July 2022 to September 2022.

6.

James Duddridge left government for a third time in October 2022, when newly appointed prime minister Rishi Sunak dismissed him.

7.

James Duddridge was educated at Crestwood School, Huddersfield High School and The Blue School, Wells.

8.

James Duddridge served as Chairman of the Wells Young Conservatives from 1989 until 1991, and was elected Chairman of Essex University's Conservative Association in 1990.

9.

James Duddridge was a banker with Barclays in the City of London and Africa for 10 years, rising to National Sales Director in the Ivory Coast and eventually running the bank's operations in Botswana with a staff of 750 people.

10.

James Duddridge was a founder member of the polling firm YouGov.

11.

James Duddridge was selected as the Conservatives' parliamentary candidate for Rochford and Southend East at the 2005 general election, following Sir Teddy Taylor's retirement.

12.

James Duddridge held the seat for the Conservatives with a majority of 5,494 and delivered his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 9 June 2005.

13.

From 2005 to 2007, James Duddridge has served on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, and the International Development Committee from 2006 to 2008, and in January 2008, he was appointed an Opposition Whip.

14.

James Duddridge was returned at the 2010 general election again as Rochford and Southend East's MP, becoming a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury with responsibility for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Education, but later left government in Prime Minister David Cameron's September 2012 reshuffle.

15.

James Duddridge voted in favour of the Marriage Bill at both its second reading in February 2013 and its third reading in May 2013.

16.

James Duddridge stated that his claims were in accordance with the Independent Parliamentary Standards authority.

17.

James Duddridge was accused by Sir Ian Kennedy of pursuing a "squalid vendetta" after he helped block the former head of the Commons expenses watchdog from an appointment to a new job of electoral commissioner in January 2018.

18.

James Duddridge is seen as highly Eurosceptic, having suggested in 2013 that the Government should tell the European Commissioner to "sod off" rather than pay benefits to Romanians and Bulgarians.

19.

On 9 February 2017, James Duddridge tabled an Early Day Motion following comments made by Commons speaker John Bercow on the subject of the pending state visit of US President Donald Trump.

20.

James Duddridge had been sent out from 10 Downing Street to speak in defence of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but while he said he was happy to speak to the channel's political editor, Kate McCann, he refused to take questions from Morgan, claiming his wife would divorce him if he did.

21.

James Duddridge was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 2022 Special Honours.