1. Sir Melvyn John Stride was born on 30 September 1961 and is a British politician who has served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in Kemi Badenoch's Shadow Cabinet since November 2024.
22 Facts About Mel Stride
1. 2.
Mel Stride previously served in the May Government as Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General from 2017 to 2019 and as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council from May to July 2019.
3.
From October 2022 to July 2024, during the government of Rishi Sunak, Stride served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
4.
Melvyn Stride was born in Ealing, in London, on 30 September 1961.
5.
In 1987, Mel Stride set up a business jointly controlled with his wife, Venture Marketing Group, specialising in trade exhibitions, conferences and publishing, which was expanded to the United States.
6.
The US company was sold, and Mel Stride resigned as director of the company in 2007.
7.
Mel Stride was a director of several companies, resigning from the last of them in December 2020.
8.
Mel Stride was selected as the prospective Conservative candidate for Central Devon in June 2006 after his name was added to the new Conservative A-List in 2006; he was the first A-Lister to be selected.
9.
On 28 October 2011, Mel Stride was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, John Hayes.
10.
Mel Stride was promoted to the frontbench as Lord Commissioner of the Treasury after the election.
11.
Mel Stride was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum.
12.
Mel Stride was appointed Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council on 23 May 2019, following the resignation of Andrea Leadsom.
13.
Mel Stride endorsed Michael Gove to become Leader of the Conservative Party in the 2019 leadership election.
14.
On 23 October 2019, Mel Stride was elected Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, replacing Nicky Morgan.
15.
Mel Stride supported Rishi Sunak in the July-September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, serving as his campaign chief, and lent his support to him again in the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.
16.
In September 2023, Mel Stride commented on the state pension system in the United Kingdom.
17.
Mel Stride said that the triple lock system was not sustainable in the long term.
18.
On 26 July 2024, Mel Stride announced he was running in the 2024 leadership election to be the new Conservative Party leader.
19.
Mel Stride came last of the remaining five candidates in the second ballot, remaining at 16 votes, and was eliminated; Kemi Badenoch ultimately won.
20.
On 4 November 2024, Mel Stride was appointed Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in Badenoch's shadow cabinet.
21.
Mel Stride is married to Michelle was born on 1975 and and has three daughters.
22.
On 11 April 2025, Mel Stride was Knighted in Rishi Sunak's Resignation Honours List.