Damian Hinds is the Conservative MP for East Hampshire, having first been elected at the 2010 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Hinds won 18,509 votes, representing 37.0% of the vote. The Liberal Democrat candidate, Dominic Martin, received 17,234 votes (34.5%), while the Reform UK candidate, Matthew Kellermann, secured 6,476 votes (13.0%). Hinds was duly elected with a majority of 1,275 votes.

The East Hampshire constituency covers towns such as Alton, Petersfield, Bentley, and Liss, close to the West Sussex border. It is a largely rural and affluent area, including part of the South Downs National Park. The seat is considered a safe Conservative stronghold, although the majority was cut significantly at the 2024 general election (from 19,696 to 1,275).

Hinds’ immediate predecessor as the MP for East Hampshire was Michael Mates, who represented the seat from 1983 to 2010.

Political Career

Hinds currently serves as shadow secretary of state for health and social care. Hinds was appointed to this role as part of the August/September 2026 shadow cabinet reshuffle, Kemi Badenoch’s second as Conservative leader.

Hinds served as shadow secretary of state for education from July to November 2024 in the interim/caretaker shadow cabinet constructed after the 2024 general election.

Prior to the 2024 general election, which saw the Conservatives ejected from government, Hinds held a series of ministerial positions. He was minister of state for schools from November 2023 to July 2024, minister of state for prisons, parole and probation from October 2022 to November 2023, and minister of state for security and borders from August 2021 to July 2022.

Hinds resigned from this latter post in July 2022 as part of the mass walkout of ministers that ultimately forced Boris Johnson to announce his own resignation.

In his letter of resignation, Hinds praised Johnson’s leadership “in delivering our world-leading vaccination programme, and our support to the people of Ukraine in the face of [Vladimir] Putin’s brutality”.

He added: “But more important than any government or leader are the standards we uphold in public life and faith in our democracy and public administration.

“Because of the serious erosion in these, I have come to the conclusion that the right thing for our country and for our party is for you to stand down as party leader and prime minister.”

https://x.com/DamianHinds/status/1544928142854340608

Hinds had previously expressed support for Johnson at the time of the June 2022 no-confidence vote in his leadership of the Conservative Party. The vote was triggered by discontent within the parliamentary party following the “partygate” scandal and the publication of the Sue Gray report. While the prime minister ultimately won the vote, the scale of the rebellion against him, with 148 of his own MPs voting to remove him, severely weakened his authority and presaged his resignation the following month.

Hinds previously sat in the cabinet as secretary of state for education from January 2018 to July 2019. Prior to his elevation to cabinet, Hinds served as minister of state for employment from July 2016 to January 2018, exchequer secretary to the Treasury from May 2015 to July 2016), and assistant government whip from July 2014 to November 2015.

Hinds has sat as a member of the culture, media and sport committee across two terms from December 2024 to August 2026 and March 2020 to October 2021. He was a member of the education committee from July 2010 to November 2012.

Hinds has been listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for Down’s syndrome, hospitality and tourism, political and media literacy, T-levels and wine of Great Britain.

Hinds delivered his maiden speech on 8 June 2010, during a debate on economic affairs and work and pensions. In it, he said: “After the defence of our country and our security, perhaps the biggest battle we face is ensuring that we further define and bolster Britain’s place in the new world economy. As the new powerhouses of China, India, Russia and Brazil loom ever larger, we must rise to the challenge they set.

“Fundamental to that must be ensuring the very best education for every child to enable them all, regardless of background, to fulfil their potential.”

He added: ” Striving for excellence is not just about bringing all up to scratch or setting the bar at an acceptable standard. It must be about encouraging all to stretch themselves, from wherever they start, to be all that they can.”

Political views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Tory leadership 2024: Hinds supported Kemi Badenoch’s candidacy in the 2024 Conservative Party leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Rishi Sunak following the party’s defeat in the 2024 general election.

Badenoch, the then-shadow housing secretary, was seen as a leading figure on the party’s right wing. After finishing first in the final parliamentary ballot with 42 votes, she defeated Robert Jenrick in the membership vote on with 53,806 votes (56.5%). Badenoch was declared Conservative leader on 2 November.

During the campaign, Hinds said Badenoch understood “the scale and the complexity of our task, and has the courage and the conviction we need.”

Tory leadership 2022 (I): Hinds supported Rishi Sunak’s candidacy in the Conservative Party’s July-September 2022 leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Boris Johnson, following the mass exodus of more than 60 frontbenchers.

Sunak, the former chancellor, warned against “comforting fairytales” regarding unfunded tax cuts. Although he won every round of the parliamentary ballots, securing 137 votes in the final stage, Sunak was defeated by Liz Truss in the membership vote, finishing with 60,399 votes (42.6%).

Tory leadership 2022 (II): Hinds also supported Sunak’s candidacy in the Conservative Party’s October 2022 leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Truss after just 45 days in office, following the financial and political tailspin triggered by her “mini-budget”. Unlike the summer contest, this election featured an expedited process requiring each candidate to secure at least 100 nominations from MPs to proceed. Sunak, having emerged as the clear frontrunner, was declared leader of the Conservative Party unopposed on 24 October.

Tory leadership 2019: Hinds supported Michael Gove for the party’s leadership in 2019. The election was triggered by the resignation of Theresa May following her inability to secure a Brexit deal acceptable to parliament.

Gove, then the environment secretary, reached the final three of the parliamentary ballots. He was ultimately eliminated in the fifth ballot on 20 June, receiving 75 votes – just two fewer than Jeremy Hunt.

Tory leadership 2016: Hinds supported Theresa May for the party’s leadership in July 2016. The contest was triggered by the resignation of David Cameron following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union.

May, the then-home secretary, secured a commanding lead in the parliamentary stages, receiving 165 votes in the first ballot and 199 in the second. Following the withdrawal of her final rival, Andrea Leadsom, on 11 July, May was declared leader unopposed and was appointed prime minister two days later.

Outlining his position, Hinds described May as the “best placed candidate to secure the best future outcome for our country.”

He added: “The reforming zeal the home secretary showed in bringing to law the first ever Modern Slavery Act bodes well for the drive she can bring to further social reform to improve life chances and realise, as she put it, ‘a vision of a country that works not for a privileged few but for every one of us’.

“This one nation agenda is now more important than ever.”

Factional identity and party tradition

Conservative Environment Network: Hinds is listed as a member of the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) parliamentary caucus. CEN is an independent forum for conservatives that supports conservation and decarbonisation. It calls for the environment to be given a higher profile at the heart of policy making, describing “biodiversity loss, climate change, and wasteful resource use are threats to our national security”, and promotes “market-based policies” to environmental challenges. Members of its parliamentary caucus, such as Hinds, are thought to generally align with the group’s “green” message and environmentalism.

Bright Blue: Hinds has been listed as a parliamentary supporter of Bright Blue, an independent centre-right think tank and membership organisation that champions liberal conservatism in the UK. Since its founding in 2014, the organisation has expanded its reach through a new cross-party strategy.

Brexit and Europe

Brexit referendum: Hinds supported the Remain campaign in the 2016 referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union (EU), and therefore agreed with a majority of his constituents, 50.7% of whom also voted to Remain.

Article 50: In February 2017, Hinds voted in favour of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill. The legislation empowered the prime minister to notify the Council of the European Union of the UK’s intention to withdraw, formally triggering the process set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. MPs supported the bill by 498 votes to 114 at second reading.

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, Hinds voted against the UK-EU Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill. The bill, introduced under the ten-minute rule procedure by Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton, sought to mandate the government to enter into negotiations with the European Union to establish a bespoke customs union.

Assisted dying

Hinds voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at both second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

In a statement setting out his position, issued December 2024, Hinds expressed a “deep worry about unintended effects”.

He added: “There had been concern aired in the run-up about risks of coercion, and [bill sponsor] Kim Leadbeater had gone to lengths to ensure safeguards against this…

“But the pressures I worried about more were not those from others, but from self. It was put well by Diane Abbott who spoke of people worrying that ‘they do not want to be a burden; I can imagine myself saying that in particular circumstances’…

“The two cabinet ministers [Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood] who would have most direct responsibility for implementing the legislation were with me too, voting against it.”

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Hinds voted against a backbench amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that sought to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in June 2025. The amendment, which was passed by a majority of 242 votes, removed women from the threat of prosecution for ending a pregnancy at any stage. As an issue of conscience, MPs were allowed to vote according to their personal beliefs.

Same-sex marriage (2013): In February 2013, Hinds was one of the 131 Conservative MPs to vote in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill at its second reading. The landmark piece of legislation, which received its second reading by 400 votes to 175, legalised marriage for same-sex couples in England and Wales.

Foreign policy and security

Trident renewal (2016): Hinds voted in favour of a government motion calling for the renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent system in July 2016. The motion, which was passed by 472 votes to 117, committed the UK to constructing a new fleet of submarines to carry the nation’s nuclear weapons.

Syria airstrikes (2015): Hinds voted in favour of a government motion to extend UK airstrikes against Isis from Iraq into Syria in December 2015. The motion, which was passed by 397 votes to 223 after a ten-hour debate in the House of Commons, authorised the RAF to conduct strikes against Isis targets in Syria.

Syria airstrikes (2013): Hinds voted in favour of the government’s motion on the principle of military intervention in Syria in August 2013. The government motion was defeated by 285 votes to 272, a move which effectively ruled out UK participation in any US-led military strikes.

Sanctioned (Russia): In April 2022, Hinds was among the group of MPs placed on a sanctions list by the Russian government. The measure barred them from entering Russia and was presented by Moscow as a retaliatory response to the UK’s stance on the invasion of Ukraine.

Before Politics

Born Damian Patrick George Hinds on 27 November 1969 in Paddington, London.

He was educated at St Ambrose College, a voluntary aided grammar school in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. He studied philosophy, politics and economics at Trinity College, Oxford, graduating with a first-class degree.

Before entering parliament, Hinds spent 18 years working in the pubs, brewing, and hotel industries in the UK and abroad.

Personal Life

Hinds is married to Jacqui Morel. They have three children.

Personal Life

Hinds served as president of the Oxford Union while at university.