Michael Tomlinson
KC MP
Minister of State for Countering Illegal Migration
Assumed office
7 December 2023
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak
Preceded byRobert Jenrick[lower-alpha 1]
Solicitor General for England and Wales
In office
7 September 2022 – 7 December 2023
Prime MinisterLiz Truss
Rishi Sunak
Preceded byEdward Timpson
Succeeded byRobert Courts
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
In office
8 July 2022 – 7 September 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byJames Morris
Succeeded byJo Churchill
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office
14 February 2020 – 8 July 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Succeeded byJames Duddridge
Deputy Chairman of the
European Research Group
In office
20 November 2016 – 19 March 2018
Serving with Suella Braverman
LeaderTheresa May
ChairmanSteve Baker
Suella Braverman
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byMark Francois
Member of Parliament
for Mid Dorset and North Poole
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded byAnnette Brooke
Majority14,898 (30.4%)
Personal details
Born (1977-10-01) 1 October 1977
Wokingham, Berkshire, England
Political partyConservative
SpouseFrances Mynors
Children3
Alma materKing's College London
WebsiteOfficial website

Michael James Tomlinson-Mynors[1] KC (born 1 October 1977) is a British politician serving as Minister of State for Countering Illegal Migration since December 2023. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Dorset and North Poole since the 2015 general election. He previously served as Solicitor General for England and Wales from September 2022 to December 2023 and Vice-Chamberlain of the Household from July to September 2022.

Early life

Tomlinson was born in Wokingham, Berkshire, England on 1 October 1977 and attended Hereford Cathedral School, a private school in Hereford. His father Howard was the headmaster of the school between 1987 and 2005.[2][3] Tomlinson has two sisters Sarah and Clare, and had one younger brother Edward who died in 2006 at the age of 24 of carbon monoxide poisoning while on a gap year in Beirut, Lebanon.[4][5]

He studied Classics at King's College London before obtaining a Postgraduate Diploma in Law at the College of Law. Tomlinson was called to the bar at Middle Temple in 2002. He worked as a door tenant at 3 Paper Buildings (3PB) specialising in commercial, contract, and personal injury law. While working for 3PB, Tomlinson undertook pro bono legal work and led mediation training sessions in Rwanda and Sierra Leone as part of the Conservative Party's Umubano project. He was appointed to the Attorney General's Civil Panel Counsel in 2007 and served till 2012.[6]

Parliamentary career

Tomlinson was selected as the Conservative candidate for Mid Dorset and North Poole in March 2013. He had previously been the campaign manager for the constituency in the 2010 general election.[7] He was elected at the 2015 General Election with 23,639 votes, a majority of 10,530 (22.6%).[8] He made his maiden speech on 22 June 2015 during a debate on the Education and Adoption Bill.[9] Tomlinson was re-elected at the 2017 and 2019 general elections with majorities of 15,339 (31.7%) and 14,898 (30.5%) respectively.[10][11]

He supported Brexit in the 2016 UK EU Membership referendum as he felt that it would restore the country's sovereignty.[12] Tomlinson was a member of the European Scrutiny Committee between November 2016 and May 2017 and then again between October 2017 and November 2019.[13] He was the deputy chair of the European Research Group between 2016 and 2018.[14]

Tomlinson was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) at the Department of International Development in July 2017[15][16] and was promoted to PPS to the Secretary of State, Penny Mordaunt, in January 2018.[17] He was appointed PPS to Dominic Raab, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on 13 November 2018.[18] Two days later Raab resigned.[19] Tomlinson wrote an article in The Daily Telegraph on 16 November 2018, in which he expressed reservations about the then Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal.[20][21]

In February 2020, Tomlinson was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury and then became Vice-Chamberlain of the Household in July 2022.[22] In September 2022, he was appointed Solicitor General for England and Wales by Liz Truss and in October 2022 he was reappointed by Rishi Sunak.[23][24] On 4 November 2022, he was appointed King's Counsel.[25]

On 7 December 2023, Tomlinson was appointed as the Minister of State for Illegal Migration.[26]

Personal life

Tomlinson is married to Frances Mynors and they have three children.[27] She is the daughter of Sir Richard Mynors, 2nd Baronet of Treago Castle.[3] Frances works as his principal secretary in his parliamentary office.[28]

In 1997, he was selected to play for Herefordshire County Cricket Club in a Minor Counties Cricket Championship match against Dorset County Cricket Club.[2]

Notes

  1. ↑ As Minister of State for Immigration

References

  1. ↑ "No. 61230". The London Gazette. 18 May 2015. p. 9121.
  2. 1 2 "Michael Tomlinson". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 McEwan, Gavin (12 December 2023). "Immigration role for Former Hereford pupil Michael Tomlinson MP". Hereford Times. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "Edward A Tomlinson (Eddie) (OH 1981–2006)". Old Herefordians Club. 5 April 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  5. ↑ Hymas, Charles (15 September 2023). "'A silent killer took my brother's life – don't let it claim yours'". The Telegraph.(subscription required)
  6. ↑ "Michael Tomlinson". 3PB Barristers' Chambers. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016.
  7. ↑ "Barrister is Tory choice for Mid Dorset". Bournemouth Echo. 19 March 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Election result for Mid Dorset and North Poole". UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  9. ↑ "Education and Adoption Bill". Hansard. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "Mid Dorset and North Poole". UK Parliament. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  11. ↑ "Mid Dorset and North Poole". UK Parliament. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  12. ↑ "Tomlinson says no to European Union". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  13. ↑ "Parliamentary career for Michael Tomlinson – MPs and Lords – UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  14. ↑ "Rwanda: The main Conservative Party factions jostling for influence". BBC News. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  15. ↑ "Michael joins Department of International Development". Michael Tomlinson MP. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  16. ↑ "Parliamentary Private Secretaries – July 2017" (PDF). www.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  17. ↑ "Parliamentary Private Secretaries – January 2018" (PDF). www.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  18. ↑ "Dorset MP takes on new Brexit-role". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  19. ↑ Crerar, Pippa; Weaver, Matthew (15 November 2018). "McVey and Raab quit as May addresses MPs over Brexit deal". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  20. ↑ Durkin, Jim (17 November 2018). "Michael Tomlinson says the Prime Minister's Brexit deal "may be even worse than we had been led to expect."". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  21. ↑ Tomlinson, Michael (16 November 2018). "This deal is worse than we expected. It's time for a clean, global exit". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  22. ↑ "Michael Tomlinson KC MP". gov.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  23. ↑ "Ministerial Appointments: September – October 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  24. ↑ "Ministerial Appointments commencing: 25 October 2022". gov.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  25. ↑ "Crown Office". www.thegazette.co.uk.
  26. ↑ Geiger, Chas (7 December 2023). "Robert Jenrick immigration minister job divided in two". BBC News. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  27. ↑ "About Me". Michael Tomlinson. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  28. ↑ "Register of Members' Financial Interests as at 11 December 2023" (PDF). UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
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