Tom Gordon | |
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Member of Parliament for Harrogate and Knaresborough | |
Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
Preceded by | Andrew Jones |
Majority | 8,238 (15.9%) |
Personal details | |
Born | Thomas Anthony Gordon Knottingley, West Yorkshire, England |
Political party | Liberal Democrats |
Alma mater | Newcastle University |
Website | www |
Thomas Anthony Gordon is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Harrogate and Knaresborough since 2024.
Thomas Anthony Gordon[1] was born and raised in Knottingley.[2] He received a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry at Newcastle University. He went on to study for a master's degree in public health (MPH) also at Newcastle, which he completed part-time due to his mother's battle with breast cancer, which he says inspired his entry into politics.[3] His mother, Adele Hayes, is a councillor for Knottingley on Wakefield Council.
Before entering Parliament, Gordon worked in the scientific recruitment and health services research sector,[3] as well as policy roles in the charitable sector, including for the Carers Trust, and as a researcher for a member of the European Parliament.
While at university, he was elected as a councillor for Manor Park on Newcastle City Council in 2018, serving for one year. Afterwards, he returned to Knottingley after taking a job at the University of York and stood for election in Knottingley on Wakefield Council, achieving a 54.2-per-cent swing from Labour and becoming the first Liberal Democrat elected to Wakefield Council since 2011.[4] Subsequently, he became one of Yorkshire's youngest council group leaders.
He was chosen as the Liberal Democrats' candidate for the 2021 Batley and Spen by-election, after the initial candidate Jo Conchie withdrew due to health reasons.[5] He had previously stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford at the 2019 United Kingdom general election.[6] Gordon was chosen as the party's candidate for the constituency of Harrogate and Knaresborough,[7] which he won with 23,976 votes (46.1 per cent) at the 2024 general election.[8]
Gordon is gay.[9] He is also a keen badminton player and runner, regularly participating in Parkrun events,[2][10] and had completed more than a dozen long distance charity runs as of 2024[update], including marathons in Paris and Berlin, to raise money for charity.[11]
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North West England | |
Yorkshire and the Humber | |
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East of England | |
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