John Whittingdale

The Right Honourable
Sir John Whittingdale
OBE MP
Official portrait, 2024
Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care
Incumbent
Assumed office
19 July 2024
LeaderRishi Sunak
Minister of State for Data and Digital Infrastructure
In office
9 May 2023 – 20 December 2023[a]
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak
Preceded byJulia Lopez
Succeeded byJulia Lopez
Minister of State for Media, Tourism and Creative Industries[b]
In office
9 May 2023 – 20 December 2023[a]
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak
Preceded byJulia Lopez
Succeeded byJulia Lopez
In office
14 February 2020 – 16 September 2021
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byNigel Adams
Succeeded byJulia Lopez
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In office
11 May 2015 – 13 July 2016
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded bySajid Javid
Succeeded byKaren Bradley
Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee
In office
14 July 2005 – 11 May 2015
Preceded byGerald Kaufman
Succeeded byJesse Norman
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In office
19 June 2004 – 6 May 2005
LeaderMichael Howard
Preceded byJulie Kirkbride
Succeeded byTheresa May
In office
23 July 2002 – 6 November 2003
LeaderIain Duncan Smith
Preceded byTim Yeo
Succeeded byJulie Kirkbride
Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
In office
18 September 2001 – 23 July 2002
LeaderIain Duncan Smith
Preceded byDavid Heathcoat-Amory
Succeeded byTim Yeo
Member of Parliament
for Maldon
Maldon and East Chelmsford (1997–2010)
South Colchester and Maldon (1992–1997)
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 April 1992
Preceded byJohn Wakeham
Majority6,906 (13.9%)
Political Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office
1988–1990
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byStephen Sherbourne
Succeeded byJudith Chaplin
Personal details
Born (1959-10-16) 16 October 1959 (age 65)
Sherborne, Dorset, England
Political partyConservative
Spouse
Ancilla Murfitt
​
​
(m. 1990, divorced)​
Children2
EducationSandroyd School and Winchester College
Alma materUniversity College London

Sir John Flasby Lawrance Whittingdale OBE (born 16 October 1959) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Maldon (and its predecessors) since 1992 and Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care since July 2024.[1] He previously served as Culture Secretary from 2015 to 2016. Whittingdale was most recently Minister of State for Media, Tourism and Creative Industries and Minister of State for Data and Digital Infrastructure from May to December 2023, during the maternity leave of Julia Lopez.[2]

Whittingdale has been an MP since the 1992 general election, for a series of constituencies centred on the town of Maldon, Essex. He was Vice-Chairman of the 1922 Committee. He was a member of the Executive of Conservative Way Forward (2005–2010) and the Conservative Party Board (2006–2010).

Whittingdale served as Chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee from 2005 to 2015. He was appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by Prime Minister David Cameron in May 2015. He was one of the six Cabinet ministers to come out in favour of Brexit during the 2016 EU referendum and was afterwards a supporter of the Eurosceptic campaign Leave Means Leave. He was dismissed in July 2016 by incoming-Prime Minister Theresa May.


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  1. ^ "Conservative Party announces interim Opposition Front Bench". policymogul.com. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Ministerial Appointments: April 2023". GOV.UK. Retrieved 21 April 2023.