OLIVER DOWDEN has served several roles in the British government that saw him appear regularly on TV to give the public insight and updates.
Let’s get to know more about the Tory MP Oliver Dowden.
Oliver Dowden was appointed as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in October 2022
Who is Oliver Dowden?
Born on August 1, 1978, Dowden grew up in Bricket Wood, Hertfordshire, where he attended Parmiter’s School.
Later, he read Law at Trinity College, Cambridge, before going on to work for the Conservative Research Department in 2004.
He had a brief stint at PR firm Hill & Knowlton and then moved back to work for the Tory party as a special advisor.
What is Oliver Dowden’s current role?
Oliver Dowden was appointed as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on October 25, 2022.
His job is to administer the estates and rents across the Duchy of Lancaster while being a member of the Cabinet.
After Prime Minister, Dowden holds the most senior minister position in the Cabinet Office.
Some of his responsibilities, as explained on the Government website, are:
- Delivering the Government’s priorities
- Overseeing the Cabinet Office policy
- Overseeing the civil contingencies and resilience, including COBR
- Overseeing the Cabinet Office business planning
- Overseeing major events
- Propriety and Ethics
- Overseeing the Cabinet’s work on science, technology and innovation while he oversees the Office of Science and Technology Strategy (OSTS)
- Public Appointments
- Honours
What other roles has Oliver Dowden held?
Oliver Dowden’s major political career began with his appointment as the Member of Parliament for Hertsmere, Hertfordshire, which he has held since 2015.
From 2021 to 2022 he was co-chairman for the Conservative Party, alongside Ben Elliot, but stepped down after by-election losses in June 2022.
In his resignation letter he said: “Our supporters are distressed and disappointed by recent events, and I share their feelings.
“We cannot carry on with business as usual.”
Dowden served as the Minister for the Cabinet Office in 2019 before becoming the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in 2020.
He has led numerous coronavirus press briefings, notably to announce the return of the Premier League on June 17, 2020, which he called a “milestone”.
He then became David Cameron‘s deputy chief of staff before becoming the MP for Hertsmere in the 2015 election, taking over the seat of James Clappison.
Dowden was opposed to Brexit before the 2016 referendum but was promoted to Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office as part of Theresa May‘s cabinet reshuffle in January 2018.
