29 Facts About Julian Lewis

Sir Julian Murray Lewis was born on 26 September 1951 and is a British Conservative Party politician serving as the Member of Parliament, representing New Forest East since 1997.

Julian Lewis served as Chair of the Defence Select Committee from 2015 to 2019.

Julian Lewis had the Conservative Party whip removed after successfully standing against the Government's preferred candidate for the chairmanship of the Intelligence and Security Committee, former Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling, on 15 July 2020.

Julian Lewis was a leading opponent of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and other Left-wing organisations, throughout the 1980s.

From 1990 until 1996, Julian Lewis was a Deputy Director of the Conservative Research Department at Conservative Central Office.

Julian Lewis continued in this role after his selection in February 1996 as prospective parliamentary candidate for the new constituency of New Forest East, but in December of that year he resigned from CCO to campaign against Britain joining the single European currency.

Julian Lewis unsuccessfully contested Swansea West at the 1983 general election.

Julian Lewis was elected as the MP for New Forest Eastin 1997.

Julian Lewis was appointed as a member of Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee in September 2010.

Julian Lewis has been a Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Friends of Poland.

Julian Lewis has been described by The Daily Telegraph as "one of the most vigorous rightwingers in the Commons" and by The Guardian as the Conservative Party's "front bench terrier".

Julian Lewis was one of the Frontbenchers and Backbenchers of the Year chosen by commentators on the ConservativeHome website, in December 2009 and December 2010 respectively.

Julian Lewis had been in the lead in four of the seven stages of this Alternative Vote election.

Julian Lewis was elected as a member of the Defence Select Committee at a by-election in October 2014, whilst remaining on the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament.

From May to July 2008, Julian Lewis initiated and organised the successful campaign to change the Freedom of Information Act in order that a High Court ruling, obtained by a journalist on The Sunday Telegraph, that 14 MPs' home addresses should be published, could never be repeated in respect of any other Parliamentarians.

Julian Lewis is the only MP who does not allow his constituents to contact him by email.

In November 2007, Julian Lewis resigned his life membership of the Oxford Union debating society, after 37 years, in protest at its decision to invite Holocaust denier David Irving and Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National Party, to be speakers at one of its events.

Julian Lewis stated that this had been because of his belief that the decision to incur any extra risk of contracting HIV should be taken on reaching the current age of majority, namely 18.

In January 2013, with the assistance of MPs from both sides of the nuclear weapons argument, Julian Lewis secured and introduced the first debate in the Commons chamber on Trident since the vote to approve its retention and renewal in March 2007.

In January 2017, in a televised Speaker's House lecture, Julian Lewis stated his belief in the unpredictability of future conflicts; the value of nuclear deterrence; and the role of containment in long-term ideological struggles.

Julian Lewis called for three per cent of GDP to be spent on Defence, and for a Statute of Limitations to be enacted "covering everything that took place before the Belfast Agreement", in order to protect Service veterans from legal harassment.

Julian Lewis criticised media suggestions that the next NATO Secretary-General should be David Cameron, given his unsatisfactory record of "toppling Arab dictators in places like Libya, increasing military commitments whilst cutting the Armed Forces, predicting a Third World War in consequence of Brexit, [and] dangerously delaying the renewal of Trident for the sake of Coalition politics".

On 15 July 2020, Julian Lewis was elected Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament with the support of the opposition MPs on the committee.

Julian Lewis defeated Chris Grayling, who had been the Government's preferred candidate.

Two years later, Julian Lewis won this prize for a second time, with an essay entitled Double-I, Double-N: A Framework for Counter-Insurgency.

Julian Lewis's 10,000-word dissertation on The Future of the British Nuclear Deterrent was selected for an award and for publication as a Seaford House Paper by the Royal College of Defence Studies of which he was a Parliamentary member in 2006.

Also published in 2009, was a commentary by Julian Lewis written as the foreword to a translation and analysis, by US military academic Norman Cigar, of an Al-Qaida terrorist's handbook.

In 2010, Julian Lewis was appointed as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Defence Studies, Department of War Studies, King's College, London; and, in 2019, he became an Honorary Professor, Strategy and Security Institute, University of Exeter.

Julian Lewis was knighted in the 2023 New Year Honours for political and public service.