Festus Akinbusoye facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Festus Akinbusoye
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| Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner | |
| In office 13 May 2021 – 8 May 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Kathryn Holloway |
| Succeeded by | John Tizard |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 1978 (age 46) Lagos, Nigeria |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Education | City of Westminster College University of the Arts London (BSc) University of London (MSc) |
Festus Akinbusoye (born June 1978) is a British Conservative Party politician who was the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner from 2021 to 2024. He was the first black Briton to serve as a Police and Crime Commissioner.
Akinbusoye stood as his party's candidate in the 2023 Mid Bedfordshire by-election following the resignation of Nadine Dorries. He lost the by-election, coming in second place to the Labour candidate Alistair Strathern.
The following year, Akinbusoye lost re-election as Police and Crime Commissioner.
Early life and education
Born in Lagos, Nigeria to Nigerian parents, Akinbusoye emigrated in 1991, as a thirteen-year-old with his parents and twin sister. The family settled in Canning Town, East London.
Akinbusoye studied at St Paul's Way School, and the City of Westminster College. He later studied at the London College of Printing and Distributive Trades at the University of the Arts London and read for a master's degree in international studies and diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
Akinbusoye played basketball at university, and played professionally in what was then called the Budweiser British Basketball League. He has a collection of 40 Air Jordan basketball trainers.
Political career
In his early career, Akinbusoye worked as senior parliamentary assistant to the Milton Keynes Conservative MPs Mark Lancaster, Iain Stewart and Ben Everitt. Akinbusoye stood as a Conservative candidate in the West Ham constituency in the 2015 United Kingdom general election, a safe seat for the Labour Party, where he came second to the Labour candidate Lyn Brown.
During the Brexit referendum campaign in 2016, Akinbusoye supported the remain campaign, and urged fellow black Britons to join him in voting to remain in the European Union. Akinbusoye served as chairman of Milton Keynes Conservatives from 2018 to 2021, and on 15 June 2023, Akinbusoye was selected as the Conservative parliamentary candidate to contest the 2023 Mid Bedfordshire by-election.
2023 Mid Bedfordshire by-election
Following the resignation of MP Nadine Dorries, Akinbusoye was selected by the Conservative Party as their candidate in the 2023 Mid Bedfordshire by-election. He lost to Labour candidate Alistair Strathern.
In January, Akinbusoye announced on the Andy Collins BBC Three Counties Radio show that he would not be seeking selection for the next parliamentary election, and would seek re-election for a second term as Bedfordshire's PCC. He was unsuccessful in the resulting contest.
Personal life
Akinbusoye lives in the Mid Bedfordshire constituency and is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Akinbusoye also runs a security business.
