Tom Tugendhat | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Official portrait, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister of State for Security | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 September 2022 – 5 July 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Liz Truss Rishi Sunak | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Stephen McPartland | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Dan Jarvis | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of Parliament forTonbridge Tonbridge and Malling (2015–2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 7 May 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | John Stanley | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Majority | 11,166 (22.2%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Thomas Georg John Tugendhat (1973-06-27)27 June 1973 (age 51) London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship |
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| Political party | Conservative | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Anissia Morel[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent |
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| Relatives | The Lord Tugendhat (uncle) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | St Paul's School, London | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | tomtugendhat | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service |  British Army | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 2003–2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Lieutenant colonel | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unit | Adjutant General's Corps Intelligence Corps | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Battles/wars | Iraq War War in Afghanistan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Awards | MBE (2010) VR (2013) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Thomas Georg John TugendhatMBE VR (born 27 June 1973) is a British politician who has been theMember of Parliament (MP) forTonbridge, previouslyTonbridge and Malling, since2015. A member of theConservative Party, he previously served in theCabinet asMinister of State for Security from September 2022 to July 2024.
Born inWestminster, Tugendhat attendedSt Paul's School. He studied at theUniversity of Bristol and went on to study atGonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He then briefly worked in Beirut as a journalist forThe Daily Star, before becoming an officer in theBritish Army reserves, theTerritorial Army, in 2003; he served in both theIraq War and theAfghanistan War. He later served as one of the military assistants to theChief of the Defence staff. Tugendhat was elected to Parliament for the Conservative party as the MP forTonbridge and Malling in the2015 general election. He was reelected in both the2017 general election and the2019 general election, and was also the Chair of theForeign Affairs Select Committee between 2017 and 2022.
Following theresignation ofBoris Johnson in July 2022, Tugendhat stood in theConservative Party leadership election to succeed him. He was eliminated in the third round of parliamentary voting, and subsequently endorsedLiz Truss, serving in her government as Minister of State for Security. FollowingTruss's resignation the next month, Tugendhat endorsedRishi Sunak in theOctober 2022 Conservative Party leadership election and retained his ministerial position inSunak's cabinet. After the Conservative Party's defeat in the2024 general election, Tugendhat became the Shadow Minister for Security inSunak's shadow cabinet, and later launched his bid to becomeLeader of the Conservative Party. He was eliminated in the third round of Conservative MP voting.
Thomas Georg John Tugendhat[2] was born on 27 June 1973 inWestminster, the son ofSir Michael Tugendhat, aHigh Court judge and his French-born wife Blandine de Loisne.[3] He is a nephew ofLord Tugendhat, a businessman, formerVice President of the European Commission[4] andConservative Party politician.
He was educated atSt Paul's School, London, an all-boysprivate school, before studyingtheology at theUniversity of Bristol. Tugendhat then did aMaster's degree course inIslamic studies atGonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and learntArabic inYemen.[5] Following university, he briefly served as a journalist at the Lebanese newspaperThe Daily Star.[6]
On 6 July 2003, Tugendhat wascommissioned into theEducational and Training Services Branch of theAdjutant General's Corps,Territorial Army,British Army, as asecond lieutenant (on probation).[7] HisTerritorial Army commission was confirmed on 16 July 2003.[8] He transferred to theIntelligence Corps on 29 July 2003.[9]
Tugendhat was promoted tolieutenant on 16 July 2005,[10]captain on 1 April 2007,[11] and tomajor on 1 January 2010.[12] He became a Territorial Armylieutenant colonel in July 2013.[13] He has been known to wear a tie associated with theSpecial Boat Service, prompting speculation that for part of his career he may have worked alongside them.[14]
Tugendhat served during theIraq War and theWar in Afghanistan. He served inAfghanistan in a civilian capacity, for theForeign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and helped set up the National Security Council of Afghanistan and the government inHelmand Province.[15] He later served as one of themilitary assistants to theChief of the Defence Staff.[16]
In 2013, in an open primary, Tugendhat was selected as the Conservative candidate forTonbridge and Malling, asafe Conservative seat inKent.[17] He was duly elected as its Member of Parliament at the2015 general election,[18][19] winning 59.4 per cent of the votes and a majority of 23,734.[20]
In October 2015, Tugendhat accusedIran of arming insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said: "Through theQuds Force, the special forces unit of the regime'sIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, it has killed British troops and plotted to assassinate diplomats in Washington DC. The ayatollahs have nurtured terrorists around the world."[21]
Tugendhat voted againstBrexit, supporting continued membership of theEuropean Union in the2016 Brexit referendum.[22] He voted in favour of the withdrawal agreement negotiated byTheresa May's government on each of the three occasions it was put to a vote.[23] At the snap2017 United Kingdom general election, Tugendhat was re-elected, increasing his share of the vote to 63.6 per cent, but seeing his majority decrease to 23,508.[24] On 12 July 2017, Tugendhat was elected to chair theForeign Affairs Committee, becoming the youngest person to hold the post.[25] After thepoisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury by anerve agent, Tugendhat said the attack was "if not an act of war ... certainly a warlike act by theRussian Federation".[26]
In February 2018, Tugendhat praisedSaudi Arabia's Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman. He stated: "He is rightly showing a vision for Saudi Arabia that sees her taking her place as a player in the global economy and I think that is incredibly positive, not just for Saudi Arabia, but for the world."[27] Under Tugendhat's chairmanship, the Foreign Affairs Committee focused on British foreign policy priorities afterBrexit.[28] Other significant enquiries have covered: the implications of China's growing role in the international system,[29]India–United Kingdom relations,[30] and theResponsibility to Protect.[31]
On 21 May 2018, the Foreign Affairs Committee published a report on Russian corruption and the UK. This drew attention to the ability of PresidentVladimir Putin and his allies to launder assets through London, and called on the UK Government to "show stronger political leadership in ending the flow of dirty money into the UK".[32] The report criticised the law firmLinklaters for its unwillingness to give evidence to the committee about the nature of working in the Russian Federation at that time.[33]
At the2019 general election, Tugendhat was again re-elected, seeing his share of the vote fall slightly to 62.8 per cent, but with an increased majority of 26,941.[24] Tugendhat has "never made a secret of his ambitions to be Prime Minister one day."[6] In January 2022, he stated he would consider running for the office of Prime Minister ifBoris Johnson stood down.[34] The following month, he suggested expelling all Russian citizens from the UK in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine,[35] subsequently clarifying that he meant "all Russian citizens connected to the Putin regime. It's not a blanket expulsion". In July 2022, Tugendhat ran in thefirst Conservative Party leadership election of that year, following Prime Minister Boris Johnson'sresignation, and was eliminated in the third round of parliamentary voting with 31 votes.[36][37] His campaign raised £120,000.[38]
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On 6 September 2022, Tugendhat was appointedMinister of State for Security in the Home Office as part ofLiz Truss's cabinet; he had supported Truss's candidacy over her rivalRishi Sunak.[39][40] He was retained in this role by the Sunak government.[6] In this role he continued taking a hawkish position on the People's Republic of China and, equally, thePRC has maintained travel bans against him.[41][42] Tugendhat commissioned theNational Cyber Security Centre to investigate ways thatTikTok may compromise Britain's national security.[43]
In June 2023, Tugendhat decided to join official talks with a government minister ofTaiwan, breaking convention on the topic of mutual security interests.[44] In the same month, his office announced that China had shut down itsChinese police overseas service stations in the UK, though their existence had been consistently denied by the Chinese embassy.[45] With security within his portfolio, Tugendhat was left to decide on permitting protests during theCoronation of Charles III and Camilla, which he allowed.[46]
Following the Conservative Party's defeat in the2024 United Kingdom general election and the subsequent formation of theStarmer ministry, Tugendhat was appointed Shadow Minister for Security in Rishi Sunak'scaretaker Shadow Cabinet.[47]
On 24 July 2024, he announced he was running inthe leadership election to be the new Conservative Party leader.[48][49] The following day Tugendhat's team were forced to change his campaign slogan after journalists and social media users discovered that the first letter of each line spelled out "TURD".[50] In the first round, Tugendhat came fourth with 17 votes,[51] but jumped up to joint third place with James Cleverly at 21 votes in the second round.[52] However, in the third round, he fell back to fourth place with 20 votes and was eliminated.[53]
Following Badenoch's election to lead the Conservative Party, Tugendhat was not named in herShadow Cabinet and therefore returned to the backbenches.[54]
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During theJuly–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, Tugendhat said he did not support the UK leaving theEuropean Court of Human Rights (ECHR).[55][56] In October 2023, he warned that withdrawal would have negative consequences for theGood Friday Agreement, theWindsor Framework anddevolved administrations in the UK.[49]
During the2024 Conservative Party leadership election, Tugendhat said he would leave the ECHR if it was seen as not "serv[ing] the interests of the British people".[57][58]
In an interview with theDaily Telegraph, he said “Do I want to leave [the ECHR]? No. I want to reform it. I can’t promise success and that is why I’m saying I am prepared to leave."[59]
Tugendhat supportedremaining in the EU at thereferendum of June 2016; however, he has since describedBrexit as a revolution which cannot be overturned, commenting in July 2022: "There is no way back into the European Union."[60]
On 7 November 2018, Tugendhat gave a speech on "community conservatism" at an event organised by theSocial Market Foundation.[61] He described how his military experience had drawn him into politics and outlined several ways in which the government could encourage businesses to better serve the communities in which they operate.[62]
In September 2024 during the leadership election, Tugendhat pledged to implement a 100,000 annualnet migration cap citing pressure on housing, infrastructure and public services.[63]
In the July 2022 Conservative leadership election, Tugendhat pledged to increasedefence spending to 3% of GDP.[64]
In March 2024, Tugendhat called on his party leader and prime minister Rishi Sunak to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.[65]
In September 2024 during the Conservative leadership election, Tugendhat pledged to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP.[66]
Tugendhat called Labour's plans to add 20% VAT toprivate school fees from 1 January 2025 "one of the most vindictive policies to come out of a British government in generations".[67]
On 29 May 2018, Tugendhat set out his own views onBritish foreign policy in a speech at theRoyal United Services Institute.[68] He advocated giving theFCO greater powers to determine overall foreign policy strategy.[69] In a recorded conversation with American politicianMike Gallagher, Tugendhat gave an off-the-cuff outline of his foreign policy outlook as "trying to defend the world in which the values that matter to the people of the United Kingdom, and more particularly, the people of Kent, prosper. And those values are freedom, democracy, the ability to challenge authority and the ability to trade and travel globally."[70]
In the wake of theFall of Kabul in August 2021, Tugendhat described the event inThe Times as Britain's "biggest foreign policy disaster sinceSuez".[71] On 18 August, in the House of Commons, Tugendhat was applauded after giving a speech that drew on his own military experiences in Afghanistan. It concluded, "This doesn't need to be defeat, but right now it damn well feels like it."[72]
In April 2020, Tugendhat founded the China Research Group alongside fellow Conservative MPNeil O'Brien.[73][74] The group was formed to gain a "better understanding of China's economic ambitions and global role". This is to includeHuawei's role in the UK's 5G network (see:Concerns over Chinese involvement in 5G wireless networks),China's COVID-19 disinformation campaign, and its foreign policy, in particular its relations with poorer regions of the world.[75][76] Tugendhat is considered to be a China hawk in theHouse of Commons, alongsideBob Seely and SirIain Duncan Smith.[77]
In August 2020, Tugendhat received a letter at his home address, sent from Hong Kong and containing a prayer regarding his criticism of China's policies. On Twitter, Tugendhat said that this was sent by the Chinese authorities to threaten him, though this was not independently verified.[78][79] On 26 March 2021, it was announced that Tugendhat was one of five MPs to be sanctioned by China for spreading what it called "lies and disinformation" about the country. He was subsequently banned from entering China, Hong Kong and Macau, and Chinese citizens and institutions are prohibited from doing business with him.[80] The sanctions were condemned by the Prime Minister and led the Foreign Secretary to summon the Chinese ambassador.[81][82]
Tugendhat is a strong supporter of Israel. He condemned theUnited Nations Security Council for its official criticism of Israel'sbuilding settlements in the occupiedPalestinian territories.[83] In January 2017, he wrote that theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict "doesn't matter" to the protestors of theArab Spring, and concluded: "Why was it [Israel-Palestine] more pressing than other disputed territories such asWestern Sahara,Kashmir orTibet? It isn't. It simply deflects attention for those most in need of a diversion."[83]
Tugendhat was a participant at the 30 May–2 June 2019Bilderberg Meeting at Montreux, Switzerland,[84][85] and the 2–5 June 2022 Bilderberg meeting in Washington, D.C.[85][86]
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Tugendhat's wife Anissia Morel is a lawyer and senior French civil servant.[87] Anissia's father, Pierre Morel, served as theAmbassador of France to Russia,China and theHoly See between 1992 and 2005.[88][89]
Tugendhat is aCatholic who identifies with Jewish people. His paternal grandfather was anAustrian Jewish émigré fromVienna, who converted to Catholicism.[90][91] Following the December 2019 general election, Tugendhat criticised theantisemitism he had faced during the campaign. He stated: "It was a campaign that wasn't always as clean as previous ones. For the first time I faced antisemitism, which I found particularly offensive and very surprising for a community like this and frankly rather distasteful. It's very un-Tonbridge, it's very un-Kent and it's very un-British. ... I would hope that type of attitude is going to leave our politics for good."[92]
On 17 November 2022 atWestminster Magistrates' Court, Tugendhat was banned from driving for six months after driving while holding his mobile phone, on 14 April 2022. He receivedsix points on his licence for the offence, in addition to six he already had for two previous driving offences. He was also ordered to pay a £1,000 fine, a surcharge of £100 and costs of £110.[93] In a written guilty plea, Tugendhat said he had been holding the phone, but not using it and had later taken a driving course.[94]
In the2010 New Year Honours, Tugendhat was appointed aMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).[95] In July 2013, he was awarded theVolunteer Reserves Service Medal (VR) for ten years' service in theTerritorial Army.[96] Tugendhat is anHonorary Professor in the Strategy and Security Institute at theUniversity of Exeter.[97] He is also anHonorary Fellow ofSt Augustine's College of Theology.[98][99] He was sworn ofHis Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council on 13 September 2022 atBuckingham Palace,[100] giving him thehonorific prefix "The Right Honourable" for life.[101]
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| Country | Date | Appointment | Ribbon | Post-nominal letters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 31 December 2009 | Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire | | MBE | [95][102] Military Division |
| United Kingdom | 6 February 2012 | Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal | | [102] | |
| United Kingdom | 23 July 2013 | Volunteer Reserves Service Medal | | VR | [96][102] 10 years service in theTerritorial Army |
| United Kingdom | Iraq Medal | | [102] With "19 Mar to 28 Apr 2003"Clasp | ||
| United Kingdom | Civilian Service Medal (Afghanistan) | | [102] | ||
| United Kingdom | Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan | | [102] With clasp "AFGHANISTAN" | ||
| United States of America | Army Commendation Medal | | [102] |
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forTonbridge and Malling 2015–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Security 2022–2024 | Succeeded by |
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