Paul Holmes | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2020 | |
| Assistant Government Whip | |
| In office 25 April 2024 – 5 July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak |
| Member of Parliament forHamble Valley | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Member of Parliament forEastleigh | |
| In office 12 December 2019 – 30 May 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Mims Davies |
| Succeeded by | Liz Jarvis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1988-08-25)25 August 1988 (age 37) |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Residence(s) | Hedge End,Hampshire, England |
| Alma mater | University of Southampton |
| Website | www |
Paul John Holmes (born 25 August 1988) is a BritishConservative Party politician who has been theMember of Parliament (MP) forHamble Valley since2024. He was the Member of Parliament forEastleigh from2019 to2024. Holmes currently serves as Shadow Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government having been appointed byKemi Badenoch.
Paul Holmes was born on 25 August 1988 atGuy's Hospital inSouthwark,[1][2] to John Edward Holmes and Sandra Holmes. He grew up on the Bellinghamcouncil estate inLewisham.[1]
Holmes attended Elfrida Primary School inBellingham andKelsey Park Sports College inBeckenham. He then went on to study Politics and International Relations at theUniversity of Southampton.
While a second-year student at theUniversity of Southampton, Holmes was elected as a Conservative councillor in the2008 Southampton City Council election, representing the Redbridge ward.[3][4] He served onSouthampton City Council as Chair of the Planning Committee and Cabinet Member for Education and Social Services.[5][6] Holmes stood down at the2012 council election.[4]
Holmes worked as a parliamentary researcher toWimbledon MPStephen Hammond from 2011 to 2015. From 2015 to 2016, he was an account manager atPortland Communications.
He worked as aspecial adviser (SpAd) toChairman of the Conservative Party and Chancellor of the Duchy of LancasterPatrick McLoughlin between 2016 and 2017, before becoming Special Adviser toDamian Green, thefirst secretary of state andminister for the Cabinet Office. Holmes remained in this role until Green's resignation from Government. He then worked as SpAd to thesecretary of state for education,Damian Hinds, in 2018, and became head of public affairs atClarion Housing Group in the same year.
Holmes stood inMitcham and Morden at the2015 general election, coming second with 23.2% of the vote behind the incumbent Labour MPSiobhain McDonagh.[7][8]
At the snap2017 general election, Holmes stood inSouthampton Test, coming second with 34.1% of the vote behind the incumbent Labour MPAlan Whitehead.[9]
At the2019 general election, Holmes was elected to Parliament as MP forEastleigh with 55.4% of the vote and a majority of 15,607.[10][11]
He was elected to serve on theHousing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee until January 2021, and theSelect Committee on Statutory Instruments, on which he continues to serve.
In January 2021, he was appointed asParliamentary Private Secretary to theHome Office ministerial team. On 20 September 2021, Holmes was promoted to PPS to the home secretaryPriti Patel.[12] He resigned from this position on 27 May 2022, over concerns around "toxic culture" at the heart of Government following the publication of theSue Gray report.[13]
Holmes was appointed Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party with responsibility for policy in November 2022 followingRishi Sunak forming a Government, he left this position in September 2023 when Holmes was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. In November 2023 he was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary,David Cameron.
Following the suspension in February 2024 of former party deputy chairLee Anderson for makingIslamophobic remarks about theMayor of LondonSadiq Khan, who is a Muslim, Holmes defended Anderson. Holmes was quoted as saying his suspension "will drive the agenda that we can’t speak up on things. Especially after last Wednesday and the protests we saw," referring toprotests regarding theGaza war outside Parliament.[14]
In April 2024, Holmes was appointed as anAssistant Government Whip.[15]
At the2024 general election, Holmes stood inHamble Valley,[16] and was elected to Parliament as MP for Hamble Valley with 36.4% of the vote and a majority of 4,802.[17][18]
Holmes resigned as an opposition whip in October 2024 in order to publicly supportJames Cleverly in the2024 Conservative Party leadership election.[19]
Holmes currently lives inHedge End. He lists his recreations as "real ale, cooking, aviation", and is a member of the Southern Parishes Conservative club.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Paul Holmes | 19,671 | 36.4 | −25.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Prad Bains | 14,869 | 27.5 | +6.4 | |
| Labour | Devina Paul | 8,753 | 16.2 | +2.6 | |
| Reform | Caroline Gladwin | 8,216 | 15.2 | N/A | |
| Green | Kate Needham | 2,310 | 4.3 | +1.2 | |
| Hampshire Ind. | Binka Griffin | 185 | 0.3 | N/A | |
| Majority | 4,802 | 8.9 | −32.3 | ||
| Turnout | 54,004 | 67.1 | −7.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 80,537 | ||||
| Conservativehold | Swing | −16.1 | |||
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forEastleigh 2019–2024 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by New seat | Member of Parliament forHamble Valley 2024–present | Incumbent |
