Peter Fortune
British politician (born 1978)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peter Timothy Fortune (born August 1978) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bromley and Biggin Hill since the 2024 general election.
Peter Fortune | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Bromley and Biggin Hill | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Majority | 302 (0.6%) |
| Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party in the London Assembly | |
| In office 10 May 2021 – 2 May 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Andrew Boff |
| Succeeded by | Emma Best |
| Member of the London Assembly for Bexley and Bromley | |
| In office 6 May 2021 – 6 May 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Gareth Bacon |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Turrell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 1978 (age 47) |
| Party | Conservative |
Career biography
Early life
Fortune was raised on a council estate in Lambeth and went to Bishop Thomas Grant School in Streatham. After school, he worked in the UK and abroad before moving to Bromley in 2006[1] to start a family. He then worked at the News Shopper and other Newsquest local press titles while his wife was a teacher at local primary schools.[2]
Bromley Council
Fortune was elected to Bromley Council as a councillor for Cray Valley East from 2010 to 2014.[citation needed] He was a councillor for Hayes and Coney Hall ward from 2014 to 2022.[3] From 2017 to 2021, he was Deputy Leader of Bromley Council.[4]
London Assembly
He was the member of the London Assembly (AM) for Bexley and Bromley from 2021 to 2024.[5]
Fortune was elected as Deputy Leader of the London Assembly Conservative Group in May 2021.[6]
Parliamentary elections
Fortune stood as the Conservative candidate for Lewisham East in the 2015 general election and the 2017 general election receiving 22.3% and 23.0% of the vote respectively and placing second both times behind Labour's Heidi Alexander.[7]
He was the Conservative candidate for Leeds Central in the 2019 general election, receiving 22.6% of the vote and finishing second behind long-term incumbent Hilary Benn.[8]
In March 2024, Fortune was selected as the Conservative candidate for the newly-created constituency of Bromley and Biggin Hill for the 2024 General Election.[9] He was elected with a small majority of 302 votes (0.6%), narrowly edging out the Labour candidate, Oana Olaru-Holmes.[10]
Member of Parliament
His constituency of Bromley and Biggin Hill is the 6th most marginal Conservative-held seat in the country.[11]
He has been a member of the Public Accounts Committee since October 2024.[12] In the 2024 Conservative Party leadership election which was lasted from July to November 2024 he backed James Cleverly (who was also the London Assembly member for Bexley and Bromley from 2008 to 2016).[13] Kemi Badenoch was the eventual winner of the leadership contest.
In Kemi Badenoch's opposition frontbench he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology in November 2024.[14]
On 29 November 2024, he voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in the second reading.[15]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Peter Fortune | 15,929 | 34.0 | −20.4 | |
| Labour | Oana Olaru-Holmes | 15,627 | 33.4 | +8.3 | |
| Reform | Alan Cook | 8,203 | 17.5 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrats | Julie Ireland | 4,352 | 9.3 | −6.7 | |
| Green | Caroline Sandes | 2,583 | 5.5 | +1.8 | |
| Climate | Karen Miller | 94 | 0.2 | N/A | |
| Majority | 302 | 0.6 | −28.7 | ||
| Turnout | 46,788 | 66.2 | −3.5 | ||
| Registered electors | 70,713 | ||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −14.4 | |||
