Desmond Lee (Singaporean politician)

Desmond Lee Ti-Seng (born 15 July 1976) is a Singaporean politician and lawyer who has been serving as Minister for National Development and Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration since 2020. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Boon Lay division of West Coast GRC since 2020.

A lawyer by profession, Lee had worked at various public-sector institutions, including the Supreme Court, Attorney-General's Chambers and Temasek Holdings before entering politics. He made his political debut in the 2011 general election as part of a five-member PAP team contesting in Jurong GRC and won with 66.96% of the vote. He had held various political positions in the Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Home Affairs before he was made full member of the Cabinet on 1 May 2017. He forms part of the new Cabinet selected by Lawrence Wong announced in May 2024.

Early life and education
Lee's father is Lee Yock Suan, a former Member of Parliament and Cabinet minister. Of Hokkien ancestry from his father's side, Lee also has Peranakan ancestry from his mother's side.

Lee was educated at Anglo-Chinese School (Junior), Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College before graduating from the National University of Singapore in 2001 with a Bachelor of Laws with first class honours degree. He subsequently went on to complete a Bachelor of Civil Law degree (a Masters-equivalent degree) at the University of Oxford.

Legal career
Upon his graduation from the NUS Faculty of Law in 2001, Lee served as Justices' Law Clerk at the Supreme Court before serving as a deputy public prosecutor in the Criminal Justice Division of the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC).

Lee then served as deputy director of the Legal Branch of the Ministry of Health (MOH) between 2005 and 2009 before being transferred to the Ministry of Law (MinLaw), where he served as deputy director of the Legal Policy Division until 2011.

In March 2011, Lee joined Temasek Holdings as an associate director in the Legal and Regulations Department.

Political career
Lee made his political debut in the 2011 general election as part of a five-member People's Action Party (PAP) team contesting in Jurong GRC and won 66.96% of the vote. Lee was subsequently elected as the Member of Parliament representing the Jurong Spring division of Jurong GRC.

Following the 2011 general election, Lee served as a member of the Government Parliamentary Committees for Culture, Community and Youth, Home Affairs, Law, and Social and Family Development.

On 1 September 2013, Lee was appointed Minister of State for National Development and left Temasek Holdings to take on this role.

At the 2015 general election, Lee was re-elected as a Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC. The PAP team contesting in Jurong GRC won 79.3% of the vote. In October 2015, Lee was promoted to Senior Minister of State for National Development, and was appointed Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs. On 1 May 2017, he was appointed full minister and took up the portfolio of Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Home Affairs and Second Minister for National Development. He was also Deputy Leader of the House from October 2015 to June 2020.

On 11 September 2017, Lee relinquished his portfolio in the Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Home Affairs, and became Minister for Social and Family Development while retaining his portfolio as Second Minister for National Development.

At the 2020 general election, Lee was part of the five-member PAP team contested in West Coast GRC and won with 51.69% of the vote. He was subsequently elected as the Member of Parliament representing the Boon Lay division of West Coast GRC.

Following a Cabinet reshuffle on 27 July 2020, Lee succeeded Lawrence Wong as Minister for National Development and took on an additional newly created role of Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration under the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

On 8 November 2020, Lee, along with Lawrence Wong, were both elected into the PAP's Central Executive Committee for the first time.

Personal life
Lee is married with three children.