Alok Sharma

Sharma was selected as the Conservative Party candidate for the Reading West constituency in 2006.[7] He was elected as the MP for Reading West in the 2010 general election, winning a majority of 6,004 after the retirement of the Labour MP Martin Salter.

In the 2015 general election he was re-elected with an increased majority of 6,650.[12]

In the 2017 general election, he won his seat with a reduced majority of 2,876.[12] On being re-elected, Sharma wrote on his website: "Having grown up locally in Reading and being very much a local Reading man, I am delighted to have been re-elected for a constituency in my home town".[13]

In the 2019 general election Sharma increased his majority to 4,117.[12]

On 26 September 2023, Sharma announced his intention to stand down at the next general election.[14]

Sharma served as a member of the Science and Technology Select Committee between July 2010 and February 2011[15] and the Treasury Select Committee between September 2014 and March 2015.[16]

Sharma was Conservative Party Vice-Chairman from 2012 to 2015[17] and co-chairman of Conservative Friends of India in 2014.[18]

In September 2011, Sharma was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Mark Hoban, the then Financial Secretary to the Treasury.[19] During his time as a PPS, Sharma sat on a number of public bill committees including two finance bills, the 2013 Banking Reform Bill and the 2011 Pensions Bill.[20] He also served as PPS to Sir Oliver Letwin, the former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who had overall responsibility for the Cabinet Office.

Following the death of two cyclists in Purley on Thames, Sharma campaigned in 2014 for longer prison sentences for those convicted of death by dangerous driving.[21] Sharma initiated a Parliamentary debate on the issue[22] and backed a petition, started by the families of victims, which gained more than 55,000 signatures.[23][24]

Sharma campaigned to reduce the number of first-class carriages on trains operating on the Great Western route between Reading and London. In January 2015, he held a meeting with Rail Minister Claire Perry and First Great Western managing director Mark Hopwood to discuss proposals to increase Standard Class capacity to reduce overcrowding.[25]

In 2016, Sharma was appointed as the Prime Minister's "Infrastructure Envoy to India".[10]

Sharma at the British Museum to mark the 45th anniversary year of ambassadorial relations between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China, 2017

Sharma was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from July 2016 to June 2017.[26]

In June 2017 he was appointed Housing Minister, replacing Gavin Barwell, who lost his seat in the 2017 general election.[27]

As the Minister of State for Housing, Sharma was responsible for the Government's response to the Grenfell Tower fire. He attracted media attention when he was visibly moved while making a statement to the House of Commons on 5 July 2017.[28][29]

In January 2018, he became the Minister of State for Employment.[30]

Sharma, International Development Secretary, sees Ebola preparedness work in Uganda

Sharma was appointed Secretary of State for International Development by Boris Johnson following the resignation of Rory Stewart in July 2019. Upon assuming the role, he said: "I am delighted... We will work across the whole of government to deliver Brexit and make sure the United Kingdom's aid is tackling global challenges that affect us all".[31]

In October, Sharma stated he wanted to use the United Kingdom's leverage over the World Bank to focus the use of the nineteenth International Development Association fund on fighting climate change, building sustainable economies and promoting women's rights.[32]

Following the dismissal of Andrea Leadsom in the 2020 cabinet reshuffle, Sharma was appointed to the position of Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, taking office on 13 February.

As Secretary of State, Sharma was one of the government's speakers at the daily coronavirus pandemic briefings from Downing Street. In June 2020, he appeared visibly unwell while delivering a statement in the House of Commons.[33] Although he underwent a test for COVID-19 which came back negative, the situation led to questions being raised about the government's decision to end the use of the virtual parliament and make MPs return to the House of Commons chamber. Certain employees of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy were advised not to return to their work by the Public and Commercial Services Union, who said that there was a lack of evidence that the department had provided enough preventative measures against the virus.[34]

In July 2020, Sharma instructed officials to purchase half of OneWeb, a satellite communications company, for $500 million.[35] The company was purchased from Chapter 11 bankruptcy by the United Kingdom's government and Bharti Enterprises.

With the help of Lord Callanan, Sharma introduced the National Security and Investment Act 2021 to Parliament.[36]

Sharma meeting with officials in New Delhi, India ahead of COP26.

In addition to his appointment as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 13 February 2020, Sharma was also appointed President of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26),[37] following the dismissal of Claire Perry O'Neill in January 2020. At that time the conference was planned for November 2020; in May 2020 it was rearranged for November 2021.[3] The Glasgow Climate Pact was negotiated at the conference under Sharma's Presidency.[38]

On 8 January 2021, Sharma left his position as Secretary of State to become President of COP26 on a full-time basis, and chair of the Climate Action Implementation Committee.[39] He moved to the Cabinet Office and retained his status as a full member of the cabinet.[40] Sharma formally served as a Minister of State in the Cabinet Office.[41]

Amid the July 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, Sharma threatened to resign if the winning candidate did not remain committed to the UK's net zero targets.[42] He was reappointed to his role by the Truss ministry on 6 September 2022.[43] Upon the appointment of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, Sharma retained the Presidency for COP26 but was removed from cabinet.[44] Sharma left office on 20 November 2022 following the closing plenary of COP27 held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.[45]

Sharma was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to tackling climate change.[46]

Sharma supported the opening in his Reading West constituency of one of the first free schools in England: All Saints Junior School opened in September 2011 and received an 'outstanding' rating in its first Ofsted report.[47]

Sharma has also been appointed a patron of the Wren School, a new secondary free school opening in west Reading in September 2015. Sharma supported the West Reading Education Network in getting the new school approved and is helping the school to find an appropriate permanent site.[48][49]

Sharma has been a vocal supporter of the expansion of Heathrow Airport and has spoken in support of increasing the number of airport runways in the South East of England, claiming that "a lack of hub capacity is costing the United Kingdom jobs and investment".[50][51] This is despite opposition in his own constituency. In 2009 he had opposed the third runway for the envionmentally unsustainable way it was being planned and had said: "A third runway at Heathrow would inflict huge damage to the environment and to the quality of life of millions of people. It is time for the government to abandon its plans for a third runway and, if a conservative government is elected, we will certainly stop this environmental disaster". He has argued that the expansion needs to be environmentally sustainable.[52]

2017, Sharma speaking at a Hindu festival of Holi event at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Sharma set up the East West Leaders' Forum, a discussion forum between business leaders, to promote dialogue between the European Union, India and China. Theresa May, then Home Secretary, gave the keynote speech at the inaugural event, held in London in September 2014.[53][54]

Sharma supported the United Kingdom remaining within the European Union prior to the 2016 referendum.[55] He backed Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement in early 2019,[56] and subsequently supported Prime Minister Boris Johnson's withdrawal agreement in October 2019.[57]