James was elected in December 2019 as the MP for North West Norfolk.
Born in Norwich, James grew up in North Walsham and was lucky enough to win an assisted place at Norwich School. Although he studied at Queen Mary University, and worked in London he has kept his strong links to the county - not least as a season ticket holder at Carrow Road! James fought North Norfolk at the 2017 general election and is proud to represent Norfolk in Parliament.
Before being elected to Parliament, James held roles in both the public and private sectors. He was a Special Adviser to senior Cabinet ministers including the Defence Secretary and the then de facto Deputy Prime Minister. From July 2019 until the general election, James was a Senior Special Adviser to the Prime Minister in the Brexit Unit. Prior to his roles in government, James worked in the private sector including for a consultancy advising major international business and for a leading mobile communications company.
Since being elected to Parliament, James has been a strong voice locally and in Westminster for North West Norfolk. His top priority is securing investment for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and he has been lobbying the Prime Minister and Health Secretary to include QEH in the government's health new hospitals programme. He has campaigned for improved infrastructure to support jobs and growth including better rail services and the introduction of 8 car trains from King's Lynn to Cambridge as well as major investment in Ely North to increase capacity and unlock half-hourly off peak services from King's Lynn to King's Cross.
James is working to ensure that North West Norfolk benefits from the government's levelling up agenda including through his role on the King's Lynn Town's Fund Board which secured a £25 million Town Deal. He has championed #LoveWestNorfolk to support tourism and heritage which is an important part of the local economy. He is promoting the beautiful coastline, countryside and protecting chalk streams by working with the Norfolk Rivers' Trust, RSPB, National Trust and other local groups. He meets with Norfolk Police regularly to raise residents' issues and to be briefed on plans to cut crime.
James was a member of the powerful Public Accounts Committee from March 2020-November 2022 which holds the government to account for how taxpayers' money is spent.
From September 2021-July 2022, he served as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Rt Hon Oliver Dowden MP, Conservative Party Chairman and Minister without Portfolio. A PPS is an unpaid assistant to a Minister, they often advise the minister on the state of parliamentary opinion, and act as a two-way channel of communication between the Minister and backbench MPs.
In October 2022, James was appointed PPS to the Law Officers - the Attorney General and the Solicitor General. In November, he was appointed PPS to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Rt Hon Mel Stride MP.
He is a member of a number of All Party Parliamentary Groups including the Armed Forces; Veterans; Speech and Language Therapy; Cricket; Dark Skies; Motor Neurone Disease; Gambling Related Harms; Fairgrounds and Circuses; and Motorsport.
As well as supporting Norwich City, James regularly watches the Linnets at the Walks.
James has run the London Marathon twice since being elected to raise funds for important local charities - in 2021 he raised over £6,000 in total for the Purfleet Trust, Little Discoverers, and West Norfolk Carers fins in in 3hr 36mins 13s. In 2022, he raised £3,500 for the Pandora Project, West Norfolk Befriending, and West Norfolk Deaf Association finishing in 3hrs 37mins 13s. He finished as the fastest English MP, second to his Welsh colleague Alun Cairns overall.
He lives in the constituency and will often be found running, or cycling, around the countryside or at the coast.
