Stephen Metcalfe

Stephen Metcalfe, Conservative MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, was elected to the House of Commons following a stint as an Epping Forest district councillor, for which he was responsible for customer services, ICT and e-government. He describes his main areas of interest as business, education and science and technology, and has campaigned on local issues such as preserving green spaces and encouraging young people’s involvement in politics. A vocal supporter of Brexit, Metcalfe supported Boris Johnson’s election as leader of the Conservative Party in 2019, saying that the next prime minister “must enthuse our national spirit, demonstrate our resolve to respect democracy and reassure businesses by communicating our extensive no-deal preparations with a positive, optimistic, can-do attitude.” In parliament, Metcalfe has been a member of the science and technology committee, including a time as chair, and is a co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence. Winning the redrawn seat of South Basildon and East Thurrock in 2010 with a majority of 5,772, Metcalfe was in 2019 able to ease his way to a sizeable margin of 19,922, a far cry from Basildon’s historical legacy as a two-way marginal.