Stephen was elected as the Member of Parliament for Preseli Pembrokeshire on 5th May 2005 with a majority of 607.
He had previously fought the seat at the 2001 election when he succeeded in cutting by two thirds the majority of the sitting Labour MP. Stephen is currently the youngest Conservative MP. He is married to Béatrice and they have two children.
Education and career
Stephen was born in 1973 and grew up in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, where he attended Fenton Infants, Barn Street Junior School and Tasker Milward VC School. After a gap year spent working with voluntary projects in USA and Colombia, Stephen studied at Bristol University and graduated in 1995 with first class Honours.
Following a year spent working in the House of Commons as Research Assistant to Andrew Rowe MP, Stephen became Parliamentary Affairs Officer of the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services in 1996. From 1995-97 Stephen was also a volunteer youth worker at a large community project in Bermondsey, South East London.
Between 1998 and 2002 he was Policy and Campaigns Manager at London Chamber of Commerce & Industry. In 1998 Stephen also served as an Election Observer for the OSCE in Bosnia Herzegovina.
From 2002-04 Stephen completed an MBA at London Business School. During this period, and leading up to the 2005 General Election, he worked as a Marketing Consultant. From 1997 to 2004 Stephen was a Governor of Alma Primary School in Bermondsey.
In 2004 Stephen and his family returned to Pembrokeshire and settled a few miles outside Haverfordwest.
Political interests
Energy policy is one of Stephen's main areas of interest. He is an active member of the Parliamentary Energy Studies Group and takes a particular interest in the oil and gas sectors.
Stephen works hard in Parliament to highlight the challenges facing rural and agricultural communities. He is a founding member of the All-Party Dairy Industry Group and the All-Party Rural Services Group.
Stephen is also a member of the All-Party Youth Affairs Group and works closely with a number of youth charities.
Human rights and the promotion of democracy overseas are another key priority. Stephen is Chairman of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission. He is a member of the House of Commons International Development Select Committee.
Countries and regions of special interest for Stephen include India, the Middle East, France and the USA.
Leisure
Stephen enjoys a wide range of sports and outdoor pursuits. He plays rugby for Commons & Lords RFC and the London Business School Alumni. He is also a keen long distance runner and has completed several marathons. He also enjoys mountain biking and skiing.
Other leisure activities include Italian food (cooking and eating), playing the guitar and reading biographies.