About Adam

About Adam

Background 

Adam is known for his thoughtfulness, honesty and plain-speaking style.

Born in 1965 to a white English mother and a black Ghanaian father, Adam was brought up by his mother in social housing in South London. He attended Oliver Goldsmith Primary School in Peckham and went on to gain a B.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from Imperial College (Wye).

Living in Israel and visiting Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Holland, Denmark and Sweden in his gap year, his appetite for travel has not diminished over the years.

Sport has played an important role for Adam and, since captaining the basketball team at university, he has remained a keen distance and charity runner and health and fitness amateur. Over the last 35 years, his sports have included cycling, tennis, badminton and skiing but, since knee, foot and back operations, activities have been somewhat restricted.

Adam lives in Old Windsor with his wife and five children. He was labelled an “expenses saint” by the Daily Telegraph in 2009 having never claimed any personal or accommodation expenses.

Facts 

  • Adam has been Conservative MP for Windsor since 2005. 
  • At the 2019 General Election Adam won the largest majority of any MP in Berkshire.
  • Adam claims no personal expenses and was labelled an "expenses saint" by the Daily Telegraph in 2009. 
  • In 2004, Adam successfully campaigned against the Euro as London Chairman of  Business for Sterling and the 'No to the Euro' campaign. 
  • In 2016, Adam backed Vote Leave in the UK referendum on membership of the European Union. 
  • Adam was a regional finalist in the 2003 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. 
  • Adam is Patron of Berkshire Young Enterprise, Sebastian's Action Trust, and Chandler Day Centre. 

Political Beliefs

  • People are happiest when they are autonomous; in control of their own lives and able to make their own decisions. 
  • Business not only generates jobs, incomes and taxes that make for a better a society, it is also an engine of social mobility; entrepreneurs from all backgrounds should be allowed, and encouraged, to flourish. 
  • The government's first duty is to protect us from external threat and defend us from domestic crime so that we can enjoy our lives in the way we choose.
  • Policy making should be evidence-based. 

Political Aims

  • To support social mobility so that everyone has the chance to make a success of their life based upon hard work and merit, and regardless of their background. 
  • To promote an outward and globally competitive economy, trading with all parts of the world. 
  • To promote sectors where Britain is at the cutting edge, in particular the fields of financial technology and scientific research. 
  • To shape a country at ease with itself and its national identity.
  • To stop illegal immigration and regain control of our borders. 
  • To simplify tax and benefits systems to ensure that Britain is globally competitive and that individuals are allowed to keep more of their earnings. 
  • To stop politicians interfering in our private lives. 
  • To promote evidence-based policy making and access to Government data and ensure that the Government and elected representatives are accountable to the people. 
  • To put an end to wasteful bureaucracy, red tape, and form-filling.  

Parliamentary & Political Appointments

Adam has a depth and breadth of parliamentary experience. He has served on Select Committees and Standing Committees, led policy development, and served as Shadow Minister for Science and Innovation from 2007 to 2010. 

  • Patron of the Parliamentary Space Committee. 2016 to present. 
  • Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Financial Technology. 2015 to present. 
  • Chairman of the Select Committee on Members' Expenses. 2011. 
  • Chairman of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST). 2010 to present. 
  • Chairman of the Parliamentary Space Committee. 2010 to 2016. 
  • Shadow Minister for Science & Innovation. 2007 to 2010. 
  • Member of the Finance Reform Bill Standing Committee. 2007. 
  • Conservative Parliamentary Leader for Technology, Media & Telecoms (TMT). 2006. 
  • Chairman of the Deregulation Task Force. 2006. 
  • Member of the Welfare Reform Bill Standing Committee. 2006. 
  • Member of the Economic Competitiveness Policy Group (co-chaired by John Redwood & Simon Wolfson). 2006. 
  • Member of the Lottery Bill Standing Committee. 2006. 
  • Member of the Science & Technology Select Committee. 2005 to 2007. 
  • Member of the Civil Aviation Bill Standing Committee. 2005. 

Political Experience 

Having joined the Party in 1990, Adam is an experienced Conservative activist. During his time he has stuffed envelopes, delivered leaflets, surveyed, door-knocked and canvassed. He has run supporters' clubs, chaired Conservative Party branches, and spoken at Conservative Party Conference on several occasions. 

At the 2005 General Election, Adam was returned to Windsor with the biggest majority in the constituency since the 1987 Conservative landslide. 

In 2010, Adam was re-elected with the biggest majority in the history of the seat and 61% of the vote. This was the biggest combined swing from Labour and the Liberal Democrats for an incumbent MP. 

At the 2015 General Election, Adam was returned for a second time with a majority of 50%, one of the largest majorities in the country and more than double his majority in 2005. The share of the vote won by Adam (63.4%) was the third highest of any Conservative MP in the country after Prime Minister Theresa May (then Home Secretary) and Ranil Jayawardena. 

In 2017, Adam won the highest number of votes in the history of the Windsor Constituency (over 34,000) and his share of the vote increased to 64.4%; the highest share of the vote won by any candidate since the 1950s.

Business Experience

Adam was a successful businessman before entering politics. He was a regional finalist in the 2003 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, and in 2005 he sold his controlling interest in DeHallivand Information Services to EMAP plc. 

Adam retains residual interests in several of the companies he helped to found in the UK and overseas. He serves as a non-executive Chairman of an UK news and information services company. 

Adam's past appointments have included Governor of the Museum of London, Trustee of the Museum of London Docklands, and director of the think-tank Policy Exchange. 

As Patron of Berkshire Young Enterprise, Adam is keen to encourage teenagers, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to recognise and develop their business skills as early as possible.