Christopher Austin Francis Coghlan[1] is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Dorking and Horley since 2024. He previously co-founded the Renew Party in 2018.
Chris Coghlan | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Dorking and Horley | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Majority | 5,391 (10.8%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Christopher Austin Francis Coghlan |
| Political party |
|
| Alma mater | |
Early life and education
editCoghlan grew up in Peaslake, a village near Guildford, Surrey.[2] He graduated from King's College London in 2001, later completing a master's degree in finance at London Business School in 2012 and gaining a Master of Public Administration degree at Harvard Kennedy School in 2014.[3]
A member of the Army Reserve, Coughlan was called up to serve in Iraq as a military advisor in 2020.[2] He was a Foreign and Commonwealth Office anti-terrorism officer,[4][5] but resigned because he was "demoralised by the failure of our politicians to deliver opportunity in government, fight Corbyn and a hard Brexit".[6]
Political career
editCoghlan stood as an independent anti-Brexit candidate in Battersea in the 2017 general election. In 2018, he co-founded the Renew Party, a minor centrist political party that stood for "a second referendum and a tech revolution to leave no one behind".[4][6] He left the party later that year after disagreements with other senior members.[7]
Coghlan was elected to Mole Valley District Council for the ward of Dorking North in the 2021 council election as a Liberal Democrat.[8]
In the 2024 general election, Coghlan was elected as the Liberal Democrat member of Parliament (MP) for the new seat of Dorking and Horley with 41.9 per cent of the vote and a majority of 5,391.[9]
Personal life
editCoughlan lives in Dorking with his wife Clara and their three daughters.[2]
References
edit- ^ "No. 64465". The London Gazette. 22 July 2024. p. 14085.
- ^ a b c "Cllr Chris Coghlan". Mole Valley District Council. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "2022 Chris Coghlan". Mole Valley Liberal Democrats. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ a b Wright, Robert (14 October 2017). "New anti-Brexit party hopes to capture UK politics centre ground". Financial Times. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Clark, Sam (4 May 2018). "How Renew Britain aims to start a 'tech revolution'". The Stack. Archived from the original on 8 November 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ a b Coghlan, Chris (12 April 2018). "Why I quit my foreign office job to set up a centrist party". The Times. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ Pack, Mark (24 May 2018). "Implosion at Renew, one of the new centrist/pro-European parties". Mark Pack. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "District Council Election Results – 6 May 2021". Mole Valley District Council. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "Dorking and Horley | General Election 2024". Sky News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
External links
edit- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
   | This article about a member of Parliament representing an English constituency is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |