About Antony
Antony served as the first Conservative Member of Parliament for Burnley in over 100 years.
Antony grew up in Haslingden, a small town in the county of Lancashire, which borders the bigger towns of Burnley and Blackburn. Attending the local state comprehensive - Haslingden High School - his childhood was defined in no small part by the six years he spent as an Army Cadet where his sense of public service was nurtured. It was also here, whilst studying politics at college, that Antony first began his political journey by volunteering in the local Conservative Party office.
At the age of 18 Antony became the first member of his family to go to university, leaving home to attend the University Of Hull to read British Politics and Legislative Studies. His campaigning experience continued to grow as he supported the local Conservative candidate who went on to win their election in 2010.
As part of his studies Antony spent his third year as an intern in the House of Commons, working for a Conservative MP who had a strong interest in the armed forces and foreign policy.
Completing his degree in 2012, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts with Honours, in the Second Class Upper Division, Antony initially began the process of joining the British Army.
Personal circumstances led to Antony leaving this process, at which time he enrolled at the prestigious City University, London, to complete a Graduate Diploma in Law.
After completing this in 2014 Antony began a successful career in the City of London, using his knowledge of politics and the law to support financial services businesses as they navigated the post-crash regulatory landscape.
By age 26 Antony had joined one of the UK's largest banking groups in NatWest (formerly RBS) to lead on regulatory engagement for the retail and wealth arms. He continued in this role for five years, taking on responsibility for managing the Group's regulatory engagement on significant issues including Brexit, a digital-only bank requiring new authorisations, and EU state aid remedies.
Throughout this time Antony continued to be politically active, becoming an officer of his local Conservative Association and campaigning in three General Elections and multiple local authority elections. He was also a mentor to young offenders who were preparing for release from custody, seeking to give back and support efforts to reduce re-offending.
In 2018 Antony completed the process to become an Approved Parliamentary Candidate for the Conservative Party, with a determination to stand for election in the county in which he was born and where his family and friends still resided. When the General Election was called in 2019 this ambition came to fruition, with Antony chosen as the candidate in the Burnley constituency.
The area had not returned a Conservative MP since 1910, and even then this had been a short lived success for the party as the second election of 1910 had resulted in the Conservative incumbent (Gerald Arbuthnot) being removed from office.
With a small but dedicated team of volunteers, and using social media to its maximum potential, Antony turned the tide and became the Conservative Member of Parliament for Burnley on 12th December 2019.
Antony is a firm believer that the UK has a bright future outside of the European Union, and so his first committee membership upon his election was to the Future Relationship with the EU Committee.
Giving his maiden speech in the House of Commons on the 16th March 2020, Antony spoke in particular about business, saying:
"I want to do my bit to make their lives easier, encouraging even more to set up, drawing on the engineering prowess of the town, the digital skills that we are growing by the day and the fortitude of those who live there. The UK is consistently ranked as one of the best places in the world to start a business. My job is to ensure that Burnley is the best place in the UK to do so."
After the UK's departure from the European Union Antony moved to the respected Public Accounts Committee, which holds responsibility for the National Audit Office and scrutinising all Government spending. With such a wide-ranging brief, Antony tended to focus his time on matters pertaining to defence, business and employment schemes.
In mid-2021 Antony was appointed by then Conservative Party Chairman, The Rt Hon Oliver Dowden, as a Vice Chair of the party with responsibility for supporting local government candidates across the country.
Antony moved on from this role in 2022 when he became a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA). In this role Antony supported Government Ministers in the department as they managed contentious issues in Parliament, and preparing for speeches and questions.
Giving up his role as a PPS in early 2023, Antony joined the Business and Trade Select Committee, which had responsibility for scrutinising all UK government policy on industrial strategy, manufacturing, and international trade - including FTAs and MOUs.
Through this role and other work Antony homed his international engagement experience, visiting and engaging with government leaders and legislators from South Korea, the USA, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Bahrain, the EU, and more.
Antony is also alumni of the well-respected Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme (AFPS) which aims to immerse parliamentarians in the work of all branches of the UK military.
Antony has also undertaken a number of further international engagements, including an exchange programme with the US State Department which saw him spend time with a US Congressman in their district, as well as solidarity visits to both Ukraine and Israel.
Outside of work, Antony loves spending time with his nephews Caleb and Boden, nieces Sienna and Arabella, and Godsons Henry and Walter.
He is also a keen traveller.
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You can view Antony's professional experience and CV by going to the 'Professional Background' section of this website.