Born in 1965 to a white English mother and a black Ghanaian father, Adam was brought up by his mother in social housing in South London.

Full statement

He attended Oliver Goldsmith Primary School in Peckham and went on to gain a B.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from Imperial College (Wye).

Living in Israel and visiting Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Holland, Denmark and Sweden in his gap year, his appetite for travel has not diminished over the years.

Sport has played an important role for Adam and, since captaining the basketball team at university, Adam has remained a keen distance and charity runner and health and fitness amateur.

Over the last 35 years, his sports have included cycling, tennis, badminton and skiing but, since knee, foot and back operations, activities have been somewhat restricted.

Adam is known for his thoughtfulness, honesty and plain-speaking style.

Adam lives in Old Windsor with his wife and five children. He was labelled an “expenses saint” by the Daily Telegraph in 2009 having never claimed any personal or accommodation expenses.

Facts

Adam was first elected Conservative MP for Windsor in 2005.
Appointed Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Ghana in 2016.
At the 2015 election, Adam was returned to Windsor with the biggest majority in the history of the seat with 63%. This is the third highest percentage of the vote won by any Conservative MP.
Adam claims no personal expenses and was labelled an “expenses saint” by the Daily Telegraph in 2009.
In 2004, he successfully campaigned against the Euro as London Chairman of Business for Sterling and the ‘No to Euro’ campaign.
In 2016 Adam backed Vote Leave in the United Kingdom referendum on membership of the European Union.
He was a regional finalist in the 2003 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the year awards.
Adam is Patron of Berkshire Young Enterprise, Sebastian’s Action Trust and Chandler Day Centre.

Political beliefs

People are happiest when they are autonomous: in control of their own lives and able to make their own decisions.
Business has the power to not only generate jobs, incomes and taxes that make for a better society but is also an engine of social mobility; entrepreneurs from all background should be allowed and encouraged to flourish.
The government’s first duty is to protect us from external threat and defend us from domestic crime so that we can enjoy our lives in what way we choose.
As a former shadow minister for Science and current Chair of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), Adam is an outspoken supporter of evidence-based policy making.

Political aims

Support social mobility so everyone can has the chance to make a success of their life based on hard work and merit, regardless of their background.
An outward and globally competitive economy trading with all parts of the world.
Promote sectors where Britain is at the cutting edge, in particular Financial Technology and scientific research.
Shape a country at ease with itself and its national identity.
Stop illegal immigration and regain control of our borders.
Simplified tax and benefit systems to ensure that Britain is globally competitive and individuals are allowed to keep more of their earnings.
Stop politicians interfering in our private lives.
Promote evidence-based policy making and access to Government data to ensure that the Government and elected representatives are accountable to the people.
Put an end to wasteful bureaucracy, red tape and form-filling.

Parliamentary and Political Appointments

Adam has a depth and breadth of parliamentary experience. He has served on Select Committees and Standing Committees, led policy development and served as Shadow Minister for Science and Innovation from 2007 to 2010.

Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Ghana. 2016
Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Financial Technology. 2015
Chairman of the Select Committee on Members’ Expenses. 2011
Chairman of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST). 2010
Chairman of the Parliamentary Space Committee. 2010-2016.
Shadow Minister for Science and Innovation. 2007- 2010.
Conservative Parliamentary Leader for TMT – Technology, Media and Telecoms. 2006.
Member of the Economic Competitiveness Policy Group, co-chaired by John Redwood and Simon Wolfson. 2006.
Chairman of the Deregulation Task Force. 2006.
Finance Bill Standing Committee. 2007.
Welfare Reform Bill Standing Committee. 2006.
Lottery Bill Standing Committee. 2006.
Science & Technology Select Committee. 2005-2007.
Civil Aviation Bill Standing Committee. 2005.

Political Experience

Having joined the Party in 1990, Adam is an experienced Conservative activist. During his time he has stuffed envelopes, delivered leaflets, surveyed, door-knocked and canvassed, run supporters clubs, chaired branches and spoken at conference on several occasions.

At the 2010 general election, Adam secured Windsor with the biggest majority in the history of the seat with 61% of the vote and the biggest combined swing from Labour and Liberal Democrats for an incumbent MP.

At the 2015 general election, Adam was re-elected for a second time with a majority of 50%, one of the largest in the country and more than double the majority in 2005. The share of the vote won by Adam, 63.4%, is the third highest of any Conservative MP in the country after Theresa May and Ranil Jayawardena.

Business Experience

Adam was a successful businessmen prior to entering politics. He was a regional finalist in the 2003 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the year awards, and in 2005 he sold his controlling interest in DeHavilland Information Services to EMAP plc.

He retains residual interests in several of the companies he helped to found in the UK and overseas and serves as non-executive Chairman of a UK news and information services company.

Past appointments have included Governor of the Museum of London, Trustee of the Museum in Docklands and a director of Policy Exchange, the centre-right think tank.

As Patron of Berkshire Young Enterprise, Adam is keen to encourage teenagers to recognise their business skills as early as possible, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.