George Freeman
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Life Sciences,
UK Government
George was elected to Parliament in May 2010 after a 15 year career in and around the Cambridge cluster supporting high growth businesses.
George won the 2010 election for the new constituency of Mid Norfolk, with a majority of 14,000, after an innovative campaign (It Starts Here!) focussed on the need for a fresh start in politics. Founder of the Mind The Gap! and Positive Politics campaigns, and a passionate advocate of the role of enterprise in a renaissance of civic responsibility, he narrowly missed capturing Stevenage for the Conservatives in 2005 with one of the biggest swings of the 2005 election.
George has written and spoken widely on the potential of Britain’s science and innovation economy to support a sustainable economic recovery and unlock huge trade and inward investment opportunities in fast emerging global markets.
Following the 2010 election he was appointed PPS to the Minister for Climate Change, Greg Barker MP and elected Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science & Technology in Agriculture. In 2011 he was appointed Government Adviser on Life Sciences to the Minister of State for Universities and Science, Rt Hon David Willetts MP. In this role he was closely involved in the development and implementation of the Government’s Life Science Strategy announced by the PM in December 2011, and is actively working with UKTI to promote the UK Life Science sector including representing the UK Government on UKTI trade missions to the USA and Sweden.
Highlighting the importance of modern road, rail and broadband infrastructure to unlock a sustainable innovation economy in the East of England, George has played a central role in the successful campaigns to upgrade the Cambridge-Norwich railway and Ely Junction bottleneck, secure the Government funding for the dualling of the A11, and raise the £60m for fast rural broadband in Norfolk.
Founder of The Norfolk Way project to promote and pioneer a new model of a decentralised rural innovation economy, he works closely with local schools and businesses in setting up The Norfolk Way Bursary and Work Club, and promote a renaissance of rural entrepreneurship.
George and his wife Eleanor, an employment lawyer, live with their two children near Watton. In his spare time he enjoys cycling and sailing on the Norfolk coast.