Philip Hammond

Philip Hammond (born December 4, 1955) British politician. He is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Runnymede and Weybridge and the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Philip Hammond was born in Epping, Essex, the son of a civil engineer, and educated at Shenfield School, Brentwood, Essex and the University College, Oxford where he was awarded a master's degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He joined the medical equipment manufacturers Speywood Laboratories Ltd in 1977 becoming, in 1981 a director of Speywood Medical Ltd. where, in 1982, an automatic electrocardiograph electrode manufacturing plant figured amongst his notable achievements of the time. He has many business interests including house building. He has acted as an economics consultant to the World Bank in Washington, D.C. since 1986, and was a consultant to the government of Malawi from 1995 until his election to parliament.

He was the chairman of the Lewisham East Conservative Association for seven years from 1989 and contested the 1994 Newham North East by-election caused by the death of the sitting Labour Ron Leighton, losing to Labour's Stephen Timms by 11,818 votes. He was elected to the House of Commons at the 1997 General Election for the new Surrey seat of Runnymede and Weybridge. He won the seat with a majority of 9,875 and has remained the MP there since. He made his maiden speech on June 17, 1997, reminding that it was in his constituency at Runnymede in 1215 when King John signed the Magna Carta, that the basis of constitutional government in England began to emerge.[1]