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Bim AfolamiFRSA MP
Official parliamentary portrait 2017
Member of Parliament for Hitchin and Harpenden
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 June 2017
Preceded by	Peter Lilley
Majority	6,895 (11.7%)
Personal details
Born	Abimbola Afolami (1986-02-11) 11 February 1986 (age 38) Crowthorne, Berkshire, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Henrietta Afolami
Children	3
Alma mater	University College, Oxford

Abimbola "Bim" Afolami FRSA (born 11 February 1986) is a British Conservative Party politician. He has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hitchin and Harpenden constituency since the 2017 general election.

Early life

Afolami was born and raised in Crowthorne, Berkshire. His father Samuel is a Nigerian consultant doctor in the NHS, who came to the UK in his early twenties. In 2002, it was reported in the press that Dr Afolami had fabricated qualifications in 1990s job applications to Watford General Hospital and Charing Cross Hospital; he was reprimanded by the General Medical Council, the chairman of the disciplinary panel concluding that Afolami's "actions, though reprehensible, (did) not warrant the imposition of the more severe sanctions at (the GMC's) disposal."

Afolami was educated at Bishopsgate School, Eton College and University College, Oxford, where he read Modern History, served as Librarian of the Oxford Union Society, and played football for the university team.

Before he became an MP, he worked as a corporate lawyer at Freshfields and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and then at HSBC.

Political career

Afolami was the official Conservative candidate for Lewisham Deptford at the 2015 general election, where he finished in second place with 7,056. He was selected as the Conservative candidate for Hitchin and Harpenden constituency in 2017 following the announcement that the sitting Conservative MP Peter Lilley, was to stand down.

He has described Winston Churchill as his 'biggest hero'.

In 2018, Afolami was named one of the Franco-British Council's Young Leaders.

In January 2018, it was revealed that Afolami had claimed £2,000 in expenses for subscription to the European Research Group.

In April 2018, Afolami was a member of the delegation to Beijing for the tenth Anniversary Leadership Forum, led by David Lidington MP. The Forum, entitled ‘Partners for Progress: Strengthening the UK-China relationship in the Golden Era’, aimed to discuss practical cooperation between the UK and China.

In May 2018, it was announced that Afolami would be one of 14 members of Conservative Reform Group, a group of centrist Conservative MPs. Afolami voted "Remain" in the 2016 referendum on EU membership.

At the end of 2018, Afolami joined the Steering Committee of the Constitution Reform Group, a cross-party pressure group chaired by Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, which supports the Act of Union Bill 2018, a Private Member's Bill introduced by Lord Lisvane in the House of Lords on 9 October 2018.

Afolami campaigned for improved rail services following Govia Thameslink's announcement of timetable changes in May 2018.

In September 2018, Afolami was appointed parliamentary private secretary in the Department for Transport.

In December 2018 Afolami announced his support for Theresa May's Brexit deal.

Afolami is Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Credit Unions and a Commissioner for the Financial Inclusion Commission, a financial inclusion campaign group.

References

1. "Afolami, Abimbola, (Bim), (born 11 Feb. 1986), MP (C) Hitchin and Harpenden, since 2017 - WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO". www.ukwhoswho.com. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001 (inactive 22 January 2020).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2020 (link)
2. The Times, 8 Sept. 2012, Announcements section, Engagements
3. "The Berkshire anaesthetist accused of hoodwinking". Court News UK. 2 November 2002.
4. "Doctor's qualifications were false, court hears". News Shopper.
5. "Doctor reprimanded by General Medical Council". News Shopper.
6. http://groupspaces.com/oxford-union/emails/709293
7. Yousif, Layth (15 May 2017). "Learn more about Hitchin and Harpenden's Conservative candidate Bim Afolami". Herts Advertiser. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
8. Stewart, Victoria; Winckler, Marie (6 October 2011). "Rainbow Tories: The geek, the fundraiser and the Tanzanian immigrant's son". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
9. "8 things you need to know about your General Election candidates: Lewisham Deptford". News Shopper.
10. "The Franco-British Young Leaders". Franco-British Council. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
11. Asher, JP (12 January 2018). "Revealed: What your MP has claimed back on expenses". Herts Advertiser. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
12. "10th UK-China Leadership Forum". The Great Britain-China Centre. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
13. David Singleton. "Progressive Tory MPs organise against Jacob Rees Mogg et al". Total Politics. Dods Group plc. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
14. Layth Yousif. "'I've worked hard and made the most of it – now I want to do it for you': The Comet meets Bim Afolami, the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Hitchin and Harpenden". The Comet. Archant Community Media Ltd. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
15. http://www.constitutionreformgroup.co.uk/
16. "Act of Union Bill [HL] 2017-19 — UK Parliament". services.parliament.uk.
17. Andy Roden. "Harpenden MP urges Thameslink frequency improvements". Rail Magazine. Bauer Consumer Media Ltd. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
18. J P Asher (3 September 2018). "Hitchin and Harpenden MP Bim Afolami given Department for Transport post". HertsAd. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
19. "Harpenden MP faces backlash online and in-person after announcing he would support Brexit deal". Herts Advertiser. 5 December 2018.
20. "All Party Parliamentary Group". www.abcul.org.
21. "Financial Inclusion Commission". www.financialinclusioncommission.org.uk.

External links

• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou

• CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2020
• 1986 births
• People from Crowthorne
• Living people
• Black British politicians
• Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
• UK MPs 2017–2019
• English people of Nigerian descent
• People educated at Eton College
• Alumni of University College, Oxford
• Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
• UK MPs 2019–
• English people of Yoruba descent
• Yoruba politicians
• HSBC people