Gareth Johnson was first elected the Conservative MP for Dartford in 2010, being reelected in 2019 with a majority of 19,160.
The constituency of Dartford is found in the north western corner of Kent, bordering Greater London and the southern banks of the River Thames. The seat is largely centred around the town of Dartford, albeit also contains Greenhithe, the location of the BlueWater shopping centre. There has been notable housing development in this seat in recent years. Commuters can also now travel from here into central London in less than twenty minutes on HS1 from Ebbsfleet International station in this constituency.
Once a marginal seat that was held by the Conservatives between 1979 and 1997, and Labour between 1997 and 2010, the current large Conservative majority is out of kilter with the previous electoral history of this seat. Close to two thirds of voters here backed Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum.
Gareth Johnson was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice in September 2022 under Liz Truss, but left the government a month later when Rishi Sunak became prime minister.
He was an Assistant Government Whip between September 2021 and September 2022. He served briefly as an Assistant Government Whip between 2018 and 2019, before resigning in protest at Theresa May’s Brexit agreement..
Johnson was born in 1969 and is the son of a milkman. He worked as a solicitor in the local magistrates courts before being elected to Parliament. He was once a councillor on Bexley Council.
Johnson was a supporter of Brexit in the 2016 referendum, and he supported his namesake, Boris Johnson in the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election.
Johnson is married with two children and employs his wife as a Parliamentary assistant.
Johnson enjoys cricket. He also Honorary President of Dartford Valley Rugby Club.
Email: gareth.johnson.mp@parliament.uk
Personal Website: http://www.garethjohnsondartford.co.uk/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/gareth.johnson.735
