Paul Howell (Sedgefield MP)

Paul Howell (born 10 January 1960) is a British Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sedgefield from 2019 until 2024. Prior to his political career, he was an accountant.

Early life and career
Paul Howell was born on 10 January 1960 in Bishop Auckland Hospital in County Durham. He was raised in Ferryhill and Newton Aycliffe and attended Dean Bank and Sugar Hill primary schools and The Avenue Comprehensive School. His father was a divisional fire officer. He has a Master of Business Administration degree from Durham University. After leaving school, he worked as a chartered accountant for firms such as Darchem, Blue Circle Industries, and Wilsonart.

Political career
Howell joined the Conservative Party in 2010. He was a councillor for Hummersknott ward on the Darlington Borough Council between 2019 and 2021. He was also a councillor for Aycliffe North and Middridge on the Durham County Council between 2017 and 2021.

Howell unsuccessfully contested Houghton and Sunderland South at the 2017 general election, coming second with 29.7% of the vote behind the incumbent Labour MP Bridget Phillipson.

At the 2019 general election, Howell was elected as MP for Sedgefield with 47.2% of the vote and a majority of 4,513. The area of the constituency had been represented by Labour Party MPs since the 1935 general election. Wilson's immediate predecessor in representing the constituency, former Prime Minister Tony Blair, did so between 1983 and 2007.

Howell has been a member of the Transport Select Committee since November 2022 and was a member of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee between March 2020 and October 2022. On 14 June 2022, Howell became a Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Personal life
Howell owns a property portfolio consisting of nine houses in Darlington, five houses in Durham, and two flats in County Durham.