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| Damian Hinds | |
|---|---|
| Name | Damian Hinds |
| Birth date | 1969 |
| Birth place | London |
| Office | Member of Parliament for East Hampshire |
| Term start | 2010 |
| Party | Conservative Party |
| Alma mater | Stonyhurst College, Trinity College, Oxford |
Damian Hinds is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for East Hampshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, he has held ministerial responsibilities in cabinets led by David Cameron, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson. Before politics he worked in the private sector and has been associated with policy on education, immigration, and skills policy.
Born in London in 1969, he was educated at Stonyhurst College, a Roman Catholic independent school associated with the Society of Jesus. He studied at Trinity College, Oxford, where he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics alongside contemporaries who later entered roles at institutions such as Bank of England, Goldman Sachs, BBC, Financial Times, and House of Commons. During his student years he participated in societies that have connections to alumni networks including Oxford Union and contacts spanning to Cabinet Office officials and future members of Parliament.
After university he worked in the private sector with roles linked to civil service interfaces and firms in the financial services industry and retail sector, collaborating with organisations such as Deloitte, PwC, HSBC, Barclays, and consultancies that engage with Department for Education stakeholders. His business background involved projects touching on skills training and employer engagement channels similar to partnerships seen between Federation of Small Businesses, Confederation of British Industry, and local chamber of commerce structures. He also had involvement with charities and non-governmental organisations that intersect with public policy actors like Teach First, National Citizen Service, and regional trusts.
Hinds was selected as the Conservative candidate for East Hampshire and won the seat in the 2010 general election, joining a parliamentary cohort that included figures such as Theresa May, George Osborne, Nick Clegg, William Hague, and Iain Duncan Smith. In the House of Commons he served on committees and engaged with cross-party groups alongside MPs from parties including Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, SNP, and Democratic Unionist Party. He participated in debates on bills associated with Education Act 2011, Welfare Reform Act 2012, and legislative measures debated under the premierships of David Cameron and Theresa May. He maintained constituency links with local authorities such as Hampshire County Council and parish councils while interacting with organisations like Royal British Legion and Citizens Advice.
Hinds served in ministerial capacities, including appointments at the Department for Education where he worked with secretaries such as Michael Gove and Gavin Williamson. His portfolio engaged with initiatives connected to apprenticeships, technical education reforms, and collaborations with bodies like Ofsted, Education and Skills Funding Agency, Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, and Skills Funding Agency. He later held responsibilities related to Home Office briefings under ministers such as Amber Rudd, dealing with aspects of immigration and counter-extremism matters that touch on agencies including UK Visas and Immigration and Security Service (MI5). During cabinet reshuffles under Boris Johnson he continued to engage in ministerial work influencing policy interactions with Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and cross-department forums involving No. 10 Downing Street policy teams.
Hinds has been identified with positions on curriculum reform, technical education, and tightening immigration controls, voting in ways that aligned with key Conservative government legislation during the 2010s. He supported measures connected to the Education Act 2011 and backed policies related to apprenticeships and vocational routes alongside stakeholders such as CBI and Institute of Directors. On matters of EU membership he participated in parliamentary votes during the period leading to and following the 2016 EU referendum, and his voting record intersected with divisions on Brexit-related legislation, aligning at times with Theresa May's withdrawal agreements and at other times with positions associated with Boris Johnson's negotiation aims. He has also voted on welfare legislation, national security measures, and public spending decisions in alignment with priorities set by chancellors including George Osborne, Philip Hammond, and Rishi Sunak.
Hinds lives in Hampshire with family and is involved with local civic organisations and charitable groups such as Hospitals appeals and community trusts akin to Royal National Lifeboat Institution volunteers and local youth clubs. He maintains contacts across networks that include former colleagues from Trinity College, Oxford, private sector partners from firms like Deloitte and PwC, and parliamentary colleagues from parties such as Labour and SNP. His interests outside politics have included cultural and sporting institutions similar to Marylebone Cricket Club, regional arts festivals, and educational charities such as Teach First and local grammar schools.
Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom