Danny Chambers
{{Short description|British politician and veterinarian (born 1982)}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Danny Chambers
| image = Official portrait of Danny Chambers MP crop 2.jpg
| caption = Official portrait, 2024
| parliament = United Kingdom
| constituency_MP = Winchester
| term_start = 4 July 2024
| term_end =
| predecessor = Steve Brine
| successor =
| majority = 13,821 (24.2%)
| office1 = Liberal Democrat portfolios
| suboffice1 = Mental Health
| subterm1 = 2024–present
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 =
| birth_name = Danny Seiorse Chambers
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1982|01|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = Plymouth, England
| party = Liberal Democrat
| alma_mater = University of Liverpool (BVSc, MSc)
| website =
}}
Danny Seiorse Chambers (born 12 January 1982) is a British Liberal Democrat politician and veterinary surgeon who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Winchester since 2024. Chambers is the founder of Veterinary Voices UK and a trustee of Vetlife, a mental health charity.{{cite news |last1=Silverwood |first1=Joshua |title=Vet Danny Chambers selected as MP candidate for Winchester |url=https://www.vettimes.co.uk/news/vet-danny-chambers-selected-as-mp-candidate-for-winchester/ |access-date=5 July 2024 |work=Vet Times |date=9 November 2021}} He lives in Shawford, Hampshire, with his partner.
Chambers currently sits on the Liberal Democrat frontbench team as the Spokesperson for Mental Health.
Early life and education
Danny Seiorse Chambers{{London Gazette |date=22 July 2024 |issue=64465 |page=14086}} was born in Plymouth and grew up on a farm near Lifton in Devon. He studied at Tavistock College, serving as head boy and gaining A-levels in biology, chemistry and physics. He graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2006 with an MSc degree in infectious disease control and in 2008 with a BVSc degree in veterinary medicine.{{Cite web |title=Danny Chambers |url=https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dannychambersvet |website=LinkedIn |access-date=23 July 2024}}{{non-primary source needed|date=July 2024}}
Veterinary career
Chambers is an elected member of the council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, serving from 2017 to 2025.{{Cite web |title=Danny Chambers |url=https://www.rcvs.org.uk/who-we-are/rcvs-council/council-members/elected+members/danny-chambers/ |access-date=5 July 2024 |publisher=Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons |language=en}} He has contributed to the magazine New Scientist.{{Cite web |title=Danny Chambers |url=https://www.newscientist.com/author/danny-chambers/ |access-date=5 July 2024 |website=New Scientist |language=en}} Chambers has worked with volunteers for veterinary charities in India, Morocco and The Gambia. He has participated in public health programmes to eradicate rabies from street dogs. He has also worked to improve the lives of working equids, where people are reliant on them for their income.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} Chambers is the founder of Veterinary Voices UK and a trustee of Vetlife, a mental health charity.{{cite news |last1=Silverwood |first1=Joshua |title=Vet Danny Chambers selected as MP candidate for Winchester |url=https://www.vettimes.co.uk/news/vet-danny-chambers-selected-as-mp-candidate-for-winchester/ |access-date=5 July 2024 |work=Vet Times |date=9 November 2021}}
Chambers gave up his veterinary practice upon entering Parliament in 2024.{{Cite news |title=New MP hangs up his vet's stethoscope 'at least for a while' |url=https://meonvalleytimes.co.uk/new-mp-hangs-up-his-vets-stethoscope-at-least-for-a-while/ |date=25 July 2024 |work=Meon Valley Times |access-date=29 July 2024 |language=en}}
Political career
In the 2019 general election, Chambers stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate for North Cornwall.{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Christine |date=10 April 2019 |title=New leader for the North Cornwall Liberal Democrats |url=https://www.bude-today.co.uk/news/politics/new-leader-for-the-north-cornwall-liberal-democrats-535754 |access-date=6 July 2024 |work=Bude & Stratton Post}} Chambers received 30.8 per cent of the vote, coming second to the incumbent MP, Scott Mann.{{Cite web |author= |year=2019 |title=Cornwall North |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000837 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200206171007/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000837 |archive-date=6 February 2020 |access-date=6 July 2024 |publisher=BBC News}}
In the 2024 general election, Chambers was the Liberal Democrat candidate for Winchester against Flick Drummond, the incumbent MP for the part of the Winchester constituency that had been in the constituency of Meon Valley prior to 2024, winning with 52.5 per cent of the vote and a 13,821-vote majority. Chambers had initially been selected as the candidate in 2021. {{Cite web |last=Pack |first=Mark |date=2021-11-09 |title=Danny Chambers selected for Winchester |url=https://www.markpack.org.uk/168202/danny-chambers-selected-for-winchester/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=Mark Pack |language=en-GB}}
On 12 September 2024, he made his maiden speech in the House of Commons during the Sir David Amess Adjournment Debate.{{cite Hansard |jurisdiction= United Kingdom |title= Sir David Amess Adjournment Debate |url= https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2024-09-12/debates/61C7B41F-51DE-4257-9E39-3FFE75E1B0CE/SirDavidAmessAdjournmentDebate#contribution-FF108D42-6F54-4103-AE7C-636594BCA5CF |house= House of Commons |date= 12 September 2024 |volume= 753 |column_start= 1052 |column_end= 1054 |speaker= Dr Danny Chambers |position=}} On 18 September 2024, Ed Davey announced his new Frontbench Team: Chambers became Spokesperson for Mental Health within the team.{{Cite web |last=Self |first=Josh |date=2024-09-18 |title=Ed Davey unveils new Liberal Democrat frontbench |url=https://www.politics.co.uk/news/2024/09/18/ed-davey-unveils-new-liberal-democrat-frontbench/ |access-date=2024-09-18 |website=Politics.co.uk |language=en-US}} Chambers was subsequently selected by Ballot to bring forward a Private Members Bill, {{Cite web |title=5 September: Successful MPs in Private Members’ Bill ballot announced |url=https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/offices/commons/media-relations-group/press-releases/5-september-successful-mps-in-private-members-bill-ballot-announced/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=www.parliament.uk |language=en}} for which he brought forward the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, which seeks to regulate and reduce the number of pets that can be brought in to Great Britain, and the movement of heavily pregnant and mutilated pets, and raising the minimum age at which puppies and kittens could be imported to six months. The government and opposition both supported it from its second reading on 29 November 2024. {{Cite web |title=Vet Times: Latest Veterinary News, Jobs & Clinical Resources |url=https://www.vettimes.com/news/vets/opinion/government-outlines-animal-welfare-plans-as-bill-passes-latest-stage |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=www.vettimes.com}} The bill is also supported by the Dogs Trust, BVA, and RSPCA. {{Cite web |title=Tough new legal crackdown on puppy smuggling moves a step closer |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tough-new-legal-crackdown-on-puppy-smuggling-moves-a-step-closer |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}} {{Cite web |last=Association |first=British Veterinary |title=Pet imports |url=https://www.bva.co.uk/take-action/pet-imports/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250315102239/https://www.bva.co.uk/take-action/pet-imports/ |archive-date=2025-03-15 |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=British Veterinary Association}}
Since his election, Chambers has also asked three Prime Minister's Questions. On 16th October 2024 he challenged government plans to remove consultant-led maternity services and the A&E unit at Winchester hospital, asking Kier Starmer to reassure constituents that the services remain at the RHCH and that an existing backlog of maintenance at the hospital be cleared. {{Cite news |title=Winchester MP raises threat to hospital services at Prime Minister's Questions |url=https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/24656206.winchester-mp-raises-threat-hospital-prime-ministers-questions/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250426031539/https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/24656206.winchester-mp-raises-threat-hospital-prime-ministers-questions/ |archive-date=2025-04-26 |access-date=2025-05-19 |work=Hampshire Chronicle |language=en}} On 15th January 2025 he raised the issue of rising cases of Antimicrobial-resistant Bacteria emerging in Ukraine due to the ongoing war. {{Cite web |date=2025-01-15 |title=Winchester MP grills prime minister over Ukraine 'superbugs' in parliament |url=https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/24859245.sir-keir-starmer-grilled-winchester-mp-ukraine/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=Hampshire Chronicle |language=en}} On 5th February 2025 he called for the Prime Minister to commit to improving maternity care and women’s health services as a top priority. {{Cite web |title=Engagements - Hansard - UK Parliament |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2025-02-05/debates/11FA78E5-47C5-4945-9376-BE8422EF61D1/details#contribution-BD984C43-256F-439A-9D11-F57D13C5CA74 |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=hansard.parliament.uk |language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{UK MP links
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{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef|before=Steve Brine}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament
for Winchester|years=2024–present}}
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{{Current UK Liberal Democrat MPs}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, Danny}}
Category:Alumni of the University of Liverpool
Category:English veterinarians
Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Category:Politicians from Plymouth, Devon
Category:People from the Borough of West Devon
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