Born in Bolton in 1958, Laurence Robertson comes from a traditionally Labour voting family and has had a diverse working life, having held positions in the building materials, textiles and charity fundraising industries.
In 1981, Laurence became a member of the Conservative Party and in 1983 stood for the local council in Bolton. He stood again in 1986, and in the same year made his way onto the Conservative Party’s list of approved parliamentary candidates. He fought his first general election in 1987, contesting the constituency of Makerfield, a safe Labour seat. Following Makerfield, Laurence fought for Ashfield in 1992, another safe Labour seat, and it wasn’t until 1997 that he recorded a victory when he contested, and won, the newly created seat for Tewkesbury with almost 10,000 of the votes.
Whilst in parliament, Laurence has had numerous roles within the party including, Opposition Whip, Shadow Minister for Trade and industry, the Treasury and Northern Ireland. As well as this, Laurence has also been a member of various select committees and currently chairs the Northern Ireland Affairs select committee.
His time in the House of Commons is rich with experience, and on his career as an MP, Laurence has said, “It was a long journey from the cotton mills of Lancashire to the Palace of Westminster, but it was one I enjoyed and one I would like to continue.”