Paul Howell | |
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Member of Parliament for Sedgefield | |
In office 12 December 2019 – 30 May 2024 | |
Preceded by | Phil Wilson |
Succeeded by | Constituency Abolished |
Member of Durham County Council for Aycliffe North and Middridge | |
In office 4 May 2017 – 6 May 2021 Serving with Scott Durham John Clare | |
Preceded by | Joan Gray John Clare Mike Dixon |
Succeeded by | David Sutton-Lloyd Michael Stead Tony Stubbs |
Personal details | |
Born | Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England | 10 January 1960
Political party | Conservative |
Paul Howell (born 10 January 1960)[1] is a British Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield from 2019 until 2024. Prior to his political career, he was an accountant.[2]
Early life and career
[edit]Paul Howell was born on 10 January 1960 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 a Master of Business Administration degree from Durham University.[3] After leaving school, he worked as a chartered accountant for firms such as Darchem, Blue Circle Industries, and Wilsonart.[4]
Political career
[edit]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 second 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 with 47.2% of the vote and a majority of 4,513.[9][10] The area of the constituency had been represented by Labour Party MPs since the 1935 general election. Wilson's immediate predecessor in representing the constituency, former Prime Minister Tony Blair, did so 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]
Personal life
[edit]Howell owns a property portfolio consisting of nine houses in Darlington, five houses in Durham, and two flats in County Durham.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ Brunskill, Ian (2020). The Times Guide to the House of Commons 2019. London: The Times. ISBN 9780008392581.
- ^ "Class of 2019: Meet the new MPs". PoliticsHome. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ "Paul Howell MP - Who is he?". Politics.co.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ a b "About Paul Howell". Paul Howell. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ "Election results for Hummersknott". Darlington Borough Council. 2 May 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ "Mowden Ward and Red Hall and Lingfield Ward By-Elections". Darlington Borough Council. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ "Tories step down as Lib Dems bid to take on Labour in Aycliffe North". Aycliffe Today. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ Seddon, Sean (9 June 2017). "Houghton & Sunderland South constituency General Election results 2017". nechronicle.
- ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Election 2010 – Sedgefield". BBC News.
- ^ Conner-Hill, Rachel (13 December 2019). "'As a boy from Ferryhill I'm so proud' says Conservative Paul Howell as he defeats Phil Wilson in Sedgefield". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ "The Rt Hon Tony Blair". gov.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ "Parliamentary career for Paul Howell". UK Parliament. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ @PaulHowellMP (14 June 2022). "I am delighted to announce that I have been promoted to the position of Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) at @DefraGovUK" (Tweet). Retrieved 1 December 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Conner-Hill, Rachel (15 November 2021). "Sedgefield's Paul Howell – The region's MP who owns most properties". The Northern Echo.