Gareth Johnson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Official portrait, 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Courts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 20 September 2022 – 27 October 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Liz Truss | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Sarah Dines[a] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Mike Freer[b] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of Parliament forDartford | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 May 2010 – 30 May 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Howard Stoate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jim Dickson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1969-10-12)12 October 1969 (age 56) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Conservative | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Hartley, Kent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | The College of Law[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profession | Solicitor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gareth Alan Johnson (born 12 October 1969)[2][3] is a British politician and former lawyer who served as theMember of Parliament (MP) forDartford from2010 to2024. A member of theConservative party, he served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Courts from September to October 2022 in theTruss ministry.[4][5] Johnson previously served as aLord Commissioner of the Treasury from February to September 2022 andAssistant Government Whip from 2018 to 2019 and 2021 to 2022.[6]
Gareth Johnson was born inBromley on 12 October 1969, the son of a milkman. He attendedDartford Grammar School.[7] Before entering politics, Johnson worked in the Magistrates Court Service and as a solicitor in Dartford. He served for a time on the Board of Governors ofDartford Grammar School for Girls.
In local elections Johnson stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative candidate in the Danson ward of theLondon Borough of Bexley in 1994, before being elected in the Christchurch ward in 1998. He served one term of four years and did not stand for re-election in 2002.[8] He served as Constituency chairman for the Conservative Party in Bexley.[9]
At the2001 general election, Johnson stood as theConservative candidate inLewisham West, coming second with 22.4% of the vote behind the incumbentLabour MPJim Dowd.[10]
Johnson stood inDartford at the2005 general election, coming second with 41.1% of the vote behind the incumbent Labour MPHoward Stoate.[11]
At the2010 general election, Johnson was elected to Parliament as MP for Dartford with 48.8% of the vote and a majority of 10,628.[12]
In the 2014 reshuffle he becameParliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) toDavid Gauke, the newly promotedFinancial Secretary to the Treasury.[13]
Johnson was re-elected as MP for Dartford at the2015 general election with an increased vote share of 49% and an increased majority of 12,345.[14][15][16] Following the election, he was made PPS toMatt Hancock,Paymaster General of theCabinet Office.[17]
Johnson was listed as being the chair of theAll Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on theDominican Republic in December 2015.[18] He previously served as the vice-chairman of both the Retail APPG[19] and the British SikhsAPPG.[20] Johnson has also previously been a member of both the Child and Youth Crime APPG[21] and theBBC APPG.[22] In January 2016, he led a Westminster Hall debate on congestion at theDartford Crossing.[23][24] Johnson previously served on theJustice Select Committee, the Human Rights Joint Committee and theScience and Technology Select Committee.[25][17]
At the snap2017 general election, Johnson was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 57.6% and an increased majority of 13,186.[26] He was appointed Assistant GovernmentWhip in November 2018, resigning on 14 January 2019 in disagreement with Prime MinisterTheresa May's policy forBritain leaving the European Union.[27]
Johnson was again re-elected at the2019 general election with an increased vote share of 62.9% and an increased majority of 19,160.[28][29] He was appointed Assistant Government Whip in theSeptember 2021 cabinet reshuffle. On 9 February 2022, he was appointedLord Commissioner of the Treasury, succeedingCraig Whittaker.[30][31]
He endorsedLiz Truss in theJuly–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.[32]
On 20 September 2022, he was appointed by Truss to beParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice in theMinistry of Justice.[4] On 27 October, he was dismissed by Prime MinisterRishi Sunak.[6]
He endorsedBoris Johnson in theOctober 2022 Conservative Party Leadership Election, but he did not end up standing.[33] In March 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointed Gareth Johnson as his Trade Envoy to theUnited Arab Emirates. This was the first time the UK had appointed a Trade Envoy to the UAE.[34]
In the2024 general election, Johnson lost his seat to Labour Party candidateJim Dickson by 1,192 votes.[35]
Johnson lives in the village ofHartley with his wife Wendy[36] and their two children.
Johnson employs his wife as a part-time Parliamentary Assistant on a salary up to £25,000.[37] He was listed in a 2015 article inThe Daily Telegraph criticising the practice of MPs employing family members, on the lines that it promotesnepotism.[38] Although MPs who were first elected in2017 have been banned from employing family members, the restriction is not retrospective – meaning that Johnson's employment of his wife is lawful.[39]
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| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forDartford 2010–2024 | Succeeded by |
