Oliver Dowden

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Person.png Oliver Dowden   Facebook WebsiteRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
(politician)
Oliver Dowden.jpg
Born1 August 1978
England
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge/Trinity Hall
Children2
SpouseBlythe Dowden
Member ofHill & Knowlton Strategies
PartyConservative
PR company Hill and Knowlton, then UK media minister, promoter of "vaccine passports"

Employment.png Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

In office
21 April 2023 - Present
Appointed byRishi Sunak
Preceded byDominic Raab

Employment.png Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office

In office
9 February 2023 - Present

Employment.png Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
25 October 2022 - Present
Preceded byNadhim Zahawi

Employment.png Chairman of the Conservative Party Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
15 September 2021 - 24 June 2022
Appointed byBoris Johnson
Preceded byAmanda Milling
Serving with Ben Elliot

Employment.png Minister without Portfolio Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
15 September 2021 - 24 June 2022

Employment.png UK/Secretary of State for Digital Culture Media and Sport

In office
13 February 2020 - 15 September 2021
Preceded byNicky Morgan
Succeeded byNadine Dorries

Employment.png UK/Minister for the Cabinet Office

In office
24 July 2019 - 13 February 2020

Employment.png Member of Parliament for Hertsmere

In office
7 May 2015 - Present

Oliver James Dowden is a British politician who was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by Rishi Sunak in succession to Dominic Raab who resigned from the government.[1]

A member of the Conservative Party, Oliver Dowden is also Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hertsmere since 2015.

He was deputy campaigns director of the Conservative Party before joining the infamous lobbying firm Hill and Knowlton in 2007. He was Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from 2020 to 2021 and was co-Chairman of the Conservative Party, alongside Ben Elliot, and Minister without Portfolio from 2021 to 2022.[2]

Background

Oliver Dowden studied Law at Cambridge.

Career

Dowden joined the Conservative Research Department in 2004, moving to PR company Hill & Knowlton in 2007, before returning to the Conservative Party in 2009.[3]

He then worked as a Special Adviser and David Cameron's deputy chief of staff, where he said most of his time was spent on "day-to-day crisis management".[4][5] Dowden was regarded as having expertise in the attacking form of political communications, leading to comparisons with Alastair Campbell.

Oliver Dowden was elected MP for Hertsmere in the 2015 General Election, with a majority of 18,461 votes.[6]

While standing as an MP, among the policy priorities Dowden highlighted in his campaign were improving transport infrastructure, preserving green belt land and improving education.[7] Dowden opposed Brexit prior to the 2016 EU Referendum.[8]

In January 2018, Dowden was promoted to Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office, as part of Theresa May's cabinet reshuffle.[9]

Appointed Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General by incoming Prime Minister Boris Johnson on 24 July 2019, Dowden was sworn of the Privy Council the next day.[10]

DCMS Secretary

On 13 February 2020, Dowden was appointed Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, succeeding Baroness Morgan of Cotes, who resigned from HM Cabinet.[11]

On 10 September 2021, he said that Vaccine passports should be used for future public health emergencies.[12]

Honours

Oliver Dowden was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 Dissolution Honours List on 27 August 2015.[13]

Resignation

On 24 June 2022, Conservative co-chair Oliver Dowden resigned following two by-election losses for the party to the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats.

The Lib Dems overturned a huge Tory majority in Tiverton and Honiton, Devon, their third by-election victory over Boris Johnson's party in a year.

And Labour retook the seat of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, which it lost at the UK/2019 General Election.

The prime minister said he would "keep going" and address people's concerns.

In a letter to Mr Johnson, Dowden said Tory supporters were "distressed and disappointed":

"We cannot carry on with business as usual. Somebody must take responsibility and I have concluded that, in these circumstances, it would not be right for me to remain in office."

Dowden also called his resignation "a deeply personal decision that I have taken alone" following a "run of very poor results for our party".[14]


 

Event Participated in

EventLocation(s)Description
UK/Parliament/Voted YES to vaccine passports in 2021UK/House of CommonsThese members of the UK Parliament voted YES to the introduction of a "vaccine" passport in 2021
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References