Neil Carmichael (English politician)
William Neil Carmichael[2] (born 15 April 1961)[3] is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stroud from 2010 until 2017. In April 2019, he announced he had left the Conservative Party; he subsequently joined Change UK for which he was an unsuccessful candidate in the East of England constituency at the 2019 European Parliament election. In September 2019, Carmichael joined the Liberal Democrats but left after one year.
For the Glasgow Labour MP (1962–1983), see Neil Carmichael, Baron Carmichael of Kelvingrove.
Neil Carmichael
15 April 1961[1]
Hexham, Northumberland, England
None
Conservative Party (until April 2019)
Change UK (April 2019 – September 2019)
Liberal Democrats (joined September 2019)
Earlier activities in politics[edit]
Carmichael began his political career after being elected to Northumberland County Council in 1989, on which he served for four years.[4] In the 1992 general election, he was the unsuccessful Conservative Party candidate for the parliamentary seat of Leeds East.[5]
In 1999, Carmichael moved to Gloucestershire where he was selected to stand for Stroud in the 2001 general election, losing to the Labour Party's David Drew. He contested the seat again in the 2005 general election, losing again to Drew.[6]
2017 to present[edit]
Following the 2017 general election, Carmichael has pursued a number of initiatives in education policy. Carmichael runs a consultancy Dunshiel Education, bringing together senior education policy experts to provide strategic advice on emerging public policy. He was appointed honorary professor of Politics and Education at Nottingham University in December 2017 and regularly lectures on Brexit and education issues. Carmichael also chairs the Commission on Sustainable Learning for Work, Life and a Changing Economy supported by Pearson Education.
In early 2018, Carmichael became President of the Conservatives for a People's Vote, #C4PV campaign.
During 2019, Carmichael became chair of the Association of Dental Groups (www.theadg.co.uk) and Chief Executive Officer of UCEC (www.ucec-education.com).
In April 2019, Carmichael announced that he had left the Conservative Party to register with The Independent Group, later also known as Change UK.[33] In the 2019 European Parliament election, he was second on the party's list of candidates in the East of England constituency. They received 3.65% of the vote in the constituency and none of their candidates were elected.[34]
In September 2019, Carmichael joined the Liberal Democrats.[35]