Dominic Johnson, Baron Johnson of Lainston
The Lord Johnson of Lainston | |
|---|---|
 Johnson in 2012 | |
| Chairman of the Conservative Party | |
| Assumed office 4 November 2024 Serving with Nigel Huddleston | |
| Leader | Kemi Badenoch |
| Preceded by | Richard Fuller |
| Minister of State for Regulatory Reform | |
| In office 14 November 2023 – 5 July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Minto |
| Succeeded by | Justin Madders |
| Minister of State for Investment | |
| In office 24 November 2022 – 5 July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | Himself |
| Succeeded by | Poppy Gustafsson |
| In office 2 October 2022 – 28 October 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Liz Truss Rishi Sunak |
| Preceded by | The Lord Grimstone of Boscobel |
| Succeeded by | Himself |
| Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party | |
| In office 17 July 2016 – 26 July 2019 | |
| Leader | Theresa May |
| Preceded by | Robert Halfon |
| Succeeded by | Paul Scully |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Assumed office 24 October 2022 Life peerage | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Dominic Robert Andrew Johnson 1974 (age 49–50) London, England |
| Spouse |
Alice Rose Alethea Hamilton
(m. 2006) |
| Relatives | Archie Hamilton (father-in-law) |
| Education | Durham University |
Dominic Robert Andrew Johnson, Baron Johnson of Lainston, CBE (born 6 April 1974), is a British financier, hedge fund manager and politician, the co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Somerset Capital Management, who has served as co-chairman of the Conservative Party since November 2024, alongside Nigel Huddleston.[1] He was a Minister of State in the Department for Business and Trade under Rishi Sunak, having served in the department during the tenure of Liz Truss. Johnson has given more than £250,000 to the Conservative Party, and was its vice-chairman from 2016 to 2019.
Early life
[edit]Johnson was born in London in 1974,[2] son of Patrick Johnson and Juliet Elizabeth, daughter of Lt Andrew John Craig-Harvey, 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards, of Lainston House, Sparsholt, near Winchester, Hampshire, now a hotel. Juliet's mother, Mary, daughter of Royal Navy Captain Robert Bradshaw Wilmot Sitwell, CBE, was a descendant, through her mother, of the Conservative politicians Charles Cocks, 1st Baron Somers and Sir Armine Wodehouse, 5th Baronet. Johnson's maternal uncle, Nicholas Craig-Harvey, is married to Lady Julia, daughter of the Conservative politician Hugh Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland and maternal granddaughter of Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch, also a Conservative politician.[3][4][5][6]
When Johnson was six months old, his mother fatally stabbed his father after an argument over a burnt meal; although two guests attempted to assist him, Patrick Johnson died two days later aged thirty one.[7] Johnson's mother, aged twenty seven, was found guilty of manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility, and sent to Rooksdown Hospital in Hampshire; she was subsequently released and later remarried.[7] Johnson and his older sister were raised by their maternal grandparents.[7]
Johnson earned a bachelor's degree in politics from Durham University, where he was a member of Collingwood College, graduating in 1995.[2][8]
Career
[edit]Johnson began his career in finance with Robert Fleming & Co. in 1995, and then with Jardine Fleming, Hong Kong, in 1998.[9] In 2001, he went into asset management, and worked for Lloyd George Management until 2007.[9] In 2007, he co-founded Somerset Capital Management (SCM) with Jacob Rees-Mogg and Edward Robertson.[9][10] All three were colleagues at Lloyd George Management in Hong Kong.[11] Rees-Mogg was CEO of SCM until Johnson succeeded him in 2010.[11]
In September 2022, SCM with assets under management of about $5 billion was up for sale, with Johnson planning to move into politics, and would be succeeded by chief operating officer Robert Diggle as CEO.[12]
Politics
[edit]
From 2006 to 2010, Johnson was a Conservative councillor for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.[2]
In 2016, when his friend David Cameron stood down as prime minister, Johnson gave him the use of his £2,650-a-week Chelsea house,[2] and Cameron accordingly declared a benefit of more than £37,000 in the register of MPs' interests.[13]
Johnson has given more than £250,000 to the Conservative Party, and was its vice-chairman from 2016 to 2019.[10] In the 2017 New Year Honours, Johnson was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) "for political service".[2]
On 2 October 2022, Johnson was appointed by Liz Truss as a minister of state in the Cabinet Office and the Department for International Trade.[10] He served as Minister of State for Investment. On 19 October 2022, to facilitate his ministerial role, he was created Baron Johnson of Lainston, of Lainston in the County of Hampshire.[14][15] "Lainston" derives from his mother's family home, Lainston House, near Winchester in Hampshire, which is now a hotel.[16] Johnson was sacked by Truss's successor, Rishi Sunak, soon after he became prime minister.
Sunak re-appointed Johnson as a Minister of State for International Trade on 24 November 2022.
In 2024 it was reported that Johnson “made clear that he was keen to see a bigger Infosys presence in the UK and would be happy to do what he could to facilitate that”.[17]
Personal life
[edit]In 2006, he married Alice Rose Alethea Hamilton (born 1974), the daughter of Archibald Hamilton, Baron Hamilton of Epsom, a British Conservative Party politician.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ "Politics latest: Badenoch begins unveiling shadow cabinet ahead of top team's first meeting". Sky News. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Walker, Owen (13 July 2019). "Jacob Rees-Mogg? He's great for our business, says Dominic Johnson". Financial Times. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, 1973, p. 1041
- ^ Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, Debrett's Peerage Ltd, 1985, p. 1114
- ^ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, vol. 2, p. 2164, vol. 3, p. 3676-8
- ^ The Tatler, Wednesday, 10 Feb. 1965, pp. 16-19
- ^ a b c Ashcroft, Michael (2019). Jacob's ladder : the unauthorised biography of Jacob Rees-Mogg. London. pp. 131–132. ISBN 9781785904875. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Alumni in Queen's New Year Honours 2017". Dunelm. Durham University. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "Dominic Johnson CBE". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ a b c Mason, Rowena (2 October 2022). "Jacob Rees-Mogg's business partner given senior minister role". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ a b Oldroyd-Bolt, David (3 November 2016). "The many, many millions of Mogg". The Spectator. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Somerset Capital up for sale as CEO Johnson plans departure - reports Annual profits plummeted by 34%". Investment Week. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ Mason, Rowena (4 August 2016). "May's campaign was given £35,000 by donors Cameron put forward for honours". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Crown Office | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ "Lord Johnson of Lainston". MPs and Lords. UK Parliament. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "Lainston House". The Telegraph. 3 October 2017.
- ^ [Sunak faces fresh Infosys scrutiny as minister accused of giving it ‘VIP access’]
- ^ Debrett's peerage & baronetage : comprises information concerning the royal family, the peerage and baronetage ([147th] ed.). Richmond, Surrey [England]: Debrett's. 2012. p. 638. ISBN 9781870520805.
- 1974 births
- Living people
- British financiers
- People from London
- Conservative Party (UK) donors
- British hedge fund managers
- JPMorgan Chase employees
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Conservative Party (UK) life peers
- Life peers created by Charles III
- Chairmen of the Conservative Party (UK)
- Alumni of Collingwood College, Durham