Aidan Burley
Aidan Burley | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 22, 1979 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, businessman, former Member of Parliament |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Known for | MP for Cannock Chase (2010–2015), CEO of Friction Free Shaving |
Aidan Burley (born 22 January 1979) is a British entrepreneur, businessman, and former Member of Parliament. He represented the Conservative Party as the MP for Cannock Chase between 2010 and 2015.
Early life
Burley was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and relocated to the United Kingdom with his family soon after birth. His education included West House School followed by King Edward's School in Birmingham, where he notably won a Conservative mock election in 1997. He later pursued higher studies at St John's College, Oxford.
Career
Before entering politics, Burley worked as a management consultant with firms such as Accenture and Hedra/Mouchel, managing contracts involving the Home Office and National Health Service. He also provided assistance to Conservative shadow ministers Philip Hammond and Nick Herbert. In 2006, he secured election as a Conservative councillor representing Fulham Broadway ward on Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council.
Parliamentary career
In the 2010 general election, Burley was elected to the House of Commons as MP for Cannock Chase, achieving a majority of 3,195 votes. His victory marked the most significant swing from Labour to Conservative at 14.01%.
From 2010 to 2011, he served on the Home Affairs Select Committee. Between January and December 2011, he held the position of Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Secretary of State for Transport, initially under Philip Hammond and subsequently under Justine Greening. Burley was also affiliated with the Free Enterprise Group.
According to ConservativeHome, he was among a small group of loyal Conservative backbench MPs who consistently supported the government without participating in major rebellions.
In 2014, Burley was one of seven Conservative MPs opposing the Equal Pay (Transparency) Bill, which sought to mandate companies with over 250 employees to publish information regarding gender pay disparities.
Controversies
In December 2011, Burley attended a stag party in Val Thorens, France, during which the groom donned a Nazi uniform and performed a Nazi salute. Burley later expressed remorse for his involvement in the event. Subsequently, Prime Minister David Cameron removed him from his parliamentary role amid further accusations. An internal review by the Conservative Party deemed Burley's conduct offensive but did not classify it as racist or anti-Semitic. In February 2014, Burley announced his decision not to stand for reelection in 2015.
During the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, Burley criticized its perceived left-leaning nature via Twitter, later clarifying that his remarks targeted its style of presentation. His comments attracted criticism from figures including fellow Conservative MP Gavin Barwell and Prime Minister David Cameron. Additionally, Burley expressed dissatisfaction with the ceremony’s political tone by tweeting calls to "Bring back Shakespeare, Red Arrows and the Stones."
Political funding
Reports in 2014 indicated that since 2010, the Cannock Chase Conservative Association had received £28,927 in funding. Burley secured corporate contributions from entities such as Japan Tobacco International, JCB Research, and Conservative Friends of Israel. Furthermore, he earned £3,600 from Clever Together LLP for consultancy work carried out in 2012.
Business
In 2015, Burley co-established Friction Free Shaving, an online subscription-based e-commerce company designed as the female-oriented equivalent to Dollar Shave Club. Acting as CEO, he successfully led investment efforts that raised £1.25 million from Northern & Shell. In 2023, he departed the business following a management buyout.
Burley took on the role of Chief of Staff to the Chairman at WorldPR, a worldwide public relations firm, beginning in 2021.
External links
- Aidan Burley MP official website
- Aidan Burley MP Conservative Party profile
- Commons Hansard contributions 2010–11
- Aidan Burley profile at New Statesman Your democracy
- Official channel on YouTube
- 1979 births
- Living people
- Accenture people
- Alumni of St John's College, Oxford
- Conservative Party (UK) councillors
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
- Councillors in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
- New Zealand emigrants to the United Kingdom
- People educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham
- Politicians from Auckland
- UK MPs 2010–2015
- Reform UK politicians