David was first elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for the Witney constituency in West Oxfordshire in June 2001. He was a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee and took an interest in a wide range of subjects. He has previously held a special debate on disability issues and GBS, an infection affecting new born babies. As a constituency MP he has made a series of speeches, points and questions in Parliament about local issues. These include debates about the NHS and transport in Oxfordshire; questions about the A40, rural issues, retention and pay of public servants, the future of RAF Brize Norton and funding for forces schools.

In December 2005 David was elected leader of the Conservative Party.

He has previously held the positions of Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons (2003), Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party (2003), front bench spokesman on Local Government Finance (2004) and Head of Policy Co-ordination up until May 2005. After the General Election in 2005 David held the position of Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills. In December 2005 he became The Leader of H.M. Opposition.

Born in October 1966, David has worked at a high level in both business and Government. He spent almost seven years at Carlton Communication plc, one of the UK's leading media companies, where he was Director of Corporate Affairs and served on the Executive Board.

Before joining Carlton, he worked as a special Advisor at both the Home Office and the Treasury. He has worked closely with Ministers on major legislation, budgets and spending rounds.

David is married to Samantha, who is the Creative Director of Smythsons of Bond Street. They have homes in West Oxfordshire and London and have three children.

Career
2001 - MP for Witney
1994-2001 Director of Corporate Affairs, Carlton Communications Plc
1993-1994 Special Advisor to the Home Secretary
1992-1993 Special Advisor to the Chancellor of the Exchequer
1988-1992 Conservative Research Department, Head of the Political Section

Education
1979-1985 Eton College
1985-1988 Brasenose, Oxford. 1st Class Hons in Politics, Philosophy and Economics

Interests

In Parliament, David has also served on the Modernisation Committee that looks at operation and reform of the House of Commons. He is a Vice-Chairman of the All Party Committee on Drugs and the All Party Media Committee. David was recently elected to the Executive of the British American Parliamentary Group and the Council of the Royal Institute for International Affairs.

In West Oxfordshire, David supports a range of local groups and charities. He is a Patron of St Mary's Church in Witney, the Carterton Educational Trust, the Oxfordshire Victoria County History Trust and the Mulberry Bush School in Standlake. In the last three years he has completed three sponsored bicycle rides raising around £8000 for a range of local charities, including Oxfordshire Association for the Blind, the Lawrence Home Nursing Team, SCCWID and Springfield School in Witney.

Outside work, David's interests include playing tennis, riding, country sports and watching television. He is a keen cook.