Ed Davey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Ed Davey
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024
|
|
| Leader of the Liberal Democrats | |
| Assumed office 27 August 2020 Acting: 13 December 2019 – 27 August 2020 |
|
| Deputy | Daisy Cooper |
| President |
|
| Preceded by | Jo Swinson |
| Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats | |
| In office 3 September 2019 – 27 August 2020 |
|
| Leader |
|
| Preceded by | Jo Swinson |
| Succeeded by | Daisy Cooper |
| Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change | |
| In office 3 February 2012 – 8 May 2015 |
|
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Chris Huhne |
| Succeeded by | Amber Rudd |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs | |
| In office 20 May 2010 – 3 February 2012 |
|
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | The Lord Young of Norwood Green |
| Succeeded by | Norman Lamb |
| Member of Parliament for Kingston and Surbiton |
|
| Assumed office 8 June 2017 |
|
| Preceded by | James Berry |
| Majority | 17,235 (34.1%) |
| In office 1 May 1997 – 30 March 2015 |
|
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | James Berry |
| Liberal Democrat portfolios | |
| 2005–2006 | Education and Skills |
| 2006–2007 | Trade and Industry |
| 2007–2010 | Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs |
| 2017–2019 | Home Affairs |
| 2019 | Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy |
| 2019–2020 | Treasury |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Edward Jonathan Davey
25 December 1965 Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Spouse |
Emily Gasson
(m. 2005) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | |
| Signature |  |
Sir Edward Jonathan Davey (born 25 December 1965) is a British politician. He has been the leader of the Liberal Democrats political party since 2020. Before that, he was the acting leader from 2019 to 2020. He was also a government minister, serving as the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from 2012 to 2015. He was also the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats in 2019. Ed Davey has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Kingston and Surbiton since 2017, and he held the same seat from 1997 to 2015.
Davey was born in Mansfield, England. Both his parents died before he turned 16, so his grandparents raised him. He went to Nottingham High School and later studied at Jesus College, Oxford and Birkbeck, University of London. Before becoming an MP, he worked as an economics researcher and helped businesses understand financial markets.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Edward Davey was born on Christmas Day, 1965, in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. His father died when Ed was four years old. Eleven years later, his mother also passed away. After this, his grandparents raised him in the village of Eakring. Ed also helped care for his mother when she was very ill.
When he was younger, Ed was a Scout and sang in his local church choir. He also earned the Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Award. He was head boy at Nottingham High School. After school, he went to Jesus College, Oxford, where he studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.
In 1989, he started working as an economics researcher for the Liberal Democrats party. He also studied for a master's degree in economics. From 1993 to 1997, he worked for a company that helped businesses with their plans and market research.
Parliamentary Career (1997–2015)
Ed Davey was first elected to the House of Commons in 1997. He won the seat of Kingston and Surbiton by a very small number of votes. He stayed as the MP for this area for 18 years. In his first speech in Parliament, he supported the idea of a London Assembly.
In 2003, he helped change a law called Section 28, which had stopped local councils from promoting homosexuality. This law was then removed. He also helped write a book called The Orange Book in 2004, which shared ideas about how the Liberal Democrats could improve the economy.
In 2006, he was one of a few Liberal Democrat MPs who didn't support a complete ban on smoking in clubs and pubs. He thought it was "a bit too nanny state," meaning the government was telling people too much what to do.
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson
After becoming an MP in 1997, Ed Davey became a spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats on money matters. He also became a whip in 1998, which means he helped make sure party members voted in line with the party's plans.
He was re-elected in 2001 with many more votes. He continued to be a spokesperson for different areas, including education, trade, and foreign affairs. In 2006, he became the Chief of Staff for the party leader, Menzies Campbell.
In 2008, he was temporarily suspended from Parliament for a day. This happened because he was protesting that the Speaker (the person who controls debates) did not allow a debate on whether the UK should have a public vote about staying in the European Union.
Ministerial Career (2010–2015)
Minister for Business (2010–2012)
.jpg)
After the 2010 election, the Liberal Democrats joined with the Conservative Party to form a government. Ed Davey was made a junior minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. His job involved looking after employment, consumer rights, and postal services. He also worked on trade policy.
In this role, he helped set up a group of European governments that wanted to encourage economic growth by reducing rules and promoting free trade. He also helped with a trade agreement between the European Union and South Korea.
In 2011, he announced changes to the job market to make it more flexible. He also said the government would get rid of the default retirement age, meaning people could work for as long as they wanted.
As the minister responsible for postal affairs, Ed Davey met with Alan Bates, who was fighting for sub-postmasters wrongly accused in the Post Office Horizon scandal. Davey later said he regretted not looking into the details of the scandal more deeply and felt he was misled by Post Office officials.
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (2012–2015)
.jpg)
.jpg)
In 2012, Ed Davey became the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. This meant he was in charge of the UK's energy supply and policies to tackle climate change. He also became a member of the Privy Council, a group of important advisors to the King.
He created the Green Growth Group, which brought together environmental ministers from across the European Union. Their goal was to promote growth and investment in renewable energy and nuclear power. In the UK, he focused on making the energy market more competitive. He wanted to make it easier for smaller companies to join the market and for customers to switch energy providers. He also encouraged foreign companies from countries like Japan, South Korea, and China to invest in the British energy sector.
In 2013, during a TV interview, he was asked if he wore a jumper at home to save energy. He said he did, but stressed that competition and energy efficiency were the real solutions to lower energy bills. Some news outlets later reported that he had advised people to wear jumpers, which wasn't exactly what he said.
In 2014, he called for the G7 group of leading countries to reduce their reliance on Russian energy. He believed that investing in onshore wind energy and getting gas from other countries would help.
Parliamentary Career (2017–Present)
2015 General Election and Return to Parliament
.jpg)
In the 2015 general election, Ed Davey lost his seat in Parliament. He was the first government minister to lose their seat since 1997. He said he was disappointed but understood that the Liberal Democrats were paying a price for being in a coalition government.
At the end of 2015, he was given a knighthood for his public service. This means he can use the title "Sir."
He won his seat back in the 2017 general election. After returning to Parliament, he was considered a possible candidate for the Liberal Democrat leadership, but he decided not to run due to family reasons. He then became the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for home affairs and later for money matters.
Leader of the Liberal Democrats (2019–Present)
Becoming Leader
In 2019, the Liberal Democrat leader, Vince Cable, announced he would step down. Ed Davey ran for the leadership but lost to Jo Swinson. However, he was then chosen as her deputy leader.
After Jo Swinson lost her seat in the 2019 general election, Ed Davey became the acting co-leader of the party.
In June 2020, while still acting leader, he launched another bid to become the permanent leader. He talked about his own experience as a carer for his son and mother. He said the Liberal Democrats should focus on social care. He also said he would prioritize defeating the Conservatives and would not work with them after the next election.
On 27 August 2020, Ed Davey won the leadership election with 63.5% of the votes. In his speech, he said the Liberal Democrats needed to "wake up and smell the coffee" and listen to ordinary people.
Under his leadership, the Liberal Democrats have done well in local elections. In the 2024 local elections, they finished second for the first time since 2009.
2024 General Election Campaign
Ed Davey led his party in the 2024 general election. He became well-known for his unusual campaign stunts. For example, he fell off a paddleboard to highlight the issue of sewage in rivers. He also went down a Slip 'N Slide to draw attention to children's mental health. In another stunt, he did a bungee jump to encourage people to "take the plunge" and vote Liberal Democrat. He said politicians should take voters' concerns seriously but don't always need to take themselves seriously.
He also spoke about his experience as a carer for his son, who has severe disabilities. He said the Liberal Democrat plans for health and care were very important.
On 10 June 2024, he launched the Liberal Democrat plan for the country, called For a Fair Deal. He emphasized that his party is "pro-European" and wants the UK to rejoin the European single market.
Davey led his party to win their highest number of seats ever in the 2024 general election. This made the Liberal Democrats the third-largest party in the House of Commons. He celebrated by singing "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond. This success also means he can now ask two questions to the Prime Minister each week during Prime Minister's Questions.
Political Views
.jpg)
Ed Davey describes himself as a "liberal" politician. He believes in the free market and competition. He supported the coalition government (2010-2015), saying it would "restore liberty to the people."
He has warned against government proposals that could lead to censorship online. He believes that technology companies should not be treated as "the enemy" and that encryption is important for people's security.
Davey supports using market solutions in the energy sector. He has criticized price controls because he thinks they harm competition. He has also encouraged new companies to enter the energy market. He supports some short-term government help for new green energy technologies to help meet climate change goals.
He has supported both nuclear power and fracking as energy sources, and natural gas as a way to transition to cleaner energy. He changed his mind about nuclear power because of climate change.
While he wants the UK to rejoin the European Union eventually, he doesn't think it will happen very soon. He also opposes a second vote on Scottish independence, saying it would harm the country's recovery.
After the murder of Sarah Everard in 2021, Davey said that "Men have got to change" and suggested educating boys and men to show more respect. He supports transgender women having the same rights as cisgender women.
Foreign Affairs
Since the 2000s, Ed Davey has spoken out against holding people in prison without trial, especially at places like Guantanamo. He believes these situations need to be looked into formally.
He supports importing natural gas from countries like the United States and Qatar. He also wants to import green energy from Norway and Ireland. He believes Britain should be open to foreign investment, as long as it's not from harmful sources.
In November 2023, Davey supported a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war. He said that a military solution to remove Hamas was not possible and called for a different approach.
After the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in 2024, Davey condemned political violence. However, after Trump won the 2024 United States presidential election, Davey called it a "dark, dark day" and described Trump as a "dangerous, destructive demagogue."
Other Activities
Business Roles
After leaving his government role in 2015, Ed Davey took on several business jobs. He became chairman of Mongoose Energy in 2015 and set up his own company to advise on energy and climate change.
In 2016, he became a consultant for MHP Communications, a company that works with EDF Energy. Some people criticized this because he had previously, as a minister, approved a contract for EDF to build a new nuclear power plant. He also joined the board of Nord Engine Capital, a private investment firm.
He was also on the advisory boards of a law firm and an energy fund until 2021, when he resigned these roles due to concerns about MPs having second jobs.
Davey is also involved in several All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs). These are groups of MPs and Lords from different parties who focus on specific topics. He chairs the APPGs for Britain-Republic of Korea and Charity Retail.
Christmas Charity Song
On 28 November 2024, Ed Davey released a Christmas charity song called "Love is Enough." He sang with the Bath Philharmonia choir. The song is a tribute to young carers and the special bond they have with the people they look after. All the money raised from the song goes to the Carers Trust and Bath Philharmonia.
Davey said he hopes people will listen to the song and think about young carers, especially during Christmas, which can be a tough time for them.
Personal Life
In 2005, Ed Davey married Emily Gasson, who is also involved in politics. Their first child, John, was born in 2007. John has severe learning and physical disabilities and needs care all the time. Ed and his wife, along with other carers, provide this care. This experience is a big reason why Ed Davey speaks up for carers. They also have a daughter named Ellie.
The family lives in Surbiton, London. Emily Davey has also run for election as an MP and as a local councillor.
Ed Davey can speak English, French, German, and Spanish. He supports Notts County Football Club.
Honours
In 1995, Ed Davey received a bravery award for rescuing a woman who had fallen onto a railway line.
In 2001, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
He was made a member of the Privy Council in 2012, which means he can use the title "The Right Honourable."
In 2016, he was knighted for his political and public service. This allows him to use the title "Sir."
Images for kids
-
Ed Davey's signature
See also
- Liberal Democrat frontbench team
