Damian Green

Damian Green is a British politician and a Member of Parliament (MP) from the constituency of Ashford. He has been winning this constituency since 1997, which goes on to show his immense popularity in the community. Damian Green is a member of the Conservative Party. During his political career, Damian has taken up key roles and responsibilities such as First Secretary of State.

The Ashford constituency has been a stronghold of Conservative Party since several decades. Only once in its history, the Ashford constituency was won by a Liberal in 1929. The Ashford parliamentary constituency is located in Kent and came into existence in 1885. The constituency is known for its flourishing manufacturing and services sector, which have contributed to significant growth of housing in the area.

In 1997 general election in Ashford, Damian Green defeated his nearest rival John Ennals of Labour Party by a margin of more than 5,000 votes. Damian’s vote share was 41.4%, as compared to 31.7 % of his nearest rival. In 2001 election, Damian increased his vote share to 47.4%. He received 22,739 votes, in comparison to 15,380 votes of his nearest rival John Adams of Labour Party.

In 2005 general election from Ashford, Damian further improved his vote share to 51.6%. He received 26,651 votes, defeating his nearest rival Valerie Whitaker of Labour Party by a margin of more than 12,000 votes. In 2010 election, Damian further increased his vote share to 54.1%. He defeated his nearest rival Chris Took of Liberal Democrats by a margin of more than 17,000 votes.

In 2015 election, Damian’s vote share witnessed a slight downfall at 52.5%. However, he was still able to score a comfortable win over his nearest rival. Damian defeated Gerald O’Brien of UK Independence Party (UKIP) by a margin of more than 19,000 votes. In 2017 election, Damian increased his vote share to 59%. He defeated Sally Gathern of Labour Party by a margin of more than 17,000 votes.

In 2019 election, Damian delivered his best performance ever by getting 62.1% of the votes. He defeated his nearest rival Dara Farrell of Labour Party by a margin of more than 24,000 votes.

Early life, education and professional career

Damian Green was born on January 17, 1956 in Barry, Glamorgan, Wales. He did his schooling at Reading School. Later, he joined Balliol College, Oxford, where he took up Philosophy, Politics and Economics. His leadership qualities were evident in his college days, where he had served as the President of the Oxford Union. He was also the vice-chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students. Damian is married to Alicia Collinson.

Damian started out in the media industry, working as a financial journalist with BBC Radio. Later, he joined Channel 4 News and worked as a business producer. Over the years, he worked with various agencies in various roles such as business news editor, business editor and television presenter. He came closer to the world of politics when he joined Prime Minister John Major’s Policy Unit in 1992.

Political career

Damian Green’s first election fight was in 1992 general election from Brent East. However, he lost by a margin of 5,971 votes. Since 1997, he has been winning from Ashford constituency. Over the years, Damian has served in several shadow ministerial positions. He has taken up ministerial positions such as Minister of State for Immigration and Minister of State for Police and Criminal Justice.

Personal pursuits

Damian Green remains committed to the welfare of people in his constituency.