Felicity Buchan

Felicity Buchan
Born	1970 Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Occupation(s)	Politician, former banker
Years active	2019–2024 (MP)
Known for	Member of Parliament for Kensington (2019–2024), Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing and Homelessness (2022–2024), Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (2022)

Felicity Christiana Buchan (born 1970) is a British politician and ex-banker who represented the Kensington constituency as its MP from 2019 until the seat was dissolved in 2024. Affiliated with the Conservative Party, she served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing and Homelessness at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities between October 2022 and July 2024. Prior to this, Buchan briefly held the role of Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury from September to October 2022.

Before embarking on her political career, Buchan was engaged in investment banking with both JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America. She stood unsuccessfully for parliamentary seats in the 2015 and 2017 general elections before securing Kensington in 2019 by unseating the sitting Labour MP, Emma Dent Coad.

Early life and education

Born in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Buchan is the daughter of Charles Buchan, a former SNP councillor, and Georgina Buchan. She attended Fraserburgh Academy and pursued legal studies at Christ Church, Oxford.

Financial career

Buchan dedicated ten years to American investment bank JPMorgan Chase, working within their syndicate and capital markets division and advancing to vice president of the European syndicate. In 2001, she transitioned to Bank of America, taking on the role of managing director in their debt capital markets division. As of September 2022, she held shares worth at least £70,000 in each institution.

Following her departure from finance, Buchan volunteered at a children's charity located in North Kensington and chaired the governing body of Bousfield Primary School.

Early political career

Buchan contested the South Down seat as a Conservative candidate during the 2015 general election, finishing last with 318 votes (0.7%). She then ran for South Shields in 2017, achieving second place with 10,570 votes (25.9%), trailing behind Labour's Emma Lewell-Buck.

In the course of the 2017 campaign, Buchan penned an article for BrexitCentral advocating for a stringent Brexit arrangement that involved leaving the Single Market, Customs Union, and ECJ jurisdiction, while also critiquing political attitudes centered predominantly around London.

2019 election

On 16 July 2019, Buchan was chosen as the Conservative candidate for Kensington, having previously held roles as treasurer and board member of the Kensington Chelsea & Fulham Conservatives Local Association until that year. She noted her 25-year residence within Kensington. Regarding Brexit, she favored a negotiated settlement and opposed a hard Brexit approach. In the 2019 general election, she secured victory with a slim majority of 150 votes.

Tenure

Following her election, Buchan pledged to rapidly implement the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, addressing issues stemming from the 2017 fire within her constituency. She was appointed to the Treasury Select Committee from March 2020 until December 2021 and has served on the Finance Committee since March 2020.

On 7 September 2020, Buchan opposed a Labour amendment to the Fire Safety Bill intended to accelerate Grenfell recommendations’ enforcement. This decision attracted criticism from campaign groups and opposition members. She defended her stance by emphasizing the government’s dedication to executing those recommendations and accused Labour of politicizing the matter.

On 23 August 2021, Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed Buchan as UK trade envoy to Iceland and Norway. The following month she became Parliamentary Private Secretary within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, resigning in July 2022 due to dissatisfaction with Johnson’s handling of the Chris Pincher scandal.

During the Conservative leadership contest in September 2022, Buchan endorsed Liz Truss, highlighting Truss’s resonance with swing constituencies. After Truss’s victory, Buchan was named Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. In the subsequent October 2022 leadership election, she supported Rishi Sunak, who then appointed her as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Housing and Homelessness at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

At the 2024 General Election, Buchan stood for the newly created constituency of Kensington and Bayswater but was unsuccessful.

Personal life

Buchan holds membership in the Chelsea Arts Club.