Edward Timpson

Edward Timpson MP
Minister of State for Children and Families
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 May 2015
Prime Minister	David Cameron Theresa May
Preceded by	Sarah Teather
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families
In office 4 September 2012 – 12 May 2015
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Tim Loughton
Succeeded by	Sam Gyimah (Childcare and Education)
Member of Parliament for Crewe and Nantwich
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 May 2008
Preceded by	Gwyneth Dunwoody
Majority	3,620 (7.3%)
Personal details
Born	(1973-12-26) 26 December 1973 Knutsford, Cheshire, England
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Julia Timpson
Children	Three[1]
Parents	John Timpson Alex Timpson
Alma mater	Durham University
Website	www.edwardtimpsonmp.com

Anthony Edward Timpson (born (1973-12-26)26 December 1973) is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Crewe and Nantwich since the 2008 by-election.

Timpson was appointed to Minister of State for Children and Families after the 2015 general election, being promoted from his position as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Education with similar portfolio responsibilities.

Biography

Timpson was born in Knutsford, Cheshire, in 1973.^[2] His father, John, is the CEO and owner of the Timpson chain of shoe repair and key-cutting shops, which has been in the family for five generations and has over 550 stores in the UK and Ireland. Timpson grew up with a brother, sister and over 80 children fostered by his parents.^[3][4]

He was educated at Uppingham School before going on to Durham University (Hatfield College), where he studied politics before converting to law. He became a barrister in 1998. From 1999, he has practised in Chester as a family law barrister.^[5] In June 2002, he married Julia Still in south Cheshire. Since then he has lived in Cheshire, 13 miles from Crewe, with his wife and three children (including a son born February 2004 and a daughter born November 2005). Timpson has completed six marathons, including the New York marathon in 2007 and the London Marathon in 2008, raising over £4,500.^[6] Outside politics Timpson is a fan of football, both watching and playing.

Member of Parliament

In July 2007, Timpson was selected as the Conservative candidate for the Crewe and Nantwich constituency,^[7] an area which had been represented by veteran Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody since 1974. Following Dunwoody's death in April 2008, a by-election was called for May 2008. In the run up to the election, Timpson was the target of a "toff" campaign by Labour, trying to paint him as "a rich man" who wouldn't "understand the problems that people face day-to-day" in contrast to their candidate, Gwyneth Dunwoody's daughter Tamsin Dunwoody.^[8] The Conservative campaign focused on local issues, such as crime and antisocial behaviour, closure of post offices and problems at Leighton Hospital, where two women in labour were turned away, as well as national issues - referring to Dunwoody as "Gordon Brown's candidate" and capitalising on dissatisfaction with the Labour Government, in particular the removal of the 10p tax rate.^[9]

On 22 May 2008 Timpson was elected MP, gaining 20,539 votes (49% of the vote), a swing from Labour of 17.6%.^[10][11] This was the first Conservative gain in a by-election since 1982. He made his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 16 June 2008.^[12]

He served on the Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee. He is a Vice-President of Conservative Friends of Poland.^[13]

Edward Timpson was re-elected on 7 May 2010 for the constituency of Crewe and Nantwich.

Following his re-election, Timpson was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary of Theresa May, the Home Secretary. In September 2012, he was appointed as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families at the Department for Education.

Timpson was named "Minister of the Year" in 2014 for pushing through reforms increasing the age of leaving foster care from 18 to 21, an initiative he had originally championed as a backbench committee chair.^[14] Timpson credited his childhood experiences of living with a large family of fostered children.

Edward Timpson was re-elected on 8 May 2015 for the constituency of Crewe and Nantwich. It was announced by David Cameron on 11 May 2015 that Edward Timpson would become Minister of State for Children and Families at Department for Education.

2016 EU Referendum

Edward Timpson campaigned for the United Kingdom to Remain in the European Union in the 2016 Referendum held on the country's membership.^[15]

Notes and references

External links

• Edward Timpson MP official website
• Edward Timpson profile on Conservative Party website
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• BBC Politics page
• BBC EU Referendum page