Huw Merriman was first elected as the Conservative MP for Bexhill & Battle in 2015, being reelected in 2019 with a majority of 26,059.
The constituency of Bexhill and Battle is found in the heart of East Sussex. It spreads upwards from the coastal town of Bexhill, to include a swathe of affluent East Sussex villages close to the border with Kent. The smaller towns of Heathfield, and Battle, itself the scene of the Battle of Hastings back in 1066, are also found in this constituency. Popular with retired people, for many years this constituency had one of the lowest proportion of twenty year olds anywhere in the country. This seat has traditionally been one of the safest Conservative seats in the UK.
In October 2022, Huw Merriman was appointed as the Minister of State in the Department for Transport. He previously was the Chairman of the House of Commons Transport Select Committee.
When Theresa May was prime minister, Merriman was the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the then Chancellor, Phillip Hammond.
Born in 1973, Merriman grew up in a socialist household in Buckingham, in which his parents and grandparents were trade unionists. He attended Durham University, and worked as a barrister and then as an inhouse lawyer. Before becoming an MP, he was a Managing Director and Lawyer at Lehman Brothers, leading a team that unwound the Lehman Brothers’ estate in Europe.
In 2006, Merriman was elected to the local Wealden District Councillor for Rotherfield. In 2010, he ran for parliament in North East Derbyshire. In 2012, he became the Chairman of Wealden Conservative Association.
Merriman supported Jeremy Hunt in the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election.
He was formerly one of a few Conservative MPs who advocated for a second referendum during the 2017-19 Brexit impasse.
Huw Merriman is Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the BBC. He is Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Knife Crime and Violence Reduction; the Perpetrators of Domestic Abuse; and Fairtrade.
Email: huw.merriman.mp@parliament.uk
Personal Website: http://www.huwmerriman.org.uk
Twitter: @HuwMerriman
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/HuwMerrimanBexhillBattle/
