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Ben Howlett (politician)

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For the Australian rules football player, see Ben Howlett.

Ben Howlett
Howlett in 2015
Member of Parliament
for Bath
In office
8 May 2015 – 3 May 2017
Preceded byDon Foster
Succeeded byWera Hobhouse
Personal details
Born (1986-08-21) 21 August 1986 (age 38)
Political partyConservative
Alma materUniversity of Durham
University of Cambridge
WebsiteOfficial website

Benjamin John Howlett[1] (born 21 August 1986) is an English Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bath between the 2015 and 2017 general elections.

Early life and career

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Ben Howlett was born on 21 August 1986. He was educated at Manningtree High School in Essex, then studied History and Politics at the University of Durham, and a Masters in Economic History at the University of Cambridge.[2][3] He served as President of the Durham University Conservative Association in 2007.[4] He lived in Little Oakley, which is on the outskirts of Harwich.[5]

Howlett worked as a recruitment consultant from 2008 to 2015, latterly specialising in non-medical positions in the healthcare sector.[3][6][7]

Political career

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Howlett joined the Conservative Party in 2004, working for MP Douglas Carswell,[8] and from 2007 to 2010 for London MEP Syed Kamall.[7] He has been leader of the Conservative group on Harwich Town Council.[9] He was chair of Conservative Future from 2010 to 2013.[6][10] In November 2015, following the suicide of a young Conservative activist, Elliott Johnson, Howlett told the BBC's Newsnight programme that "institutionalised bullying" in the youth team had been "swept under the carpet" because the party did not want to lose the 2015 general election.[11][12]

Howlett moved to Bath after spending two weeks in the city campaigning to be selected as the Conservative candidate in November 2013.[13] In January 2015, he said his party "wouldn't have a hope in hell here if it weren't for Don Foster standing down".[14] He subsequently gained the seat at the 2015 general election, succeeding the retiring Liberal Democrat MP.[15][16]

Howlett sat on the Women and Equalities Select Committee and the Petitions Select Committee from July 2015 to May 2017.[17]

Howlett was opposed to Brexit.[18] In the wake of the referendum result, he argued that Britain should stay in the European single market.[19] In October 2016, he asked the Minister of State for Universities and Science Jo Johnson to leave international students out of immigration figures in order to ensure British universities remain attractive on the global stage.[20]

Howlett later said, in support of allegations made in the 2022 Partygate political scandal, that Conservative whips had threatened that funding to investigate a new link road for Bath would be withheld if he did not support key Brexit votes.[21]

He lost Bath to the Liberal Democrat Wera Hobhouse in the 2017 general election.[22]

Later career

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In July 2017 Howlett became joint director, later managing director, of consultancy Public Policy Projects, working in the areas of health, care and other public policy, and also works on the Hospital Times publication.[23][24]

Personal life

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Howlett is gay and is a proponent of same sex marriage.[25][26] He is a Christian.[27]

References

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  1. ^ "No. 61230". The London Gazette. 18 May 2015. p. 9119.
  2. ^ Anoosh Chakelian (20 February 2013). "Young, renegade, rightist". totalpolitics. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Ben Howlett – Senior Consultant". Finegreen associates. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013.
  4. ^ "DUCA - Durham University Conservative Association". DUCA. Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  5. ^ "Cllr. Ben Howlett". Blogger. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  6. ^ a b Mike Clarkson (2 November 2013). "Ben Howlett selected as Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Bath". Bath Conservative Association. Archived from the original on 4 October 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Ben Howlett". LinkedIn. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  8. ^ "Exclusive – Ben Howlett talks to Worcestershire CF". Conservative Future. 3 January 2011. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015.
  9. ^ "Locals told to continue centre fight". East Anglian Daily Times. 23 July 2007. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  10. ^ "Ben Howlett". BBC. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  11. ^ "Bath MP Ben Howlett's concerns over Tory youth wing's 'institutionalised bullying' were ignored". Western Daily Press. 19 November 2015. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  12. ^ Clayton, James; Oxford, Esther (18 November 2015). "Tories 'failed to act' on 'institutionalised bullying'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  13. ^ Prideaux, Siobhan (2 November 2013). "Voters choose Ben Howlett as Bath's Conservative election candidate". Bath Chronicle. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  14. ^ Chakelian, Anoosh (28 January 2015). "Spa Wars: Soaking up the battle for Bath". New Statesmen. Retrieved 11 May 2015.[dead link]
  15. ^ "Bath Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  16. ^ "General Election: Ben Howlett wins Bath for the Conservatives". Bath Chronicle. 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  17. ^ "Ben Howlett MP". House of Commons. UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  18. ^ Brown, Alex (22 June 2016). "Brexit vote: The case to remain by Bath MP Ben Howlett". Bath Chronicle. Retrieved 3 October 2016.[permanent dead link]
  19. ^ Howlett, Ben (30 September 2016). "Britain needs to stay in the single market in order to make the best of Brexit". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  20. ^ Morgan, John (4 October 2016). "Tory MP backs call for UK migration figures change on students". Times Higher Education. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  21. ^ Sumner, Stephen (24 January 2022). "Funding for link road study threatened if I rebelled, claims former Bath MP". SomersetLive. Reach. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  22. ^ Petherick-bath, Sam (7 July 2017). "House for sale and new job - what former Bath MP Ben Howlett did next". Bath Chronicle. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  23. ^ Petherick, Sam (3 August 2018). "Former Bath MP Ben Howlett announces he won't stand again for city parliamentary seat". Bath Chronicle. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  24. ^ Whelan, Clare (10 July 2017). "New Director Ben Howlett joins Public Policy Projects". Public Policy Projects. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  25. ^ "Support lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans candidates representing the Conservative Party". LGBTory. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  26. ^ Ben Howlett (18 September 2011). "Why this Government has got it right on Gay Marriage". Conservative Home. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  27. ^ Samuel Marlow-Stevens (23 April 2015). "Meet the Candidates: Ben Howlett, Conservative". Pie Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015.
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