James Timpson, Baron Timpson

William James Timpson, Baron Timpson, (born 17 September 1971), is a British businessman and politician who has served as Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation since 2024. He was the chief executive of the Timpson Group, owned by his father John Timpson, from 2002 to July 2024.

Career
Timpson was born in Knutsford, Cheshire, on 17 September 1971 to John and Alex Timpson. His younger brother Edward was a Conservative MP for 14 of the 16 years between 2008 and 2024. Timpson attended Uppingham School and gained a Bachelor of Arts in geography from Durham University before joining his family business.

He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours list for services to training and employment for disadvantaged people. Timpson was appointed as a deputy lieutenant (DL) of Cheshire on 11 October 2019.

Known for advocating the employment of former prisoners, he was the Chair of the Employers Forum for Reducing Re-offending (EFFRR) until 2016, and became Chair of the Prison Reform Trust that same year. He also founded the Employment Advisory Board network across the prison estate, which links prisons with employers to improve the employment opportunities for ex-offenders upon release.

In November 2018, Timpson was selected to co-chair one of five new business councils by Prime Minister Theresa May to advise on how to create the best conditions for UK businesses after Brexit. He was the co-chair of the Small Business, Scale ups and Entrepreneurs Council, alongside Brent Hoberman and Emma Jones.

In March 2021, he was reappointed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as a trustee of Tate for a four-year period. He replaced Jonathon Porritt as Chancellor of Keele University in June 2022.

Timpson wrote a column on business and leadership for The Sunday Times throughout 2021, and this inspired his book The Happy Index: Lessons in Upside-Down Management, which was published in February 2024.

In February 2024, Timpson made comments suggesting only a third of prisoners should be in prison.

In July 2024, he was appointed Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation in the Starmer ministry by the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer. Because of this appointment, Timpson stepped down as chief executive officer of Timpson and as chair of the Prison Reform Trust.

Timpson was appointed a life peer as Baron Timpson on 18 July 2024.

Personal life
Timpson married Roisin Brannigan in 1997. They have two sons and a daughter.