Gideon Amos is the Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Wellington, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Amos won 24,331 votes, representing 48.4% of the vote. The Conservative candidate, Rebecca Pow, received 12,392 votes (24.6%), while the Reform UK candidate, Charles Hansard, secured 8,053 votes (16.0%). Amos was duly elected with a majority of 11,939.

The Taunton and Wellington constituency was newly created for the 2024 general election, largely based on the former Taunton Deane constituency.

Taunton Deane was held by Rebecca Pow of the Conservative Party since 2015, and prior to that by the Liberal Democrats. From 2005 to 2010, it was represented by Jeremy Browne, the former Liberal Democrat minister strongly associated with his party’s Orange Book tradition.

Political Career

Amos currently serves on the Liberal Democrat frontbench as housing and communities spokesperson. He was appointed to this role in September 2024.

In a June 2025 article for The House magazine, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for energy security, Pippa Heylings, highlighted Amos’ work on green building standards. She noted that Amos had recently proposed an amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

The amendment sought to mandate net-zero carbon building standards for all new homes, which would have included a requirement for features such as solar power. The government rejected the proposal.

Amos is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for healthy homes and buildings and students.

Amos delivered his maiden speech on 29 July 2024 during a debate on the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill.

In it, he said: “I am the eighth Liberal to represent Taunton in parliament since some guy named [Benjamin] Disraeli was defeated by the first one in the 1835 general election. Of course, nothing further was heard of him – at least not in Taunton.”

He added: “When I was growing up, [MPs] will not be surprised to hear that the atmosphere and the memories of war loomed large in discussions around meal tables. Is it not that generation’s courage and bravery, not only in rebuilding Britain but in defeating fascism in the first place, that demand our respect?

“They demand that we do everything we can to defend the liberal and democratic values that make this country so great. Their bravery surely also demands that all [MPs], on both sides of the House, always say no to those who would stir up division, despair and hatred for nothing more than votes, because they have nothing positive to offer people.”

Amos previously stood unsuccessfully as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Taunton Deane in the 2017 and 2019 general elections, finishing second on both occasions. In the 2019 contest, he cut the Conservative incumbent’s majority to 11,700 – down from 15,887 at the 2017 election.

Amos served as a Liberal Democrat councillor on Oxford City Council for the Central ward from 1992 to 1996. During his tenure as a councillor, Amos was a member of the planning committee.

Political views

The Liberal Democrats (or Lib Dems) are a liberal political party, occupying the centre to centre-left ground in British politics.

The preamble to the Lib Dem constitution begins: “The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.”

The Liberal Democrat autumn conference in 2021 ratified a policy paper entitled What Liberal Democrats Believe. The paper, an attempt to expand on the constitution’s preamble, was framed around seven “principles and values”.

The party’s core values were described as “liberty, equality, democracy, community, internationalism and environmentalism.”

Brexit and Europe

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, Amos voted in favour of the UK-EU Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill. The bill, introduced under the 10-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. In total, 13 Labour MPs joined the Liberal Democrats in supporting the motion, while the majority of the party abstained.

Electoral reform

Proportional representation bill: In December 2024, Amos voted in favour of the Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill – introduced by Liberal Democrat frontbencher Sarah Olney under the 10-minute rule procedure. The bill sought to “introduce a system of proportional representation for parliamentary elections and for local government elections in England”.

A total of 138 MPs supported the bill – with 136 opposed. Notably, 59 Labour MPs backed Olney’s bill.

Introducing the bill, Olney told the House: “First past the post is a broken and unfair system. This summer, the Labour party won a landslide election victory, securing 63% of seats in the House of Commons in return for just 34% of the vote.

“The system leaves millions of voices unheard and creates a divisive, adversarial political climate where collaboration is discouraged and accountability is often sidestepped.”

Assisted dying

Amos 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).

Amos was one of 15 Liberal Democrats to vote against the assisted dying bill at third reading.

In a statement setting out his position, issued to the Wellington Weekly News after the bill’s third reading, Amos remarked that he was not opposed, in principle, to assisted dying.

He said: “However, ultimately I have to share the fears of Disability Rights UK, other disabled people’s organisations and the Royal Colleges of Psychiatrists (RCPs) and Pathologists who oppose this bill.

“This is principally because we first need to ensure all people have the alternative option of good palliative care and support for independent living before death is proposed to them as the solution.”

He added: “My priority is to speak out for those who will be at greater risk from this bill and to do everything I can to try and ensure they are not left with the worst of all worlds.

“I also recognise supporters of the bill do so from a good place – I have worked to get more support for hospices and end of life care myself and, of course, also want people to reach their end as comfortably as possible…

“Given that no legislation is perfect, we now have to accept this new law will likely mean some people opting for death when they could have mentally and physically recovered to enjoy more months or even years of life.”

Social values and conscience issues

Amos was one of the six Liberal Democrat MPs who voted against the Tobacco and Vapes Act at its House of Commons third reading. This went against the majority of his party (38 Liberal Democrat MPs voted for the legislation).

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Amos voted in favour of 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.

Palestine

Palestinian recognition letter (July 2025): In July 2025, Amos was among the over 254 MPs to sign a cross-party letter calling for the government to immediately recognise the state of Palestine. The letter called on the prime minister and foreign secretary to recognise Palestine at the UN Conference then taking place in New York.

Before Politics

Born Gideon John Amos, he grew up in Somerset. He attended Wells Cathedral School and studied architecture at Oxford Polytechnic.

Before entering parliament, Amos had a career focused on planning, architecture and sustainable development. He worked as a development designer at Atkins from 1994 and was director of Planning Aid for London from 1997. He served as chief executive of the Town and Country Planning Association from 2000 to 2010.

Amos was later appointed a commissioner at the Infrastructure Planning Commission and worked as a civil servant at the planning inspectorate. He co-founded Amos Ellis Consulting, a planning consultancy, in 2015.

In the 2009 New Year Honours, Amos was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to sustainable development

Personal Life

Amos lives in Taunton with his wife, Caroline. He has four children.

He served as a member of the Territorial Army and has been involved with the Army Cadet Force as an inspector and helper.

Trivia

Amos was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for services to sustainable development.