Paul Holmes (Conservative politician)

Paul John Holmes (born 25 August 1988) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hamble Valley since 2024. Holmes was the Member of Parliament for Eastleigh from 2019 to 2024.

Early life and education
Paul Holmes was born at Guy's Hospital in Southwark, London, on 25 August 1988, to John Edward Holmes and Sandra Holmes. He grew up on the Bellingham council estate in Lewisham.

Holmes attended Elfrida Primary School in Bellingham and Kelsey Park Sports College in Beckenham. He then went on to study Politics and International Relations at the University of Southampton.

Political career
While a second-year student at the University of Southampton, Holmes was elected as a Conservative councillor in the 2008 Southampton City Council election, representing the Redbridge ward, a seat he gained from the Labour Party. He served on Southampton City Council as Chair of the Planning Committee and Cabinet Member for Education and Social Services. Holmes stood down at the 2012 council election.

Holmes worked as a parliamentary researcher to Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond from 2011 to 2015. From 2015 to 2016, he was an account manager at Portland Communications.

Holmes stood in Mitcham and Morden at the 2015 general election, coming second with 23.2% of the vote behind the incumbent Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh.

He worked as a special adviser (SpAd) to Conservative Party Chairman and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Patrick McLoughlin between 2016 and 2017, before becoming Special Adviser to Damian Green, the first secretary of state and minister for the Cabinet Office. Holmes remained in this role until Green's resignation from Government. He then worked as SpAd to the secretary of state for education, Damian Hinds, in 2018, and became head of public affairs at Clarion Housing Group in the same year.

At the snap 2017 general election, Holmes stood in Southampton Test, coming second with 34.1% of the vote behind the incumbent Labour MP Alan Whitehead.

Parliamentary career
At the 2019 general election, Holmes was elected to Parliament as MP for Eastleigh with 55.4% of the vote and a majority of 15,607.

He was elected to serve on the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee until January 2021, and the Select Committee on Statutory Instruments, on which he continues to serve.

In January 2021, he was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Home Office ministerial team. On 20 September 2021, Holmes was promoted to PPS to the home secretary Priti Patel. He resigned from this position on 27 May 2022, over concerns around "toxic culture" at the heart of Government following the publication of the Sue Gray report.

Holmes was appointed Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party with responsibility for policy in November 2022 following Rishi Sunak forming a Government, he left this position in September 2023 when Holmes was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. In November 2023 he was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Lord Cameron, the Foreign Secretary.

Following the suspension in February 2024 of former party deputy chair Lee Anderson for making Islamophobic remarks about the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who is a Muslim, Holmes defended Anderson. Holmes was quoted as saying his suspension "will drive the agenda that we can’t speak up on things. Especially after last Wednesday and the protests we saw," referring to protests regarding the Israel–Hamas war outside Parliament.

In April 2024, Holmes was appointed as an Assistant Government Whip.

Holmes was the Conservative candidate for Hamble Valley at the 2024 general election. He won that seat with a majority of 4,802 votes over the Liberal Democrat candidate.

Personal life
Holmes currently lives in Hedge End. He lists his recreations as "real ale, cooking, aviation", and is a member of the Southern Parishes Conservative club.