Peter Fortune
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 46) Lambeth, London, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
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.
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. 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 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 UK | 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 | |||
References
- ^ https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/london-assembly-members/peter-fortune
- ^ https://www.bromleyconservatives.co.uk/people/peter-fortune-mp
- ^ "Peter Fortune". Beckenham Conservatives. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ "Peter Fortune". London City Hall. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "London Assembly Election: Conservatives win Bexley and Bromley". News Shopper. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ "Peter Fortune AM elected as City Hall Tories' Deputy Leader". 10 May 2021.
- ^ "UK Parliament election results: Election for the constituency of Lewisham East on 8 June 2017". UK Parliament election results. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ "UK Parliament election results: Election for the constituency of Leeds Central on 12 December 2019". UK Parliament election results. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ "Bromley & Biggin Hill Parliamentary Selection". Bromley and Biggin Hill. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ "'We need to reflect on what we lacked': Conservatives wins Bromley & Biggin Hill". News Shopper. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ https://electionresults.parliament.uk/general-elections/6/majority
- ^ https://members.parliament.uk/member/5209/career
- ^ (see Endorsements in the 2024 Conservative Party leadership election).
- ^ https://x.com/PeterTFortune
- ^ https://votes.parliament.uk/votes/commons/division/1877#noes
- ^ "Statement of Person Nominated and Notice of Poll: Bromley and Biggin Hill Constituency". Bromley Council. 7 June 2024.