Charlie Dewhirst
British politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Alistair Geoffrey Dewhirst[1] (born 4 June 1980) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Bridlington and The Wolds since 2024.[2]
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Charlie Dewhirst | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2026 | |
| Member of Parliament for Bridlington and The Wolds | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Majority | 3,125 (7.3%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 June 1980 Beverley, England |
| Party | Conservative |
| Education | University of Edinburgh |
| Website | www |
Early life
Dewhirst grew up near Driffield in the East Riding of Yorkshire,[3] where his family were involved in textiles and farming. Dewhirst graduated from the University of Edinburgh[4] with a Master of Arts in Business Studies.
During his time at university, Dewhirst worked as a DJ in Edinburgh's nightclubs.
Professional career
After leaving university, Dewhirst worked in the press office at Hull City AFC[5] before moving to London to continue his career in sports broadcasting at iSports TV. Having become involved in politics as an activist during the 2005 general election, Dewhirst then worked as a parliamentary aide to Greg Hands[6] before becoming a consultant at the global communications agency, Burson-Marsteller, where he was involved in the introduction of the Groceries Code Adjudicator.[3]
Dewhirst returned to sport in 2011 with UK Sport and was responsible for briefing COBRA on the performance of Team GB and ParalympicsGB during London 2012. He then moved onto work for the Rugby Football Union before taking on the role of Head of Communications for the 2019 UCI Road World Championships hosted in Yorkshire.[5]
Following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global sport, he returned to his farming roots and worked as Chief Policy Adviser to the National Pig Association[7] until the 2024 general election.
Political career
In 2010 Dewhirst was elected as a councillor for the Conservatives in Ravenscourt Park Ward in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and re-elected in 2014. He served on the shadow cabinet from 2014 until he stood down from the council in 2018.
Dewhirst was the Conservative Party candidate for the constituency of Hammersmith in the 2015 general election[8][9] and the 2017 general election.[10][11]
In 2021, he was elected onto East Riding of Yorkshire Council in a by-election for the East Wolds and Coastal Ward.[12] and re-elected in 2023[13] He became Deputy Leader of the Council in 2023 and remained in the role until the 2024 general election.[14]
Parliament
Dewhirst is Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Alex Burghart MP.
He is also a member of the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee.
Personal life
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Charlie Dewhirst | 14,846 | 34.6 | −32.0 | |
| Labour | Sarah Carter | 11,721 | 27.3 | +7.4 | |
| Reform | Maria Bowtell | 10,350 | 24.1 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrats | Jayne Phoenix | 3,097 | 7.2 | −0.3 | |
| Green | Gill Leek | 1,595 | 3.7 | +0.9 | |
| Yorkshire | Tim Norman | 915 | 2.1 | −1.1 | |
| Independent | Tom Cone | 309 | 0.7 | N/A | |
| SDP | Carlo Verda | 104 | 0.2 | N/A | |
| Majority | 3,125 | 7.3 | −39.4 | ||
| Turnout | 42,937 | 58.9 | −5.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 72,931 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −19.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Andy Slaughter | 33,375 | 63.9 | +13.9 | |
| Conservative | Charlie Dewhirst | 14,724 | 28.2 | −8.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Joyce Onstad | 2,802 | 5.4 | +0.8 | |
| Green | Alex Horn | 800 | 1.5 | −2.9 | |
| UKIP | Jack Bovill | 507 | 1.0 | −3.4 | |
| Majority | 18,651 | 35.7 | +22.1 | ||
| Turnout | 52,252 | 71.8 | +5.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 72,803 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | +11.0 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Andy Slaughter | 23,981 | 50.0 | +6.1 | |
| Conservative | Charlie Dewhirst | 17,463 | 36.4 | 0.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Millicent Scott | 2,224 | 4.6 | −11.3 | |
| Green | David Akan | 2,105 | 4.4 | +2.9 | |
| UKIP | Richard Wood | 2,105 | 4.4 | +3.2 | |
| Majority | 6,518 | 13.6 | +6.1 | ||
| Turnout | 47,960 | 66.4 | +0.8 | ||
| Registered electors | 72,254 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | +3.0 | |||
