Jesse Norman was first elected as Conservative MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire in 2020 being reelected in 2019 with a majority of 19,686.
The constituency of Hereford and South Herefordshire is found to the south of the county, and contains the city of Hereford itself alongside the smaller towns of Ross-on-Wye and Pontrilas close to the Welsh border. This seat famously contains the base for the SAS regiment.
Although Hereford was held by the Liberal Democrats between 1997 and 2010, the Conservatives have held the seat comfortably with majorities in excess of 15,000 in the last three elections. Some three fifths of the electorate backed Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum. A fifth of the population here is over retirement age.
Jesse Norman was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Transport in October 2022. He was briefly Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office between September and October 2022.
Norman formerly served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury between 2019 and 2021, having been Paymaster General briefly in 2019. Before that he was Under Secretary of State for Transport between 2017 and 2019, and a junior Minister at the Department of Business between 2016 and 2017.
Born in 1962, Jesse Norman was educated at Eton, and then Oxford University. He has a Masters and PhD from University College London. Having ran an educational project giving away medical and other textbooks in Eastern Europe from 1988-1991, Norman moved to work for Barclays in the City both on Eastern European and other emerging markets.
He later left Barclays and taught philosophy at University College London, and later at Birkbeck College.
As a former academic, Norman is the author of numerous books and pamphlets,. These include Compassionate Conservatism, Edmund Burke: Politician, Philosopher, Prophet; and Adam Smith: What he Thought, and Why it Matters.
He was previously a Director of the Hay Literature festival. According to the Register of Members Interests, he is a shareholder in the toy and design manufacturer, Genie Toys PLC.
Jesse Norman went to school with Boris Johnson and was considered a good friend of the Prime Minister. He served as a policy advisor to Mr Johnson during his time as London Mayor. He nonetheless was vocal in calling for Mr Johnson to resign in the weeks running up to Mr Johnson’s eventual resignation.
Jesse Norman is married with three children. He lists his interests as cycling, hill walking, and playing jazz.
Email: jesse.norman.mp@parliament.uk
Personal Website: http://www.jessenorman.com
Twitter: twitter.com/Jesse_Norman
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/jesse.norman.hereford
