Oliver Heald

Conservative MP Hertfordshire North East

Date of birth

15 December 1954

Political profile

Oliver Heald has been the Conservative MP for Hertfordshire North East since 1992.

Mr Heald was parliamentary private secretary to William Waldegrave MP, Secretary of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from September 1994 until July 1995.

He was a junior minister at the Department of Social Security in the last years of the Major government, where he instigated a successful anti-benefit fraud strategy.

After the 1997 election, he became a whip and subsequently a home affairs spokesman.

He then became a junior health spokesman before joining the shadow cabinet as work and pensions spokesman.

In November 2003, he was promoted to the position of shadow Leader of the House. In the September 2004 reshuffle, he took on the extra role of shadow constitutional affairs secretary.

He is a pro-European, although he does not support British entry into the single currency, and is one of the less partisan members on the Conservative benches.

He is a former barrister with an insightful approach to policy making.

Contact

Commons office: 020 7219 6354

[e-mail]