Derek Thomas was first elected as the Conservative MP for St Ives in Cornwall in 2015, being reelected in 2019 with a majority of 4,284
The St Ives constituency covers the far south eastern corner of England in Cornwall, and includes England’s most westerly and south points. It contains the towns of St Ives and Penzance, as well as the Isles of Scilly. As a consequence of collecting ballot boxes from the various islands in Scilly it is usually one of the last constituencies to declare its election result. The economy is heavily dominated by tourism. The seat is a closely fought Liberal Democrat – Conservative marginal, which was held by the Lib Dems between 1997 and 2015.
Born in 1972, Derek Thomas grew up in west Cornwall, and completed a Cornish mason apprenticeship, enabling him in time to set up his own small construction business. He later moved into the voluntary sector, working as a development manager for the Mustard Seed charity.
In 1997 he set up an outdoor adventure project (Survivealive Youthworks) for young people, which he continues to run.
He supported Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum and is a member of the European Reform Group of Conservative MPs.
He is one of the few Conservative MPs who supports Proportional Representation.
He backed Jeremey Hunt in the 2019 Conservative Leadership election.
He previously served as Penwith District Councillor. He is married with three children.
Derek Thomas is the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Axial Spondyloarthritis; Brain Tumuors; and Diabetes. Derek Thomas is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Ocean Conservation; Online and Home Electrical Safety; UK Islands; Post Offices; Radiotherapy; Armed Forces; Dying Well; and Healthy Homes and Buildings.
Email: derek.thomas.mp@parliament.uk
Personal Website: http://derekthomas.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/derekthomas2015
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/derekthomas.org?fref=ts
