Cllr Lee Dillon | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Newbury | |
Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
Preceded by | Laura Farris |
Majority | 2,337 (4.8%) |
Leader of West Berkshire Council | |
In office 4 May 2023 – 30 April 2024 | |
Succeeded by | Jeff Brooks |
Constituency | Thatcham North East |
Personal details | |
Born | 1983 (age 41) Thatcham, England |
Political party | Liberal Democrats |
Website | https://www.leedillon.co.uk |
Lee Raymond James Dillon [1] (born 1983) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Newbury since 2024. He gained the seat from Conservative, Laura Farris. [2]
Before entering Parliament, Dillon was a social housing senior manager for sovereign housing and had served as Leader of West Berkshire Council from 2023 to 2024. [3] [4]
Dillon describes former Newbury MP, David Rendel, as his political inspiration. [5]
Dillon became a councillor on Thatcham town council in 2007, twice elected as the mayor. [6] In 2015, he became a councillor on West Berkshire Council. [7]
At the 2023 local elections, the Liberal Democrats took majority control of West Berkshire Council. [8] [9] Subsequently, Dillon was elected council leader. [10] He took sabbatical leave from the role in January 2024, before resigning as leader on 30 April 2024 to contest the Newbury constituency in the upcoming general election. [11]
Dillon first stood for election at the 2005 general election in Islwyn, coming third with 12.5%. [12] He again stood for election for the Newbury constituency in the 2019 general election, coming second with 30.6%. [13]
In 2023, Dillon was re-selected as the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Newbury. [14] He went on to win the constituency at the 2024 general election with 40.1%, winning the seat for the Liberal Democrats for the first time since 2001. [15] [16]
Dillon grew up in Thatcham, where his family owns a local pub. [17]
Dillon has a wife and young children. His father was a trade union official. [4] [17]
A keen football fan, he regularly takes his children to watch Reading F.C., and supports his local team, Thatcham Town F.C. [17]