Tobias Ellwood
Tobias Ellwood has been the Conservative Party MP for Bournemouth East since 2005.[1] In the 2015 election, Ellwood retained his seat with a majority of 14,612. [2]
He was appointed as parliamentary under-secretary of state at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office in July 2014.[3] Ellwood was also chosen to be the parliamentary adviser to the Prime Minister for the 2014 NATO Summit. [4]
Education
Ellwood was educated overseas in Bonn and Vienna when his parents were overseas as members of the United Nations. He then attended Loughborough University. He completed the senior executive course in National and International Studies at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. [4]
Background
Ellwood was in the Royal Green Jackets from 1991 to 1996, and served in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Kuwait, Germany, Gibraltar and Bosnia. He left the army at the rank of captain and is a current army reservist. Ellwood was a senior business development manager with the London Stock Exchange for two years, he then worked at Allen and Overy in a senior role. [4]
Gifts from Gulf monarchies
In July 2017 newly published government transparency data revealed that several ministers - Boris Johnson, Liam Fox, Greg Hands and Tobias Ellwood - had all accepted hampers from since the start of the Saudi bombardment of Yemen in April 2015. The Independent also revealed that Lib Dem minister Vince Cable had also accepted a hamper in 2011. Although the hampers were accepted as gifts, most were retained by the ministers’ departments, with some used for hospitality or passed on elsewhere. Campaigners criticised the
- “The Saudi dictatorship has one of the worst human rights records in the world – it executes its critics and treats women appallingly. Its bombing campaign in Yemen has killed thousands and pushed millions to the edge of starvation,” Joe Lo of Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) told The Independent.
- “This garish sign of friendship is all too typical of the close-knit relationship between Whitehall and the Saudi regime.The UK Government should be using its influence to stand up for those suffering in Yemen, not accepting luxury hampers from those that are bombing them.”[5]
The data also revealed that the United Arab Emirates had given Ellwood a $2,600 designer 'Berluti' briefcase in February 2017. This was held by the department. [6]
Staff
- Lisa Erlandsen
- Mariam Kazem-Malaki - Caseworker, Bournemouth East Conservative Association
- Jessica Terry [7]
Affiliations
- Conservative Middle East Council - vice-chairman since June 2010
Notes
- ↑ Mr Tobias Ellwood, www.parliament.uk, accessed 29 October 2013.
- ↑ Bournemouth East Parliamentary constituency BBC News, accessed 21 May 2015
- ↑ Ministerial appointments: July 2014, Prime Minister's Office, 15 July 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Tobias Ellwood GOV.UK, accessed 10 October 2014
- ↑ Jon Stone, [Tory ministers accept 20 luxury food hampers from Saudi Arabian regime worsening famine in Yemen: Campaigners said the gifts were a symbol of the government’s close relationship with the autocracy], the independent, 21 May 2017 22:15 BST
- ↑ FCO, [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/624263/FCO_Ministers_Q4_Jan-Mar_17_GIFTS.csv/preview Transparency data, Gifts received and given - January to March 2017, Published 30 June 2017
- ↑ Register of interests of members' secretaries and research assistants, 23 March 2016, parliament.uk, accessed 20 April 2016
