37 Facts About Tom Tugendhat

Tom Tugendhat previously served as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee from 2017 to 2022.

Tom Tugendhat has been the Member of Parliament for Tonbridge and Malling since 2015.

Tom Tugendhat had a part-time role as an officer in the British Army reserves, the Territorial Army; he served in the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War.

In July 2022, Tom Tugendhat stood in the Conservative Party leadership election, following Prime Minister Boris Johnson's resignation, and was eliminated in the third round of parliamentary voting.

Tom Tugendhat subsequently supported Liz Truss's bid to become Conservative leader.

Tom Tugendhat was born in Westminster, London, the son of Sir Michael Tom Tugendhat, a High Court judge and his French-born wife Blandine de Loisne.

Tom Tugendhat is a nephew of Lord Tugendhat, a businessman, former Vice President of the European Commission and Conservative Party politician.

Tom Tugendhat was educated at St Paul's School, London, an all-boys private school.

Tom Tugendhat studied theology at the University of Bristol, before doing a Master's degree course in Islamic studies at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and learning Arabic in Yemen.

On 6 July 2003, Tom Tugendhat was commissioned into the Educational and Training Services Branch of the Adjutant General's Corps, Territorial Army, British Army, as a second lieutenant.

Tom Tugendhat transferred to the Intelligence Corps on 29 July 2003.

Tom Tugendhat was promoted to lieutenant on 16 July 2005, captain on 1 April 2007, and to major on 1 January 2010.

Tom Tugendhat was a Territorial Army lieutenant colonel by July 2013.

Tom Tugendhat served during the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan.

Tom Tugendhat later served as one of the military assistants to the Chief of the Defence Staff.

Tom Tugendhat was elected as the Member of Parliament for Tonbridge and Malling, a safe Conservative seat in Kent, at the 2015 general election.

Tom Tugendhat was selected in an open primary in 2013.

Tom Tugendhat voted against Brexit, supporting continued membership of the European Union in the 2016 referendum.

On 12 July 2017, Tom Tugendhat was elected chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, becoming the youngest person to hold the post.

In July 2022, Tom Tugendhat ran in the Conservative Party leadership election, following Prime Minister Boris Johnson's resignation, and was eliminated in the third round of parliamentary voting with 31 votes.

Tom Tugendhat was retained in this role by the Sunak government.

On 7 November 2018, Tom Tugendhat gave a speech on "community conservatism" at an event organised by the Social Market Foundation.

On 29 May 2018, Tom Tugendhat set out his own views on British foreign policy in a speech at the Royal United Services Institute.

Tom Tugendhat advocated giving the FCO greater powers to determine overall foreign policy strategy.

Tom Tugendhat is considered by some to be a China hawk in the British Parliament, alongside Bob Seely and Sir Iain Duncan Smith.

On Twitter, Tom Tugendhat said that this was sent by the Chinese authorities to threaten him, though this was not independently verified.

On 26 March 2021, it was announced that Tom Tugendhat was one of five MPs to be sanctioned by China for spreading what it called "lies and disinformation" about the country.

Tom Tugendhat was banned from entering China, Hong Kong and Macau, and Chinese citizens and institutions are prohibited from doing business with him.

Tom Tugendhat condemned the United Nations Security Council for its official criticism of Israel's building settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Tom Tugendhat's wife Anissia is a French judge and senior civil servant.

Tom Tugendhat's father is Pierre Morel, a French diplomat, and mediator in Ukraine for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Tom Tugendhat is a Roman Catholic who identifies with Jewish people.

Tom Tugendhat's paternal grandfather was an Austrian Jewish emigrant, from Vienna, who converted to Roman Catholicism.

On 17 November 2022 at Westminster Magistrates' Court, Tom Tugendhat was banned from driving for six months after he was caught driving with his mobile phone in his hand on 14 April 2022.

Tom Tugendhat received six points on his licence for the offence, in addition to six he already had for two previous driving offences.

Tom Tugendhat is an Honorary Professor at the University of Exeter within its Strategy and Security Institute.

Tom Tugendhat was sworn in as a member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council on 13 September 2022 at Buckingham Palace.