Who is Oliver Dowden as the new Deputy Prime Minister? | UK News
After the resignation of Dominic Raab has now been appointed the new Deputy Prime Minister after a report of bullying by Oliver Dowden.
This means the MP for Hertsmere will have a variety of roles, including deputizing for the PM on PMQs or even deputizing for him if they fall ill (as Mr Raab did when Boris Johnson had a near-fatal battle with Covid-19).
Regular on the front bench in recent years, Mr Dowden has held various positions in government.
With his new role as Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Dowden will likely not be far from our TV screens in the future.
So what do we know about Oliver Dowden?
Read on to find out more.
How old is Oliver Dowden and how did he get into politics?
Born on August 1, 1978, Oliver Dowden is 44 years old and according to his website he was born and raised in his constituency.
He attended Parmiter’s School (near Watford) before securing a place at Cambridge University to study law.
Mr Dowden began advising David Cameron at Downing Street on career policy between 2010 and 2015, during which time he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) before becoming an MP.
What is Oliver Dowden’s political background?
In May 2015, Oliver Dowden was first elected MP for Hertsmere.
Initially a backbencher, he chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group for British Jews and served as an officer with the Conservative Friends of Israel.
In 2018 he was appointed Minister for the first time and served in the Cabinet as Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office – in those capacities for two years.
In February 2020, Oliver Dowden would then be appointed Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport before stepping down from that role to become leader of the Conservative Party.
Oliver Dowden resigned from the position of leader in June 2022 after the Tory party did poorly in the local by-election, saying in his resignation letter to then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson “someone has to take responsibility”.
Later that year he was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster by newly installed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in October 2022.
According to theyworkforyou.com, MP Oliver Dowden has never rebelled against his party during the current parliamentary term.
He has voted against both a fully elected House of Lords and the removal of hereditary peers, a referendum on UK membership of the EU and generally voted for a cut in central government funding for local government.
In 2022, he gave a speech to a US think tank that denounced “abort culture” and said painful woke psychodrama “would weaken the West”.
Who is Oliver Dowden’s wife and do they have any children?
Oliver Dowden is married to his wife Blythe Dowden, who works as a teacher, and the couple have two children.
On his website, Mr Dowden says that in his free time he enjoys having lunch in pubs and going for walks in the country with his family and their dog Betsy.
MORE: Dominic Raab tipped off I’m A Celebrity performance after retiring after Matt Hancock’s stint in the jungle
MORE: Oliver Dowden encourages nurses to accept ‘decent’ deal to end strikes
Follow Metro on our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Share your views in the comments below