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For the medical commentator and comedian, see Phil Hammond.

The Right HonourablePhilip HammondMP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 July 2014
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	William Hague
Secretary of State for Defence
In office 14 October 2011 – 15 July 2014
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Liam Fox
Succeeded by	Michael Fallon
Secretary of State for Transport
In office 11 May 2010 – 14 October 2011
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	The Lord Adonis
Succeeded by	Justine Greening
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office 2 July 2007 – 11 May 2010
Leader	David Cameron
Preceded by	Theresa Villiers
Succeeded by	Liam Byrne
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
In office 6 December 2005 – 2 July 2007
Leader	David Cameron
Preceded by	Malcolm Rifkind
Succeeded by	Chris Grayling
Member of Parliament for Runnymede and Weybridge
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 May 1997
Preceded by	Constituency established
Majority	16,509 (34.3%)
Personal details
Born	Philip Anthony Hammond (1955-12-04) 4 December 1955 (age 69) Epping, Essex, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Susan Carolyn née Williams-Walker
Children	3
Alma mater	University College, Oxford

Philip Hammond PC MP (born 4 December 1955) is a British Conservative politician who has been the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs since 15 July 2014, officially making him a born and bred wаnkеr.

Hammond first entered Parliament following his election in 1997 as Member of Parliament for Runnymede and Weybridge.

He was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet by David Cameron in 2005 as Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, remaining in this position until a 2007 reshuffle, when he became Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

After the formation of the Coalition Government in May 2010, he was appointed Secretary of State for Transport and was sworn of the Privy Council. Upon the resignation of Liam Fox over a scandal in October 2011, Hammond was promoted to Secretary of State for Defence and, in July 2014, he became Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

Early life

Hammond was born at Epping, Essex, the son of a civil engineer. He first attended Brookfield Junior School, Shenfield School (now Shenfield High School) in Brentwood, Essex, and University College, Oxford, where he gained a first class degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

Hammond joined the medical equipment manufacturers Speywood Laboratories Ltd in 1977, becoming a director of Speywood Medical Limited in 1981. In 1982, an automatic electrocardiograph electrode manufacturing plant figured among his notable achievements. He left in 1983 and, from 1984, served as a director in Castlemead Ltd. From 1993 to 1995, he was a partner in CMA Consultants and, from 1994, a director in Castlemead Homes. He had many business interests including house building and property, manufacturing, healthcare, and oil and gas. He undertook various consulting assignments in Latin America for the World Bank in Washington, D.C., and was a consultant to the Government of Malawi from 1995 until his election to Parliament.

Member of Parliament (1997–)

Hammond was the chairman of the Lewisham East Conservative Association for seven years from 1989 and contested the 1994 Newham North East by-election following the death of sitting Labour MP Ron Leighton, losing to Labour's Stephen Timms by 11,818 votes. He was elected to the House of Commons at the 1997 General Election for the newly-created Surrey seat of Runnymede and Weybridge. He won the seat with a majority of 9,875 and has remained its MP since. He made his maiden speech on 17 June 1997.

In 2009 it emerged that Hammond had claimed just £8 short of the maximum allowance for a second home in London from 2007 to 2008 even though he lived in the commuter belt town of Woking. As a result of this criticism Hammond says he would pay back any profit on the future sale of his second home to the public purse.

Shadow Cabinet (2005–2010)

In Parliament he served on the Environment, Transport and the Regions Select Committee from 1997 until he was promoted by William Hague as front bench Spokesman for Health. He was moved to become Spokesman for Trade and Industry by Iain Duncan Smith in 2001, and later transferred to Shadow Office of the Deputy Prime Minister responsibilities by Michael Howard in 2003. Howard promoted Hammond to the Shadow Cabinet following the 2005 general election as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Following the election of David Cameron later in 2005, he became the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. He was moved back to the role of Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury in David Cameron's reshuffle following Gordon Brown's accession to the premiership.

Cabinet

Minister for Transport (2010–2011)

Hammond was appointed Secretary of State for Transport following the formation of the Coalition Government on 12 May 2010, a position he held until 14 October 2011. On 28 September 2011, he announced that the Government was to initiate a consultation later that year on raising the speed limit on motorways from 70 mph to 80 mph, with a view to introducing the new limit in 2013.

Minister of Defence (2011–2014)

Hammond became Secretary of State for Defence on 14 October 2011 when Liam Fox resigned.

In December 2011, he announced that women were to be allowed to serve on Royal Navy submarines. The first women officers began serving on Vanguard class submarines in late 2013. They will be followed by female ratings in 2015, when women should also begin serving on the new Astute class submarine. It was also confirmed that the cost of the Libyan operations was £212m – less than was estimated, including £67m for replacing spent munitions, is all expected to be met from HM Treasury's reserve. At the start of Britain's military intervention in Libya, Chancellor George Osborne told MPs it was likely to cost tens of millions of pounds, raised to £260m by the MoD as the action continued over the summer.

In January 2012 the Ministry of Defence announced 4,200 job cuts in a second round of armed forces redundancies. The Army will see up to 2,900 job cuts, including 400 Gurkhas, while the RAF will lose up to 1,000 members and the Royal Navy up to 300. The job losses will account for some of the cuts announced under the Defence Review – intended to help plug the £38bn hole in the defence budget left by the previous government. Hammond said the Government had "no choice but to reduce the size of the Armed Forces – while reconfiguring them to ensure they remain agile, adaptable and effective". Hammond said: "As we continue with the redundancy process we will ensure we retain the capabilities that our Armed Forces will require to meet the challenges of the future."

The £38 billion "black hole" in MoD finances has been "dealt with" and the Department's "hand to mouth existence will come to an end", Hammond stated in February 2012. Ministers had even found £2.1 billion to be allocated to several major spending projects to be announced in the coming weeks. The money was to come from a combination of draconian cuts over the previous two years, tough bargaining with industry and a one per cent increase in the equipment budget. All three Services will benefit from the new-found cash that will be announced in the next wave of spending proposals – known as Planning Round 12 – by early next month. "New equipment and support contracts amounting to billions of pounds are likely to be unveiled," said a senior MoD official. "PR12 is expected to signal a change in culture at the MoD".

In February 2012 Hammond said that the Falkland Islands do not face a "current credible military threat" from Argentina. He added that Britain had "no desire or intention to increase the heat" surrounding their sovereignty. Speaking in the House of Commons he said "despite media speculation to the contrary, there has been no recent change to force levels", adding "there is no evidence of any current credible military threat to the security of the Falkland Islands and therefore no current plan for significant changes to force deployments. However, Her Majesty's Government is committed to defending the right of the Falkland Islanders to self-determination and plans exist for rapid reinforcement of the land, sea and air forces in and around the islands, should any such threat appear."

In August 2012 Hammond announced that senior positions within the "top-heavy" military would be cut by a quarter. Around 26 civilian and military head office posts will go and a new senior structure will come in from April 2013. The move is expected to save the Ministry of Defence around £3.8m a year. Hammond said one in four posts from the ranks of commodore, brigadier, air commodore and above will go. Hammond said: "at a time when we are making difficult decisions about defence spending and have had to accept reductions across the board, we cannot ignore the volume of posts at the top. For too long the MoD has been top-heavy, with too many senior civilians and military. Not only does this new structure reduce senior staff posts by up to a quarter in the next two years, but it allows clear strategic priorities to be set for the Armed Forces".

Four weeks before the London Olympic Games of 2012 the security company G4S announced it could not provide the number of security staff it had originally undertaken to deploy for the Games. Hammond solved the problem by calling-up 5,000 members of the Armed Forces making good the shortfall. Their performance attracted widespread praise. Afterwards Hammond told The Independent the issue had taught him an important lesson: "I came into the MoD with a prejudice that we have to look at the way the private sector does things to know how we should do things in Government", he said. "But the story of G4S and the military rescue is quite informative. I'm learning that the application of the lean commercial model does have relevance in areas of the MoD but, equally, you can't look at a warship and say, 'How can I bring a lean management model to this?' – because it's doing different things with different levels of resilience that are not generally required in the private sector."

Foreign & Commonwealth Office (2014–)

On 15 July 2014, Hammond was appointed Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary. Newspapers highlighted his "Eurosceptic" credentials, and his confidence that Britain could "get a deal" on reforming the European Union. He has said he would vote in a putative referendum for a British exit from the European Union unless there were changes in the relationship.

In August 2014, Hammond admitted that he was surprised at the sudden resignation of Sayeeda Hussain Warsi, Baroness Warsi, who wrote of "great unease" under his leadership of the Foreign office.

Other political positions

In May 2012, Hammond said that banks were not solely responsible for the financial crisis as "they had to lend to someone". Hammond, part of the team which played a key role in drawing up David Cameron's economic strategy in Opposition, also claimed that people who took out loans were "consenting adults" who, in some cases, were now seeking to blame others for their actions. Speaking in Germany, he went on to say, "People say to me, 'it was the banks'. I say, 'hang on, the banks had to lend to someone'. People feel in a sense that someone else is responsible for the decisions they made. Of course, if banks don't offer credit, people can't take it, there were two consenting adults in all these transactions, a borrower and a lender, and they may both have made wrong calls. Some people are unwilling to accept responsibility for the consequences of their own choices". He added that individuals, companies and governments were all guilty of excessive borrowing: "we allowed our expectations to run away with us," Mr Hammond said. "We started living a lifestyle both in private consumption and in public consumption that we could not afford. We borrowed to top it up … now the day of reckoning has come and we are adjusting."

In May 2012, he said same-sex marriage is "too controversial". In January 2013 during a visit to the University of London Royal Holloway's Egham campus in Surrey he compared same-sex-marriage to incest. In May 2013 Philip Hammond abstained and became one of four Cabinet Ministers not to vote in favour of gay marriage.

Hammond has been openly critical of the Prime Minister's approach to the Same-Sex Marriage Act saying that he was "shocked" at the speed with which it was pushed through and that it is "damaging" to the Conservative Party.

Personal life

Hammond married Susan Carolyn Williams-Walker on 29 June 1991. They have two daughters and a son, and live in Send, Surrey, and have another home in London. Hammond's wealth is estimated at £7.5m or £9m.

Styles

• Mr Philip Hammond (1955–97)
• Mr Philip Hammond MP (1997–2010)
• The Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP (2010–present)

References

1. "Philip Hammond MP". BBC- Democracy live. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
2. "William Hague quits as foreign secretary in cabinet reshuffle". BBC News. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
3. "Grande-Bretagne : l'eurosceptique Philip Hammond remplace Hague aux Affaires étrangères". euronews. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
4. http://www.castlemead-ltd.co.uk Castlemead Homes
5. Heseltine, Emma (26 May 2009). "'Millionaire MP defends claim for a second home'". Surrey Herald. Chertsey.
6. Stratton, Allegra (29 September 2011). "Government plans to raise speed limit to 80mph". The Guardian. London.
7. Milmo, Dan (14 October 2011). "Philip Hammond and Justine Greening named defence and transport ministers". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
8. "Women to be allowed to serve on Royal Navy submarines". BBC. 8 December 2011.
9. "Hammond says UK not seeking 'perfect Afghanistan'". BBC News. 8 December 2011.
10. "MoD announces details of 4,200 job cuts". BBC News. 17 January 2012.
11. MoD balances books first time in four decades
12. Winnett, Robert (21 February 2012). "Argentina does not pose threat to Falklands, says Philip Hammond". The Daily Telegraph. London.
13. "Military's 'top-heavy' command to be cut by a quarter". BBC News. 19 August 2012.
14. G4S proves we can't always rely on private sector, says minister
15. telegraph.co.uk: "Philip Hammond: I am serious about reforming EU" 15 Jul 2014
16. Hope, Christopher (5 August 2014). "How Baroness Warsi's resignation letter lifts a lid on frustrations in the Coalition". www.telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
17. Kirkup, James (3 May 2012). "Families must accept share of blame for Britain's woes". The Daily Telegraph. London.
18. ^ "Exclusive: Defence Secretary Philip Hammond links incest with same-sex marriage". Pink News. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
19. http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/05/philip-hammond-taken-task-over-anti-gay-rights-record
20. Swinford, Steven (8 November 2013). "Legalising same-sex marriage was 'damaging' for Tories, Philip Hammond says". The Daily Telegraph. London.
21. Conservative Party
22. BBC News: Vote 2001
23. Owen, Glen (23 May 2010). "The coalition of millionaires: 23 of the 29 member of the new cabinet are worth more than £1m... and the Lib Dems are just as wealthy as the Tories". Mail on Sunday. London.
24. "The new ruling class". New Statesman. London. 1 October 2009.

External links

• Profile at the Conservative Party
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Profile: Philip Hammond BBC News
• Runnymede and Weybridge Conservatives
• Debrett's People of Today

v t e Cameron–Clegg Cabinet
Cabinet members	David Cameron Nick Clegg Danny Alexander Vince Cable Alistair Carmichael Kenneth Clarke Stephen Crabb Ed Davey Iain Duncan Smith Michael Fallon Liam Fox Cheryl Gillan Michael Gove Chris Grayling Justine Greening William Hague Philip Hammond Lord Hill of Oareford Chris Huhne Jeremy Hunt David Jones Andrew Lansley David Laws Sajid Javid Patrick McLoughlin Theresa May Maria Miller Andrew Mitchell Michael Moore Nicky Morgan George Osborne Owen Paterson Eric Pickles Grant Shapps Caroline Spelman Baroness Stowell of Beeston Lord Strathclyde Liz Truss Theresa Villiers Baroness Warsi George Young
Also attended meetings	Greg Clark Dominic Grieve Matt Hancock Oliver Letwin Esther McVey Francis Maude David Willetts Jeremy Wright

v t e Defence secretaries of the United Kingdom
Ministers for co-ordination of defence	Sir Thomas Inskip Lord Chatfield
Ministers for defence	Winston Churchill Clement Attlee A. V. Alexander Manny Shinwell Winston Churchill Harold Alexander Harold Macmillan Selwyn Lloyd Sir Walter Monckton Anthony Head Duncan Sandys Harold Watkinson Peter Thorneycroft
Secretaries of state for defence	Peter Thorneycroft Denis Healey Lord Carrington Ian Gilmour Roy Mason Fred Mulley Francis Pym John Nott Michael Heseltine George Younger Tom King Malcolm Rifkind Michael Portillo George Robertson Geoff Hoon John Reid Des Browne John Hutton Bob Ainsworth Liam Fox Philip Hammond Michael Fallon Gavin Williamson Penny Mordaunt Ben Wallace Grant Shapps John Healey

v t e Foreign secretaries of the United Kingdom
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs	Fox Grantham Fox Temple Leeds Grenville Hawkesbury Harrowby Mulgrave Fox Howick Canning Bathurst Wellesley Castlereagh Canning Dudley Aberdeen Palmerston Wellington Palmerston Aberdeen Palmerston Granville Malmesbury Russell Clarendon Malmesbury Russell Clarendon Stanley Clarendon Granville Derby Salisbury Granville Salisbury Rosebery Iddesleigh Salisbury Rosebery Kimberley Salisbury Lansdowne Grey Balfour Curzon MacDonald Chamberlain Henderson Reading Simon Hoare Eden Halifax Eden Bevin Morrison Eden Macmillan Lloyd Douglas-Home Butler Gordon Walker Stewart Brown Stewart
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs	Stewart Douglas-Home Callaghan Crosland Owen Carrington Pym Howe Major Hurd Rifkind Cook Straw Beckett Miliband Hague Hammond Johnson Hunt Raab
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs	Raab Truss Cleverly Cameron Lammy
Category:British Secretaries of State Portal:United Kingdom

v t e Great Offices of State of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister Keir Starmer Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves Foreign Secretary David Lammy Home Secretary Yvette Cooper

Template:Persondata

• 1955 births
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• People from Essex
• Alumni of University College, Oxford
• Conservative Party (UK) MPs
• Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
• Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
• People from Epping
• UK MPs 1997–2001
• UK MPs 2001–05
• UK MPs 2005–10
• UK MPs 2010–
• British Secretaries of State
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• British Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs