Sam Gyimah facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sam Gyimah
Official portrait, 2017
Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation
In office 9 January 2018 – 30 November 2018
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Jo Johnson
Succeeded by	Chris Skidmore
Minister of State for Prisons
In office 17 July 2016 – 9 January 2018
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Andrew Selous
Succeeded by	Rory Stewart
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Childcare and Education
In office 21 July 2014 – 17 July 2016
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Liz Truss
Succeeded by	Caroline Dinenage
Parliamentary Secretary for the Constitution
In office 14 July 2014 – 12 May 2015
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Greg Clark
Succeeded by	John Penrose
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office 7 October 2013 – 14 July 2014
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Desmond Swayne
Succeeded by	Harriett Baldwin
Liberal Democrat frontbench positions Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy In office 21 October 2019 – 13 December 2019 Leader Jo Swinson Preceded by Sir Ed Davey Succeeded by Sarah Olney (Business and Industrial Strategy) Wera Hobhouse (Energy and Climate Change)
Member of Parliament for East Surrey
In office 6 May 2010 – 6 November 2019
Preceded by	Peter Ainsworth
Succeeded by	Claire Coutinho
Personal details
Born	Samuel Phillip Gyimah (1976-08-10) 10 August 1976 (age 48) Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England
Political party	Liberal Democrats (2019–present)
Other political affiliations	Conservative (1999–2019)
Spouse	Nicky Black ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	2
Alma mater	Somerville College, Oxford

Samuel Phillip Gyimah (born 10 August 1976) is a British politician and banker. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for East Surrey from 2010 to 2019. An MP is a person elected to represent a group of people in the national parliament.

He was first elected as a member of the Conservative Party. In 2019, he disagreed with the government's plan for Brexit (Britain leaving the European Union). Because of this, he was removed from the Conservative Party. He then joined the Liberal Democrats. He ran for them in the 2019 election but did not win. Today, Sam Gyimah works on the board of Goldman Sachs International, a big financial company.

Between 2014 and 2018, he held several important government jobs. He was a Minister for Universities, Science, Research, and Innovation. He resigned from this role in 2018 because he disagreed with the government's Brexit plan.

Early Life and Education

Sam Gyimah was born on 10 August 1976 in Beaconsfield, England. His father was a GP (a doctor who treats common illnesses), and his mother was a midwife (a healthcare professional who helps women during childbirth).

When he was six, his parents separated. His mother took Sam and his younger brother and sister to Ghana, where she was from. For ten years, Sam went to Achimota School in Accra, Ghana. He later returned to the UK to finish his school exams, called GCSEs and A-levels. He studied at Freman College, a state school.

After school, he went to Somerville College, Oxford at the University of Oxford. He studied Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. In 1997, he was elected President of the Oxford Union, which is a famous debating society at the university.

Career Before Politics

After graduating from Oxford, Sam Gyimah started working at Goldman Sachs. He was an investment banker, which means he helped companies and governments manage their money. In 2003, he left Goldman Sachs to start his own company called Clearstone Training and Recruitment Limited. He was even named "CBI Entrepreneur of the Future" in 2005.

In 2005, he helped write a report for the Bow Group, a think tank (a group that does research and gives advice on political issues) linked to the Conservative Party. He later became the chairman of the Bow Group from 2006 to 2007.

Time as a Member of Parliament

Conservative MP (2010–2019)

Sam Gyimah was chosen to be the prospective parliamentary candidate (the person hoping to be elected as an MP) for East Surrey. He was elected as an MP in the 2010 general election. His first speech in Parliament, called a maiden speech, was on 29 July 2010.

He joined the International Development Select Committee, a group of MPs who look into how the UK helps other countries. He was interested in how businesses could help with international development. He also spoke often about education and jobs. He supported local campaigns to protect the green belt, which is land kept open to prevent towns from growing too much.

In 2011, he suggested a new way for businesses to get money, called "British Industry and Enterprise Bonds." He was the first MP to suggest "credit-easing" to help Britain's economy recover.

In 2012, he became a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Prime Minister, David Cameron. This meant he helped the Prime Minister with his duties. In 2013, he became a Government Whip. Whips make sure that MPs from their party vote in a certain way. He supported the UK staying in the European Union during the 2016 referendum.

Work as a Minister

From 2014 to 2016, Sam Gyimah was the Childcare and Education Minister. He helped create the Childcare Bill, which aimed to give working parents 30 hours of free childcare per week for their 3 and 4-year-old children. This bill became law in 2016.

In 2015, he spoke for a long time in Parliament to delay a bill that would have made first aid training compulsory in secondary schools. He was worried it would add too much to the school curriculum. However, he did launch "Millie's Mark" in 2016. This is a special award for nurseries that train all their staff in pediatric first aid, making childcare safer for young children.

Sam Gyimah has always supported LGBT equality. He voted for same-sex couples to have the right to marry across the UK. He also supported the "Turing Bill," which pardoned men who were convicted of certain offences that are no longer considered crimes today.

As Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, he visited many universities. He encouraged university leaders to focus on student mental health. He also spoke about the importance of freedom of speech at universities.

Resignation Over Brexit

On 30 November 2018, Sam Gyimah resigned from his government role. He was the seventh minister to resign over Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement. He believed the deal was not good for Britain and would leave the UK in a weaker position. He felt it would make Britain a "rule taker" instead of a "rule maker."

He was particularly concerned about the UK's role in the Galileo satellite navigation project. He felt the UK had no power in these negotiations. He wanted the public to have a final say on the Brexit deal through another referendum. He then co-founded a group called Right to Vote.

In June 2019, Sam Gyimah announced he wanted to become the leader of the Conservative Party. He was the only candidate who supported a second Brexit referendum. He later withdrew from the leadership race.

Leaving the Conservative Party

Gyimah with Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson at the 2019 Liberal Democrat autumn conference

On 3 September 2019, Sam Gyimah and twenty other Conservative MPs voted against the government's plan to leave the European Union without a deal. Because they voted against the party, they were removed from the Conservative Party. This meant they had to sit in Parliament as independent MPs.

On 14 September, he joined the Liberal Democrats. He became their spokesperson for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy. In the December 2019 general election, he ran for the Liberal Democrats in Kensington but did not win.

After Parliament

In August 2020, Sam Gyimah joined the board of Oxford University Innovation. This company helps turn research from the University of Oxford into new businesses and products.

In September 2020, he hosted a show on BBC Radio 4 about the future of higher education in Britain. In October 2020, he returned to Goldman Sachs, the company where he started his career. He became a non-executive director for two of their international branches.

Personal Life

In 2012, Sam Gyimah married Nicky Black. They have a son and a daughter. They met at Oxford University, where Nicky was also President of the Oxford Union. Nicky Black is from New Zealand and grew up in Hong Kong. She has worked for a mining company and for an international council focused on mining and metals.

Sam Gyimah has volunteered and raised money for several charities. These include Crisis (which helps homeless people), the Down's Syndrome Association, and St. Catherine's Hospice. He has also been a school governor and served on the board of a housing association. He is a Vice-President of the Young Epilepsy charity in Surrey.