The subject of this article is standing for re-election to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom on 4 July, and has not been an incumbent MP since Parliament was dissolved on 30 May. Some parts of this article may be out of date during this period. |
Paul Howell | |
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Member of Parliament for Sedgefield | |
Assumed office 12 December 2019 | |
Preceded by | Phil Wilson |
Majority | 4,513 (10.9%) |
Member of Durham County Council for Aycliffe North and Middridge | |
In office 4 May 2017 –6 May 2021 ServingwithScott Durham John Clare | |
Preceded by | Joan Gray John Clare Mike Dixon |
Succeeded by | David Sutton-Lloyd Michael Stead Tony Stubbs |
Personal details | |
Born | 10 January 1960 |
Political party | Conservative |
Paul Howell (born 10 January 1960) [1] is a British Conservative Party politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield since 2019. Prior to his political career,he was an accountant. [2]
Howell was born in Bishop Auckland Hospital in County Durham. He was raised in Ferryhill and Newton Aycliffe and attended Dean Bank and Sugar Hill primary schools and The Avenue Comprehensive School. His father was a divisional fire officer. He has an MBA from Durham University. [3] After leaving school,he worked as a chartered accountant for firms such as Darchem,Blue Circle Industries,and Wilsonart. [4]
Howell joined the Conservative Party in 2010. [4] He was a councillor for Hummersknott ward on the Darlington Borough Council between 2019 and 2021. [5] [6] He was also a councillor for Aycliffe North and Middridge on the Durham County Council between 2017 and 2021. [7]
Howell unsuccessfully contested Houghton and Sunderland South at the 2017 general election,coming in second place with 29.7% of the vote behind the incumbent Labour MP Bridget Phillipson. [8]
At the 2019 general election,Howell was elected as MP for Sedgefield,winning the seat with 47.2% of the vote and a majority of 4,513. [9] [10] The constituency had previously been represented by a Labour Party MP since the 1935 general election including former PM Tony Blair who represented the constituency between 1983 and 2007. [11] [12]
Howell has been a member of the Transport Select Committee since November 2022 and was a member of the Business,Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee between March 2020 and October 2022. [13] On 14 June 2022,Howell became a Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Department for Environment,Food and Rural Affairs. [14]
Howell owns a property portfolio consisting of nine houses in Darlington,five houses in Durham and two flats in County Durham. [15]
County Durham,officially simply Durham (/ˈdʌrəm/),is a ceremonial county in North East England. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne and Wear to the north,the North Sea to the east,North Yorkshire to the south,and Cumbria to the west. The largest settlement is Darlington.
Sedgefield District was,from 1974 to 2009,a local government district and,borough in County Durham,in North East England. It had a population of about 87,000. It was named after Sedgefield,but its largest town was Newton Aycliffe. Other places included Shildon,Ferryhill and Spennymoor.
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Philip Wilson is a British Labour Party politician. He was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield in a by-election that followed the resignation of Tony Blair,former Prime Minister,from the seat. He lost the seat at the 2019 general election to Paul Howell of the Conservative Party.
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