Luke Graham
Official portrait, 2017
Member of Parliament
for Ochil and South Perthshire
In office
8 June 2017 – 6 November 2019
Preceded byTasmina Ahmed-Sheikh
Succeeded byJohn Nicolson
Personal details
Born
Luke Patrick Graham[1]

June 1985 (age 38)[2]
Swindon, Wiltshire, England
Political partyConservative
Alma materUniversity of Sheffield
ProfessionAccountant

Luke Patrick Graham (born June 1985) is a British Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Ochil and South Perthshire from 2017 to 2019.[3] From September 2018, Graham served in the role of Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Cabinet Office.[4] He was later made PPS to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. He held both positions concurrently until the end of the Second May Ministry.

Early life

Graham was born in Eldene, Swindon, Wiltshire in June 1985 and was educated at the Dorcan Academy, the local comprehensive. He graduated from the University of Sheffield with a BA in Economics and Social Policy in 2006.[5] Graham graduated with 2.1 Dual Honours, before serving as the Finance Officer of Sheffield University Union from 2006-07.[6]

Prior to entering the Commons, he worked for Tesco plc for five and a half years whilst gaining his Chartered Institute for Management Accounting qualification. During his tenure, he worked in the UK, Thailand and China. After Tesco, Graham joined Tough Mudder,[7] a British firm launched in the US. He later accepted a job as a senior manager at Marks and Spencer plc[8] and returned to the UK.

Graham started his own accountancy business, Tech & The Beancounters, in 2016.[7]

Political career

Graham first entered Scottish politics in 2014, when he actively campaigned for Better Together, the successful unionist campaign during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. Graham was subsequently selected to contest the constituency of Ochil and South Perthshire at the 2015 general election, and finished in third place.[9]

Graham was the Director of Finance of Britain Stronger in Europe, the official Remain campaign in the 2016 EU Membership Referendum.

Graham was reselected to contest the Ochil and South Perthshire seat during the 2017 United Kingdom general election. He defeated the sitting Scottish National Party MP, Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh.[10] Graham successfully overturned Ahmed-Sheikh's 10,168 majority to win by 3,359 votes.[11]

In November 2018 he was the recipient of a £25,000 donation from Lord Sainsbury of Turville, which was donated to the Scottish Conservative Party for Graham's association.[12]

He voted in favour of former Prime Minister Theresa May's deal to leave the European Union.[13]

Graham backed Michael Gove during the Conservative leadership contest.[14]

He was a member of the Public Accounts Committee from September 2017 until October 2018 and subsequently served as a member of the Finance Committee for the House of Commons.[15][3]

Causes that Graham worked extensively on included renewable energy (particularly geothermal),[16] domestic abuse,[17] and farming.[18]

In March 2019, a staff member working in Graham's constituency office was threatened by two men who allegedly said that "in an independent Scotland all of you will be hanging", banging on windows and shouting at the staffer.[19] Police Scotland stated they would be making inquiries.[19] Later that month, the police issued descriptions of individuals they would like to speak to relating to the incident.[20]

Seeking re-election at the 2019 United Kingdom general election on 12 December 2019, Graham lost his seat to the Scottish National Party's John Nicolson, who was previously the MP for East Dunbartonshire from 2015-17.[21]

Although Graham lost his seat, the Conservative Party won the general election in a landslide. Following his personal defeat, he was appointed to head a "Union unit" in 10 Downing Street, which gave him responsibility for supporting unionism and opposing Scottish independence.[22] Graham was replaced in February 2021 by Oliver Lewis.[22]

References

  1. ↑ "Graham, Luke Patrick, (born 1985), Head, Union Unit, 10 Downing Street, 2020–21". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U289526. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4.
  2. ↑ Carr, Tim; Waller, Robert; Dale, Iain (7 September 2017). The Politicos Guide to the New House of Commons 2017. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 9781785902789 – via Google Books.
  3. 1 2 "Luke Graham MP". UK Parliament.
  4. ↑ "GOV.uk, List of Parliamentary Private Secretaries (PPS): September 2018" (PDF).
  5. ↑ Carr, Tim; Dale, Iain; Waller, Robert (7 September 2017). The Politicos Guide to the New House of Commons 2017. Biteback Publishing. pp. 288–. ISBN 978-1-78590-278-9.
  6. ↑ "SU Officers' Year Book @ Sheffield Students' Union". yoursu.sheffield.ac.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Luke Graham and the Accounting Company He Co-Founded – Tech & the Beancounters". Finance Monthly | Monthly Finance News Magazine. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  8. ↑ "Graham, Luke Patrick". Who's Who. Vol. 2018 (February 2018 online ed.). A & C Black. Retrieved 13 February 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  9. ↑ Depute Returning Officer, Clackmannanshire Council. "Westminster Parliament election - 2015-05-07". www.clacks.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  10. ↑ Bakonyi, Rajmund (9 July 2017). "Conservative Luke Graham takes the seat for Ochil and South Perthshire". Alloa and Hillfoots Advertiser. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  11. ↑ Depute Returning Officer, Clackmannanshire Council. "Westminster Parliament election - 2017-06-08". www.clacks.gov.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  12. ↑ Scottish Political Editor, Kieran Andrews (30 November 2018). "Labour benefactor Lord Sainsbury donates £25,000 to Scottish Conservatives MP". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 10 September 2019. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  13. ↑ Drury, Colin (20 March 2019). "Did your MP vote for or against Theresa May's Brexit deal?". The Independent. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  14. ↑ "Full list: Tory leadership contenders and MPs backing them". The Spectator. 20 June 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  15. ↑ "Election to the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament". Luke Graham MP.
  16. ↑ "Geothermal Energy: Clackmannanshire - Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  17. ↑ "PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES: DOMESTIC ABUSE BILL, 29 October 2019" (PDF).
  18. ↑ "Luke Graham - Contributions - Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  19. 1 2 "MP's staff member threatened at office". BBC. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  20. ↑ Dickie, Douglas (18 March 2019). "Hunt for duo who abused MP's member of staff". Daily Record. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  21. ↑ "John Nicolson MP, Ochil and South Perthshire". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  22. 1 2 "Downing Street replaces head of 'Union unit' with Vote Leave veteran". BBC News. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
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