31 Facts About Paul Scully

Paul Stuart Scully was born on 29 April 1968 and is a former British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Sutton and Cheam from 2015 to 2024.

Paul Scully was replaced in both roles at the reshuffle in November 2023.

Paul Scully was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets and Minister for London in the February 2020 reshuffle.

In May 2023, Paul Scully announced he would "pause" his ministerial role to seek the Conservative Party's nomination in the upcoming London mayoral election, but failed to make the shortlist.

Paul Scully moved to London after graduating and ran a number of small businesses.

Paul Scully joined the Conservative Party after the 1997 general election, and had previously voted for the Referendum Party.

Paul Scully unsuccessfully stood as a Conservative candidate in the Wallington South ward of the London Borough of Sutton Council elections in 2002, but was elected in the Carshalton Central ward in 2006.

Paul Scully was the Leader of the Opposition on Sutton Council for three of his four years as a councillor.

Paul Scully lost his seat to the Liberal Democrats at the following local election in 2010.

Paul Scully was selected as the Conservative Party candidate for the marginal Sutton and Cheam seat at the 2015 general election.

Paul Scully visited Myanmar for the first time in February 2016.

Paul Scully has been active in human rights issues in Burma, especially the Rohingya refugee situation and is the Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Burma.

Paul Scully has written about his experience of being one of the first British MPs to visit the Kutupalong refugee camp during the 2017 mass movement.

In May 2016, it was reported that Paul Scully was one of a number of Conservative MPs being investigated by police in the United Kingdom general election, 2015 party spending investigation, for allegedly spending more than the legal limit on constituency election campaign expenses.

Paul Scully campaigned for a Leave vote in the 2016 EU referendum, and was a supporter of the campaign group Leave Means Leave.

Paul Scully said that he was still committed to retaining facilities at the St Helier Hospital, where he had previously volunteered.

On 15 December 2017, Paul Scully was confirmed as the Conservative Party's new Vice Chairman for London, following the sacking of Stephen Hammond two days earlier for his failure to vote with the Government on a key vote relating to the United Kingdom departing the European Union.

Paul Scully helped manage the Conservative Party's campaign in the 2018 London local elections, in which the party registered its lowest-ever number of seats in the capital, but made a number of gains on Sutton Council.

In February 2020, Paul Scully joined the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets, succeeding Kelly Tolhurst.

Paul Scully was appointed to the position of Minister for London, succeeding Chris Philp.

In July 2021, in response to a question about vaccine passports, Paul Scully described himself as a libertarian conservative.

On 22 October 2021, Paul Scully filibustered a bill which would outlaw the practice of sacking employees and hiring them back on worse terms and conditions, which resulted in the bill failing.

Paul Scully said that he did not disagree with the intent of the bill, but did not think it was the best means to achieve it.

Paul Scully remained in this role and as Minister for London in the Truss ministry.

In October 2022, under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Paul Scully was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Tech and the Digital Economy.

Paul Scully remained in his post as Minister for London.

Paul Scully was removed from both ministerial roles in the November 2023 British cabinet reshuffle.

On 11 June 2023, Paul Scully applied for, but failed to make the shortlist for the 2024 London mayoral election.

In February 2024, Paul Scully was accused of Islamophobia after he made unsubstantiated claims about the existence of "no-go areas" in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and the Sparkhill district of Birmingham, both of which have large Muslim populations.

Paul Scully subsequently apologised for the comments explaining the comments were blunt and detracted from the prejudice he was speaking out on.

In March 2024, Paul Scully announced that he would not seek re-election as MP for Sutton and Cheam at the next general election.