John Baron was first elected as the Conservative MP for Billericay in 2001, being reelected for Basildon and Billericay in 2019 with a majority of 20,412.
This south Essex constituency contains the towns of Great Burstead, and Billericay, and a large proportion of the town of Basildon. The seat contains a high proportion of London commuters. Although Basildon has supported Labour in the past, this is currently a safe Conservative constituency and some two thirds of the local population backed Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum..
Born in 1959, Baron attended nine state and grammar schools by the age of 16, whereupon he finished his sixth form studies at Queen’s College, Taunton. Having studied Law, History and Politics at Cambridge, John Baron joined the army in 1984.
After attending Sandhurst, Baron served in Berlin and Crossmaglen as a platoon commander, and then with the United Nations in Cyprus, before finishing in Germany as the Battalion Operations Officer.
On leaving the Army at the rank of Captain in 1987, Baron became an Investment Manager in London, specialising in the charities sector and private clients, becoming a Director of Hendersons and Rothschild Asset Management. He is a member of the Securities Institute.
He remains a Director of Equi Ltd which runs an Investment Trust website, and according to the Register of Members Interests, he is a shareholder and a person with significant control in Baron and Grant Investment Management Ltd.
He writes a monthly investment column for the Investors’ Chronicle magazine.
Baron voted to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum. He also voted against military action in the Gulf War in 2003, and again in Syria in 2013.
He was briefly an Opposition Whip between 2007 and 2010.
Baron supported Dominic Raab in the 2019 Conservative leadership election.
John Baron is Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on the British Council. He is Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Iran; and Cancer.
Email: baronj@parliament.uk
Personal Website: www.johnbaron.co.uk
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Baron
