ABOUT ME
I’M A GRAFTER WHO GETS THINGS DONE
I was born in London to parents from Castlederg, Tyrone. I come from a working-class family from both sides of the community.
I was a bright lad, and my parents pushed me and instilled in me a strong work ethic. I learned that everything you get comes from your own hard work.
I grew up watching my Dad get home late, tired, and have to get up early again the next morning for another day’s work.
My Mum also made sure my brother and I did our homework to a high standard. She impressed upon us the idea that education (and hard work) opens up opportunities not otherwise available.
She was a school dinner lady, and my Dad repaired lorries for a haulage firm in London.
I don’t live in Tyrone (and don’t have the accent!), but this place is in my DNA, and I care about its future and want to play any part I can to make sure it fulfils its potential.
As well as my Mum and Dad, my late grandparents from Castlederg are a tremendous inspiration to me, especially for their service to their local communities here.
When he wasn’t herding sheep and cattle and growing potatoes, Bob Stewart was a reserve policeman in the 70s and 80s. He was also a talented amateur boxer. Nicknamed the ‘Castlederg Cruiser’ Bob won three Ulster titles in as many years and was on the Ireland teams that fought the touring Americans on the Golden Gloves team in Dublin and the visiting Germans in Belfast.
Jack Lynch (not the Taoiseach!) was a contractor who built churches and houses here in Tyrone, including Castlederg’s first housing estate, Breezemount Park, and the Gortmore and Gortrush parks in Omagh. Jack supervised substantial work at the Barons Court Estate too, organised charity events, and helped to found the Credit Union in Castlederg.
In terms of my own story, although I was academically bright, it was politics (and sport!) that interested me from a young age.
Following university, I couldn’t afford to take an unpaid internship, so I worked six days a week in a builders merchants to save up money. Like my Dad this meant alarm clocks at 5am!
I saved up the cash to intern at a small think tank, which was the only way to get into the communications industry. After six months, I had some experience to get my first role as a policy researcher at a public affairs agency.
Three years later, I joined the Conservative Party’s Central Office in Westminster in 2015, where I regularly worked six days a week. On Saturdays I travelled across London to be at my desk before 6.30am to catch the radio news headlines.
At Central Office I learned that only being in government means you can change things. Outside the office, I also learned how to campaign and persuade on the doorsteps.
Nearly ten years later, I’ve gained an understanding of how they work and how to get stuff done.
My career has given me real insight into how to change things in Westminster. Now working in the creative sector, I’ve helped the sector secure more support for UK film and the arts, which helps us to be a world leader. The UK now has more studio space than Hollywood! I want Tyrone and our cultural venues like the Strule and Alley arts centres to help the creative industries bring in even more tens of billions across our United Kingdom.
I’M NOT AFRAID TO TAKE RISKS
My proudest experience was fighting in a 2017 charity boxing match. I lost 7kg, and put my ‘fighting Irish’ genes to good use in being the top NSPCC fundraiser of 70 fighters.
I take on tough challenges. I took a chance on studying in Sheffield when I was from London. I took a chance on moving to Derbyshire nearly three years ago - more than 100 miles away from what was familiar to me.
I came from a family that didn’t have the contacts for internships. So I made my own way and got the experience I needed in my early career at a small think-tank that published research calling for closer international cooperation in energy and security.
Later, I took my destiny into my own hands and set up my own company to become self-employed, like my Dad. It’s the best decision I have taken, betting on myself and taking a chance to dive into an environment where I’ll sink or swim according to the results I deliver.
I’M A COALITION-BUILDER WHO BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER
As a local election candidate last year in Derbyshire, I ran our campaign to achieve the highest Tory vote share in a Chesterfield borough council election for 28 years.
On the doorstep, I persuaded people from all political backgrounds, coalmining families, former socialists, and strong supporters of the former Labour MP, Tony Benn, to vote for me.
At Channel 4, I worked with MPs from across the political spectrum – including across the main parties in Northern Ireland - to build an active, cross-party coalition of informed, engaged supporters.
All my experience has given me real insight into politics, including which levers to pull. Getting stuff done is about bringing people together with different views. And this is what I want to bring to West Tyrone.