Philip Hammond Facts for Kids

Parliamentary offices

Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Life peerage 26 October 2020
Member of Parliament for Runnymede and Weybridge
In office 1 May 1997 – 6 November 2019
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Ben Spencer

Personal details

Born

4 December 1955 (age 69)
Epping, Essex, England

Political party

Conservative

Other political
affiliations

Independent

Spouse

Susan Williams-Walker

(m. 1991)

Children

Residences

Send, Surrey, England

Alma mater

University College, Oxford

Signature

Philip Hammond, Baron Hammond of Runnymede (born 4 December 1955) is a British politician. He held several important jobs in the UK government. These included being the Chancellor of the Exchequer (in charge of the country's money) from 2016 to 2019. Before that, he was the Foreign Secretary (dealing with other countries) from 2014 to 2016. He also served as Defence Secretary and Transport Secretary.

Philip Hammond was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Runnymede and Weybridge from 1997 to 2019. He is a member of the Conservative Party.

Born in Epping, Essex, Hammond studied at University College, Oxford. He worked in business before becoming an MP. He was also an adviser to the government of Malawi for a few years.

Early Life and Education
Early Political Career
In Government Roles
Life After Government
Political Views
Awards and Honours
Personal Life
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Philip Hammond was born in Epping, Essex, England, on December 4, 1955. His father was a civil engineer.

He went to Shenfield School in Brentwood, Essex. After school, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at University College, Oxford. He earned a top degree from Oxford.

After university, Hammond worked in different businesses. These included medical equipment, property, and oil and gas. He also worked as a consultant for the government of Malawi before he became an MP.

Early Political Career

Philip Hammond became involved in politics in 1989. He was the chairman of the Conservative group in Lewisham East for seven years.

In 1997, he was elected to the House of Commons. He became the MP for Runnymede and Weybridge. He held this seat until 2019.

In Parliament, he worked on a committee for environment and transport. He then became a spokesperson for health and later for trade. He also served in the "Shadow Cabinet," which is a group of opposition MPs who would be ministers if their party were in power.

In Government Roles

Transport Secretary (2010–2011)

In May 2010, Philip Hammond became the Secretary of State for Transport. This meant he was in charge of things like roads, railways, and airports in the UK. He held this job until October 2011.

During his time as Transport Secretary, the government considered raising the speed limit on motorways. However, these plans were later dropped.

Defence Secretary (2011–2014)

In October 2011, Hammond was appointed Secretary of State for Defence. In this role, he was responsible for the UK's armed forces. He also joined the National Security Council.

As Defence Secretary, he made some important changes:

In December 2011, women were allowed to serve on Royal Navy submarines for the first time.
He oversaw job cuts in the armed forces to help manage the defence budget.
He stated that the Falkland Islands did not face a military threat from Argentina.
He reduced the number of senior military positions to save money.
When a security company could not provide enough staff for the 2012 London Olympic Games, Hammond sent 5,000 members of the armed forces to help. Their work was highly praised.

Foreign Secretary (2014–2016)

On July 15, 2014, Hammond became the Foreign Secretary. This job involves managing the UK's relationships with other countries.

He supported the UK staying in the European Union during the 2016 referendum campaign.

Chancellor of the Exchequer (2016–2019)

In July 2016, Philip Hammond was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer by Prime Minister Theresa May. This is one of the most important jobs in the government, as the Chancellor is responsible for the country's economy and finances.

As Chancellor, Hammond said that the UK would leave the European Union. He focused on protecting the economy, jobs, and living standards during this process. He aimed for a good trade agreement with the EU.

In his first budget in March 2017, he proposed changes to taxes for self-employed people. However, this plan was reversed after some opposition. He also continued government policies to manage public spending.

In 2019, with Boris Johnson expected to become the new Prime Minister, Hammond decided to resign. He felt he could not support a "no-deal Brexit" (leaving the EU without an agreement), which Boris Johnson was prepared to do. He resigned on July 24, 2019.

Life After Government

In August 2019, Philip Hammond and other Conservative MPs voted against the government's plans for Brexit. Because of this, they were removed from the Conservative Party group in Parliament. This meant they had to sit as independent MPs.

Hammond did not run for re-election in the 2019 general election.

In 2020, he was given a life peerage, which means he became a member of the House of Lords for life. He is now known as Baron Hammond of Runnymede.

He has also taken on advisory roles in business, including advising Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Finance and a cryptocurrency firm.

Political Views

Philip Hammond believes that to improve public services, everyone, including ordinary earners, might need to pay more tax. He feels that borrowing money is not the best solution for funding these services.

Awards and Honours

United Kingdom:
- May 13, 2010: He became a Member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. This gave him the title "The Right Honourable" and the letters "PC" after his name.

Personal Life

Philip Hammond married Susan Carolyn Williams-Walker in 1991. They have three children: two daughters and one son. They live in Send, Surrey, and also have a home in London.

Images for kids

Hammond meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry
Hammond welcoming Chinese president Xi Jinping to London, 19 October 2015
Hammond with Putin, Xi Jinping and Erdoğan at Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, 2017
Hammond arriving at an Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting as Chancellor
Hammond with Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría at Moncloa Palace in 2018