Conor Burns was elected as the Conservative MP for Bournemouth West in 2010, being re-elected in 2019 with a majority of 10,150.
The constituency of Bournemouth West spreads out from the town centre of Bournemouth and the beaches around West Cliff to include the areas around Kinson and Talbot Woods and the community of Branksome on the edge of Poole. Bournemouth University is found in this constituency. With the economy dominated by financial services and tourism, this has been a safe Conservative seat ever since 1950.
Conor Burns was appointed Minister of State for Northern Ireland in September 2021.
He previously served as PPS to Prime Minister Boris Johnson during Johnson’s time at the Foreign Office. He served briefly as the Minister of State for International Trade in 2019-20.
Burns was born in Belfast in 1972 and his family moved to Hertfordshire in 1980. After secondary school in St Albans, Conor attended Southampton University where he studied Modern History and Politics.
He was Company Secretary and Head of Business Development for DeHavilland Information Services, and later worked in sales management for Zurich insurance.
A gifted orator, Burns is personally close with the Prime Minister. He was also a close personal friend in the years before her death, of Margaret Thatcher. Burns voted Leave in the 2016 EU referendum and is on the right of the party. He is Chairman of Conservative Way Forward.
Burns was formerly a councillor on Southampton City Council in 1999, where he was briefly Group Leader of the Conservative Opposition. He was selected to fight Eastleigh in 1999 and contested the seat in 2001 and 2005 general elections. He lost very narrowly on each occasion.
Burns is a Catholic, and openly gay. He has fallen out with his local Bishop over the issue of same sex marriage, which Burns has supported.
Conor Burns is Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights; Chile; and Education Technology.
Burns is a big snooker fan and regularly attends tournaments. He can often be seen on the final day of a major tournament sitting in the front row.
Email: conor.burns.mp@parliament.uk
Personal Website: http://www.conorburns.com/
Twitter: @Conor_BurnsMP
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/conorburns
