David Davis's Biography

Who is David Davis?

David Michael Davis was born on 23 December 1948 in York. His father left home before David Davis was born. Four years later, his mother married Ronald Alexander Davis, a shop steward at Battersea power station. David Davis's grandfather was a communist who went on the Jarrow march.

David Davis was brought up on a council estate in South London and he went to Bec Grammar School in Tooting. He then studied at Warwick University (BSc), London Business School (MSc) and Harvard Business School (Advanced Management Programme).

In 1973 David Davis became Chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students. In 1987 he won the safe seat of Boothferry, replacing the retiring Conservative MP Sir Paul Bryan.

David Davis was a director of Tate & Lyle in the late 1980s. He was also President of the Canadian sweetener manufacturer Zymaize.

After the 1997 general election, when he was returned as MP for Haltemprice and Howden, David Davis chaired the Public Accounts Committee.

Davis withdrew from the Tory leadership contest in 2001 after faring poorly. In the same year he became Chairman of the Conservative Party, but was made Shadow Deputy Prime Minister in 2002.

In 2003, David Davis became Shadow Home Secretary, and in 2005, when Michael Howard resigned, he was in pole position to became the new Conservative Party leader, however he was pipped at the post by David Cameron.

David Davies used to be a member of the Territorial Army's SAS and he enjoys parachute jumps, mountain climbing and flying light aircraft.

On 12 June 2008, David Davies surprised all the political pundits when he resigned as an M.P in order to force a by-election in his Haltemprice and Howden constituency, to campaign against "the slow strangulation of fundamental British freedoms by this government".

On 10 July 2008, David Davis regained his seat with a majority of 15,355. The Labour Party and the Lib Dems did not stand. Turnout was 34%.

In July 2016, the new Prime Minister Theresa May appointed David Davis, who had campaigned for Britain to leave the EU, to the new Cabinet post of 'Brexit' Secretary.

David resigned from his post in July 2018, after disagreements with Theresa May's approach to Brexit.

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