Lee Dillon | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament forNewbury | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Laura Farris |
| Majority | 2,337 (4.8%) |
| Leader ofWest Berkshire Council | |
| In office 25 May 2023 – 30 April 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Lynne Doherty |
| Succeeded by | Jeff Brooks |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lee Raymond James Dillon 1983 (age 41–42) Thatcham, England |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Website | www |
Lee Raymond James Dillon[1] (born 1983) is a BritishLiberal Democrat politician who has beenMember of Parliament (MP) forNewbury since 2024, gaining the seat from theConservative incumbent,Laura Farris.
Before entering Parliament, Dillon was a social housing senior manager. He served as the mayor ofThatcham from 2010 to 2012 and the leader ofWest Berkshire Council from 2023 to 2024.
Dillon describesDavid Rendel, a formerLiberal Democrat MP forNewbury, as his political inspiration.[2]
Dillon was elected to Thatcham Town Council in 2007 and represents the ward of Thatcham North East.[3][4] He served two terms as mayor from 2010 to 2012, and was the town's youngest mayor when first elected at the age of 27.[5][6]
Dillon has served as a member ofWest Berkshire Council from 2007 to 2011 and since 2015, representing Thatcham North East and previously Thatcham North.[7][8][9] At the2023 election, the Liberal Democrats assumed majority control of West Berkshire Council,[10][11] and Dillon was subsequently elected leader of the council on 25 May.[12] He took sabbatical leave from the role on 1 February 2024[13] before resigning as leader on 30 April to focus on his campaign for the forthcoming general election.[14]
Dillon first stood for election at the2005 general election inIslwyn, coming third with 12.5 per cent of the vote.[15] He again stood for election inNewbury in the2019 general election, coming second with 30.6 per cent.[16]
In 2023, Dillon was re-selected as the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Newbury.[17] He went on to win the constituency at the2024 general election with 40.1 per cent of the vote, winning the seat for the Liberal Democrats for the first time since the2001 general election.[18][19] He gained the seat from theConservative incumbent,Laura Farris.[20]
Dillon grew up in Thatcham, where his family owns a local pub.[21] He has a wife and young children. His father was a trade union official.[21][22]
A keen football fan, he regularly takes his children to watchReading F.C., and supports his local team,Thatcham Town F.C.[21]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forNewbury 2024–present | Incumbent |
