Chief Whip through Theresa May''s hung parliament, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who signed New Decade, New Approach on 9 January 2020 and restored Stormont after three years of suspension, sacked by Boris Johnson on 13 February 2020 four weeks after the historic deal. Has had no frontbench role under any Conservative leader since.

Born 1971; English and History at Birmingham. Founded Arq International in 1999, an executive recruitment firm working Europe, Asia and the US that he wound down on election in 2010. Elected for Skipton and Ripon in 2010 replacing David Curry on a 9,950 majority that grew to 23,694 in 2019 and was cut to 1,650 over Labour in July 2024.

PPS to Alan Duncan at the Department for International Development from November 2010, then PPS to Justine Greening at the same department to May 2015. Assistant Government Whip from May 2015. Vice-Chamberlain of the Household from 17 July 2016. Deputy Chief Whip and Treasurer of the Household from 13 June 2017. Chief Whip from 2 November 2017 to 24 July 2019 after Gavin Williamson moved to Defence. The job by definition was to hold May''s hung parliament together through the three Withdrawal Agreement defeats on 15 January, 12 March and 29 March 2019, and through the DUP confidence and supply arrangement. Credit for survival, no political wins.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 24 July 2019 to 13 February 2020. He and the Tánaiste Simon Coveney published New Decade, New Approach on 9 January 2020, restoring Stormont after a three year Renewable Heat Incentive collapse. The Executive re-formed on 11 January with Arlene Foster First Minister and Michelle O''Neill deputy First Minister. CBE in October 2019. KCB in the July 2024 dissolution honours.

The sacking on 13 February 2020 came four weeks after the deal. The Downing Street briefing pointed to feeling out of the loop on the NDNA terms and to his October 2019 testimony at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee that no deal Brexit would be "a very, very bad idea for Northern Ireland". The SDLP''s Colum Eastwood called it "dangerous indifference"; the New Statesman called it self-defeating. The judgement on no deal proved correct, in the Protocol crisis that followed and the Windsor Framework renegotiation that resolved it.

Voted Remain in 2016. On the Internal Market Bill second reading in September 2020, when the government openly admitted breaching international law on the Northern Ireland Protocol, he abstained rather than vote against, the half measure of a man principled enough to know it stank but not principled enough to oppose. Voted Aye on the Rwanda Bill at every stage. Voted No on the Leadbeater assisted dying bill at second reading on 29 November 2024, citing insufficient scrutiny and palliative care priority. Did not stand in 2024; endorsed Kemi Badenoch.

Currently chairs the International Finance Facility for Education in Geneva on an unpaid basis from March 2024 and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero''s Alternative Dispute Resolution Taskforce for Electricity Network Infrastructure on a government appointed basis. Three London residential properties declared. Quietly effective reputation; widely respected on Northern Ireland; the Tory party has not used him since the Johnson sacking.