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CaSE Briefing: scientists and engineers in the new Parliament
This briefing looks at which MPs elected in the 2015 General Election have a background or interest
in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, maths, or medicine). We also show which party has the
most MPs interested in STEMM and which MPs from the previous Parliament have stepped down or
has lost their seat.
Our definition of a background or interest in STEMM
STEMM stands for science, technology, engineering, maths, or medicine.
For the purpose of this briefing, MPs with a STEMM higher education degree or who have worked in
a STEMM career are considered to have a background in STEMM, and MPs who have stated their
interest in STEMM, served on the Science and Technology Committee or Board of the Parliamentary
Office of Science and Technology, or have been Science Minister or Shadow Minister are counted as
having an interest in STEMM.
Whilst we have taken as much care as possible when determining MPs backgrounds and interests,
we cannot be sure we have identified all MPs that fit our criteria. If you know of any MPs who should
be in our lists and are not, please contact us.
As a charity, CaSE is independent from all political parties and is funded entirely by our individual
and organisational members. This briefing is not an endorsement of any political party or their
policies and should not be assumed to be fully comprehensive.
For further information please contact the CaSE team.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 020 7679 4994
Updated: 11th May 2015
MPs with a background or interest in STEMM
In the new intake of MPs, 91 have a STEMM background or interest. 77 of these are returning MPs
and 14 are new to Parliament.
This is a decrease compared to the 2010-15 Parliament, when there were 103 MPs with a
background or interest in STEMM.
Name (alphabetical by
surname, blue = new MP)
Adam Afriyie
Heidi Allen
David Amess
Steven Baker
Gavin Barwell
Party and constituency
Background or interest
Conservative Party, Windsor
Conservative Party, South
Cambridgeshire
Conservative Party, Southend
West
Conservative Party, Wycombe
Conservative Party, Croydon
Central
Former Chairman of POST
Astrophysics HE
Margaret Beckett
Hilary Benn
Labour Party, Derby South
Labour Party, Leeds Central
Andrew Bingham
Conservative Party, High Peak
Roberta Blackman-Woods
Labour Party, City of Durham
Nicola Blackwood
Conservative Party, Oxford
West and Abingdon
Crispin Blunt
Karen Bradley
Conservative Party. Reigate
Conservative Party,
Staffordshire Moorlands
Liberal Democrats, Carshalton
and Wallington
Conservative Party, Canterbury
Labour Party, Cardiff West
Tom Brake
Julian Brazier
Kevin Brennan
Andrew Bridgen
Alan Brown
Liam Byrne
Jenny Chapman
Greg Clark
Conservative Party,
Leicestershire North West
SNP, Kilmarnock and Loudoun
Labour Party, Birmingham
Hodge Hill
Labour Party, Darlington
Conservative Party, Tunbridge
Wells
Technology HE
Computer Science HE
Physics HE, former Science and
Technology committee
member
Technology HE
Former head of Policy
Association of Scientific,
Technical and Managerial Staffs
and former Secretary of State
DEFRA
Worked in the engineering
industry
Former Science and Technology
committee member
Stated interests in science,
universities and the
environment
Technology HE
Maths HE
Physics HE
Maths HE
Shadow Schools Minister
Genetics HE
Civil Engineering HE
Shadow Science Minister
Former trainee psychologist
Science Minister
Updated: 11th May 2015
Therese Coffey
Stella Creasey
Jim Cunningham
Miriam Davies
David Davis
Caroline Dinenage
Conservative Party, Suffolk
Coastal
Labour Party, Walthamstow
Labour Party, Coventry South
Conservative Party, Eastleigh
Conservative Party,
Haltemprice and Howden
Conservative Party, Gosport
Jim Dowd
Labour Party, Lewisham West
and Penge
James Duddridge
Conservative Party, Rochford
and Southend East
Tobias Ellwood
Conservative Party,
Bournemouth East
Conservative Party, Dover
Charlie Elphicke
Bill Esterson
Graham Evans
Michael Fabricant
Rob Flello
Paul Flynn
Liam Fox
Vicky Foxcroft
Labour Party, Sefton Central
Conservative Party, Weaver
Vale
Conservative Party, Lichfield
Labour Party, Stoke-on-Trent
South
Labour Party, Newport West
Conservative Party, Somerset
North
Labour Party, Lewisham
Deptford
George Freeman
Conservative Party, Norfolk Mid
Zac Goldsmith
Conservative Party, Richmond
Park
Conservative Party, Bolton
West
Conservative Party, Burton
Christopher Green
Andrew Griffiths
Ben Gummer
Andrew Gwynne
Fabian Hamilton
Alan Haselhurst
Helen Hayes
Former POST Board member.
Chemistry PhD
Psychology HE
Stated interests in innovation,
skills and industrial relations
Environmental Science HE
Molecular/Computer Science
HE
Former Co-Chair of the APPG
for Maths and Numeracy
Former Science &Technology
Committee member & former
engineer
Worked for the institute of
Mathematics and its
Applications HQ
Technology HE
Career in Pharmaceutical
Research
Maths and Philosophy HE
Worked for STEM companies
Member of IET
Chemistry HE
Former Chemist
Qualified doctor
Worked for Amalgamated
Engineering and Electrical
Union
Former-Life Sciences Minister
and background in biotech
Former editor of the Ecologist
Scientific instrumentation
engineer
Worked in his family
engineering firm
Worked for an engineering firm
Technology HE
Conservative Party, Ipswich
Labour Party, Denton and
Reddish
Labour Party, Leeds North East Former engineer
Conservative Party, Saffron
Head of Pharmacy Firm
Walden
Labour Party, Dulwich and West Architect and planner
Norwood
Updated: 11th May 2015
Mark Hendrick
George Howarth
Tristram Hunt
Gareth Johnson
Mark Lancaster
Phillip Lee
Peter Lilley
Angus MacNeil
Khalid Mahmood
Shabana Mahmood
Gordon Marsden
Tania Mathias
Alasdair McDonnell
Liz McInnes
Stephen McPartland
Stephen Metcalfe
Anne Milton
Carol Monaghan
David Morris
David Mowat
Ian Murray
Andrew Murrison
Sarah Newton
Chi Onwurah
Chris Philp
Daniel Poulter
Labour Party Co-op, Preston
Labour Party, Knowsley
Labour Party, Stoke-on-Trent
Central
Conservative Party, Dartford
Conservative Party, Milton
Keynes North
Conservative Party, Bracknell
Conservative Party, Hitchin and
Harpenden
SNP, Na H-eileanan An Iar
Labour Party, Birmingham Perry
Barr
Labour Party, Birmingham
Ladywood
Labour Party, Blackpool South
Conservative Party,
Twickenham
SDLP, Belfast South
Labour Party, Heywood and
Middleton
Conservative Party, Stevenage
Conservative Party, Basildon
South and Thurrock East
Conservative Party, Guildford
SNP, Glasgow North West
Conservative Party,
Morecambe and Lunsdale
Conservative Party, Warrington
South
Labour Party, Edinburgh South
Conservative Party, Wiltshire
South West
Conservative Party, Truro and
Falmouth
Labour Party, Newcastle-uponTyne Central
Conservative Party, Croydon
South
Conservative Party, Suffolk
Central and Ipswich North
Computer Science HE
Trained as an engineer
Involved in establishing the
Science Media Centre
Former Science and Technology
committee member
Former adviser to Royal Society
of Chemistry
Qualified doctor
Natural Sciences HE
Engineering HE
Engineering HE
Former Shadow Science
Minister
Former Science and Technology
Committee member
Qualified doctor
Qualified doctor, science
interests
Biochemistry career
Former POST Board member,
former Science and Technology
committee member
Former Science and Technology
Committee
Qualified nurse
Physics Teacher
Former Science and Technology
Committee member
Former POST Board member.
Engineering background
Shadow Trade and Investment
Minister
Qualified doctor
Former Science and Technology
Committee and former POST
Board member.
Former POST Board member.
Engineering HE
Physics HE
Qualified doctor
Updated: 11th May 2015
Rachel Reeves
Jonathan Reynolds
Antoinette Sandbach
Labour Party, Leeds West
Labour Party, Stalybridge and
Hyde
Conservative Party, Eddisbury
Alok Sharma
Conservative Party, Reading
West
Barry Sheerman
Labour Party, Huddersfield
Alec Shelbrooke
Conservative Party, Elmet and
Rothwell
Conservative Party,
Southampton Itchen
Labour Party, Blackley and
Broughton
Conservative Party, Erewash
Labour Party, East Ham
Conservative Party, Bosworth
Royston Smith
Graham Stringer
Maggie Throup
Stephen Timms
David Tredinnick
Valerie Vaz
Ben Wallace
Matt Warman
Alan Whitehead
Labour Party, Walsall South
Conservative Party, Wyre and
Preston North
Conservative Party, Boston and
Skegness
Labour Party, Southampton
Test
Philippa Whitford
Hywel Williams
SNP, Central Ayrshire
Plaid Cymru, Arfon
Sarah Wollaston
Nadhim Zahawi
Conservative Party, Totnes
Conservative Party, Stratfordon-Avon
Involved with NESTA
Former Science and Technology
committee member
Supported science issues in
Welsh Assembly
Physics and Electronics HE,
former Science and Technology
committee member
Co-Chair, APPG for Maths and
Numeracy
Mechanical Engineer career
Engineering career
Chemistry HE
Biology HE
Maths HE
Former Science and Technology
Committee member
Biochemistry HE
Former Director of QinetiQ
Former Technology Editor,
Daily Telegraph
Former Energy & Climate
Change Select Committee
member
Cancer surgeon
Former Science and Technology
Committee member
Qualified doctor
Chemical Engineering HE
Updated: 11th May 2015
STEMM background and interest by party
Conservatives have the most MPs with a background or interest in STEMM with 52, this represents
16% of the Conservative intake. Labour are second with 32 MPs, 14% of their intake. Therefore, as a
proportion of their total number of MPs, Labour, Conservatives, and the Liberal Democrats, have
very similar representation of STEMM in their Parliamentary party.
Party
Conservative Party
Labour Party
Liberal Democrats
Plaid Cymru
Scottish National Party
Social Democratic and Labour
Party
Number of MPs with a STEMM
background or interest in
2015-20 Parliament
51
32
1
1
4
1
Number of MPs with a STEMM
background or interest in
2010-15 Parliament
45
44
10
1
1
1
This election has also brought a welcome increase in the proportion of women in Parliament up from
23% to 30%. A significant milestone. Looking just at those with a STEMM background, the figure is 25
out of our total of 91 identified MPs, making 27%. This mirrors the rise in women in Parliament
generally.
Previous MPs with an interest or background in STEMM who have lost their seat
Name (alphabetical by
surname)
Anne Begg
Gordon Birtwistle
Michael Connarty
Brian Donohoe
Tom Harris
John Hemming
Julie Hilling
Jim Hood
Julian Huppert
Naomi Long
Gregg McClymont
Stephen Mosley
Pamela Nash
Party and constituency
Background or interest
Labour Party, Aberdeen South
Liberal Democrat, Burnley
Labour Party, Linlithgow and
Falkirk East
Labour Party, Ayrshire Central
Labour Party, Glasgow South
Liberal Democrat, Birmingham
Yardley
Labour Party, Bolton West
Labour Party, Lanark and
Hamilton East
Liberal Democrats, Cambridge
Stated interest in genetics
Owns an engineering company
Former POST board member
Alliance Party, Belfast East
Labour Party, Cumbernauld,
Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East
Conservative Party, City of
Chester
Labour Party, Airdrie and Shotts
Engineering HE
Stated general science interest
Physics HE
Chemistry HE
Former mechanical Engineer
Chemistry HE and former
researcher
Former civil Engineer
Former S&T Committee
Former Science and Technology
Committee member
Former Science and Technology
committee member
Updated: 11th May 2015
Alan Reid
John Robertson
Roger Williams
Stephen Williams
Simon Wright
Liberal Democrats, Argyll and
Bute
Labour Party, Glasgow North
West
Liberal Democrats, Brecon and
Radnorshire
Liberal Democrats, Bristol West
Liberal Democrats, Norwich
South
Maths HE
Engineer
Biology HE
Stated interests include
Education and Skills
Former maths teacher
Previous MPs with an interest or background in STEMM who have stood down
Name (alphabetical by
surname)
Martin Caton
Party and constituency
Background or interest
Labour Party, Gower
John Denham
Labour Party, Southampton
Itchen
Liberal Democrats, Somerton
and Frome
Conservative Party, Mid
Worcestershire
Labour Party, Ellesmere Port
and Neston
Biology HE and former
researcher
Chemistry HE
David Heath
Peter Luff
Andrew Miller
George Mudie
Joan Ruddock
Ian Swales
David Willetts
Labour Party, Leeds East
Labour Party, Lewisham
Deptford
Liberal Democrats, Redcar
Conservative Party, Havant
Science and Technology
committee member
Former BIS committee member
Former Science & Technology
Committee Chair and Former
POST Board Member
Engineer
Chemistry HE
Former chemical engineer
Former Science Minister
Updated: 11th May 2015