Neil O’Brien is the Conservative MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, having first been elected to parliament for the predecessor seat of Harborough at the 2017 general election.

In the 2024 general election, O’Brien received 18,614 votes, representing 36.9% of the vote share. The Labour candidate, Hajira Piranie, received 16,236 votes (32.2%), while the Reform UK candidate, Danuta Jeeves, secured 6,332 votes (12.6%). O’Brien was duly re-elected with a majority of 2,378 votes.  

The Harborough, Oadby and Wigston constituency is located in south-east Leicestershire, bordering Northamptonshire to the south. It includes the towns of Market Harborough, Oadby, and Wigston, alongside surrounding villages. It is generally considered an affluent part of the East Midlands.  

The constituency was formally created for the 2024 election but is predominantly based on the former Harborough seat, which had been held continuously by the Conservatives since the 1950 general election. O’Brien succeeded Edward Garnier as the MP for Harborough in 2017.

Political Career

O’Brien was appointed as shadow minister for policy renewal (Cabinet Office) following Kemi Badenoch’s July 2025 shadow ministerial reshuffle. He initially served as shadow minister for education, having been appointed in November 2024, following the Conservative leadership contest and Badenoch’s elevation as Tory leader.

In October 2024, O’Brien set out a list of policies which he said would make Britain “vaguely civilised again”. These included “large and instant fines” for passengers playing music on public transport and a “crackdown on spitting”

In a Substack post, O’Brien argued the desire to live in a “civilised, orderly society” was one of the “most under-discussed and under-appreciated things in politics”.

He added: “It is something often promised by politicians – but in my lifetime it has not been delivered… Both left and right have different flaws. On the right we are culpable. From 2010-24 we prioritised other things more.

“We cut police numbers then restored them; lost prison officers, then rehired less experienced ones; and we didn’t deal with the prolific offenders who cause so much misery.”

Prior to the 2024 general election, which saw the Conservatives ejected from government, O’Brien held ministerial roles under prime ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. Most recently, he was parliamentary under-secretary of state for primary care and public health at the Department of Health and Social Care from September 2022 until November 2023.

O’Brien resigned from this post as part of the November 2023 ministerial reshuffle.

In a post to social media, he stated: “It’s been a privilege to serve at DHSC. Great ministerial team [and] spads and some fab officials.

“But with so much going on locally I want to focus 100% on constituency work so have asked to go to back benches. I’m also keen to see more of our two small children.”

Following his resignation, O’Brien set up the aforementioned Substack page. In his first post, O’Brien argued that a failure to reduce net immigration as promised was putting “a bomb under our democracy and risking the emergence of the kinds of far right parties we see gaining ground all over Europe.”

Previously, O’Brien served as parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities from September 2021 until July 2022.

In June 2022, O’Brien publicly declared their loyalty to the prime minister, Boris Johnson, ahead of a Conservative “no-confidence” in his leadership. 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.

In a post to social media at the time, O’Brien stated: “The PM has my full support.”

O’Brien resigned in July 2022 as part of the mass walkout of ministers that ultimately precipitated Boris Johnson’s downfall. Notably, O’Brien resigned by way of a joint letter, co-written with Alex Burghart, Julia Lopez, Lee Rowley and Kemi Badenoch. The letter’s signatories were considered “rising stars” in the Conservative Party.

The letter read: “It is with great regret that we are resigning as members of the government. It has been an honour to serve in your administration and we remain extremely grateful for the opportunity you have given us to serve our country.

“You have had the most difficult task in a generation. We hugely admire your fortitude, stamina and enduring optimism. You can be rightly proud of the significant decisions which you have, by common acclamation, got right.

“However, it has become increasingly clear that the government cannot function given the issues that have come to light and the way in which they have been handled. In good faith, we must ask that, for the good of the party and the country, you step aside.”

Before becoming a minister, O’Brien served as prime minister Boris Johnson’s adviser on his “levelling up” agenda. A Politico article, published in June 2021, described O’Brien as the “man Boris Johnson trusts with his biggest political promise.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic, O’Brien established himself as an outspoken opponent of anti-lockdown commentators. He even set up a website to critique those he saw as peddling disinformation.

In an article for the Observer, published in January 2021, O’Brien referred to “the guilty men (and women) of the media” who must themselves be held to account for putting people at risk.

He wrote: “The truth is, the Covid sceptics aren’t really sceptics at all. They engage in motivated reasoning; make stuff up, and double down on claims that have been disproved. They’re powerful figures in the media, not used to being questioned. But the truth is, they have a hell of lot to answer for.”

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the then leader of the House of Commons, praised O’Brien’s activism. “People should be held to account for what they say, and I think Neil has done a fantastic job and has influenced the debate by putting the facts forward”, he told ConservativeHome.

O’Brien was a member of the house of commons science, innovation and technology select committee from 2017-19.

O’Brien is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for leasehold and commonhold reform.

O’Brien delivered his maiden speech on 3 July 2017 during a debate on the Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing Bill.

In it, he said: “My constituency is a place of beauty, a place of opportunity, and a place with a strong community, and I want to keep it that way. To keep it beautiful, we have to start by reforming our broken planning system. We have made progress in recent years, and of course we must build more houses, but too often at the moment our planning system only builds resentment.

“It puts development in the wrong places and does not match new housing with the necessary infrastructure, and councillors and the community simply have too few powers relative to developers.”

He added: “I grew up in Huddersfield, went to a comprehensive, got to go to Oxford and have ended up in this House. I want young people in my constituency to have the same chances as I have had. It simply cannot be right that school pupils in Harborough, Oadby and Wigston get so much less funding than children in identical circumstances in other areas.

“The new national funding formula will start to address that injustice, and I hope that the government will press on with it as soon as possible.”

Before entering parliament, O’Brien was a special adviser to chancellor George Osborne from 2012 to 2016. He subsequently served as an adviser to Theresa May on the economy and industrial strategy upon her appointment as prime minister.

O’Brien co-founded the centre-right think tank Onward in 2018.

Political Views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Tory leadership 2024: O’Brien supported Robert Jenrick’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.

This was seen as somewhat surprising given his formerly close political relationship with Badenoch.

Jenrick, a former immigration minister, positioned himself on the right wing of the party, advocating for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). He emerged as an early frontrunner, topping the first two parliamentary ballots. After reaching the final two, he was defeated in the membership vote by Kemi Badenoch, receiving 41,388 votes (43.5%) compared to Badenoch’s 53,806 (56.5%).

Tory leadership 2022 (I): O’Brien supported Kemi Badenoch’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.

Badenoch, who had resigned as a local government minister, was seen as a combative culture warrior. Having gained significant momentum among the party’s right wing, she was eliminated in the fourth parliamentary ballot on 19 July after receiving 59 votes.

Tory leadership 2022 (II): O’Brien supported Rishi Sunak’s candidacy in the Conservative Party’s October 2022 leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Liz Truss after just 45 days in office, following the financial and political tailspin triggered by her “mini-budget”.

Sunak, the former chancellor, had finished second to Truss in the previous contest. 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.

Factional identity and party tradition

Rwanda rebellion (amendments): In January 2024, O’Brien was one of around 60 Conservative MPs who supported amendments to the government’s Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill. The amendments, proposed by Conservative MPs Sir Bill Cash and Robert Jenrick, sought to strengthen the proposed legislation by limiting the ability of individual asylum seekers to prevent their deportation to Rwanda, under the terms of the government’s flagship removals scheme. The rebellion was composed of Tory MPs on the right of the party.

Blue Collar Conservatives: O’Brien was previously listed as a member of the Blue Collar Conservatives group. This faction within the Conservative party was founded in 2012 by the former cabinet minister Esther McVey, but came to greater prominence following the 2019 general election. The group aimed to “champion working people and develop a conservative agenda to benefit the voters and communities most neglected by Labour”. In October 2022, McVey was succeeded by Lee Anderson as the group’s chair.

Brexit and Europe

Brexit referendum: O’Brien supported Leave in the 2016 Brexit referendum, and therefore agreed with a majority of his constituents, 52.4% of whom also voted to Leave.

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, O’Brien 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

O’Brien 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).

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): O’Brien 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.

Foreign policy and security

China Research Group: O’Brien was a founding member of the China Research Group (CRG). The CRG was established in 2020 by a group of Conservative MPs to promote a more critical and questioning approach to the UK’s relationship with the People’s Republic of China. The CRG described its mission as aiming to “promote understanding, leading to fresh thinking about issues raised by the rise of China, and provide a trustworthy source of news and informed knowledge on China issues.”

Sanctioned (China): In March 2021, O’Brien was one five MPs to be sanctioned by the Chinese government. The sanctions were said to be a direct retaliation for measures imposed by the UK, in coordination with the EU, US and Canada, on Chinese officials deemed responsible for human rights abuses of Uyghur Muslims in the country.

Sanctioned (Russia): In April 2022, O’Brien 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 Neil John O’Brien in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire on 6 November 1978, he was educated at All Saints high school and Greenhead college in Huddersfield.

He studied philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) at Christ Church, Oxford, graduating with a first-class degree.

O’Brien began his career working for the “No” campaign against the UK joining the euro (2000-03) and led the “Vote 2004” campaign seeking a referendum on the proposed EU constitution.

O’Brien subsequently became director of the think tank Open Europe (2005-2008) and later director of the think tank Policy Exchange.

Personal Life

O’Brien is married and has two children. He lives in his constituency.

Trivia

The Spectator magazine once invited candidates for its annual internship scheme to write an article in the style of “Neil O’Brien MP’s ‘Covid sceptic’ website”.

The question read: “If Neil O’Brien MP’s ‘Covid sceptic’ website had an entry on him, written in the same style as the entries on academics who have challenged the government, what would it say?”