James Cartlidge was first elected as the Conservative MP for South Suffolk in 2015, being reelected by a majority of 22,903 in 2019.
South Suffolk is a largely rural seat that runs along most of the south of Suffolk along the border with Essex. It includes the towns of Hadleigh and Sudbury, the village of Great Cornard, as well as an area in the south of Ipswich itself. A fifth of the population is of pensionable age. An mixed agricultural and commuter seat, this constituency has backed the Conservatives since it was first created in 1983.
James Cartlidge was appointed Minister of State in charge of defence procurement at the Ministry of Defence in April 2023. He was Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury between October 2022 and April 2023. He previously served as Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice in 2021, but resigned in July 2022 in protest at Boris Johnson continuing to remain as prime minister.
Cartlidge was previously the PPS to the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, and before that, PPS to Ben Wallace and Jeremy Hunt.
James Cartlidge is a former mortgage broker, and entrepreneur, who set up the ‘Share to Buy’ shared ownership online property portal. According to the Register of Members Interests, he remains a shareholder in the Company. He is also the former host of the ‘London Home Show’, the capital’s biggest event for first time buyers.
Born in 1974, Cartlidge was educated at Manchester University. He is married with four children. His father in law, is the former long standing Conservative MP, Gerald Howarth.
Cartlidge is a drummer for a local pub band. In 2020 he performed a solo a drum solo on Times Radio.
He is Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Fair Business Banking, and a member of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Autism, and Adult Social Care.
Email: james.cartlidge.mp@parliament.uk
Personal Website: http://www.jamescartlidge.com
Twitter: @jc4southsuffolk
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/james4southsuffolk
