David Brownlow, Baron Brownlow of Shurlock Row

{{Short description|British entrepreneur, philanthropist and life peer (born 1963)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific_prefix = The Right Honourable

|name = The Lord Brownlow of Shurlock Row|honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|sep=|size=100%|CVO | DL}}

|image = | office5 = Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal

|term_start5 = 9 October 2019
Life Peerage

|term_end45 =

|birth_name = David Ellis Brownlow

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|9|16|df=y}}

|birth_place = Liverpool

|party = Conservative Party

|partner =

|alma_mater = Newcastle Polytechnic

}}

David Ellis Brownlow, Baron Brownlow of Shurlock Row, {{postnominals|country=GBR|sep=,|size=100%|CVO}} DL (born 16 September 1963) is a British entrepreneur, Conservative Party donor, philanthropist{{cn|date=December 2021}} and life peer. He sits as a member of the House of Lords and served as Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party from July 2017 until July 2020.

He is the founder of The David Brownlow Charitable Foundation{{cite web |title=Who we are |url=https://dbcf.com/who-we-are/ |website=The David Brownlow Charitable Foundation |access-date=28 April 2021}} and a trustee of the Royal Albert Hall Trust.{{cite web |title=Royal Albert Hall Trust |url=https://www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/the-charity/about-the-charity/royal-albert-hall-trust/ |website=Royal Albert Hall |access-date=28 April 2021}} He was appointed Deputy to the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire in January 2018.

Early life

Born in Liverpool, Brownlow graduated in economics from Newcastle Polytechnic, and spent two years as a policeman with Thames Valley Police based in Slough.{{cite web |title=Lord Brownlow: Multimillionaire ex-cop who rubs shoulders with royalty now at centre of PM flat refurb claims |url=https://news.sky.com/story/multimillionaire-ex-cop-who-rubs-shoulders-with-royalty-now-at-centre-of-pm-flat-refurb-claims-12288537 |website=Sky News |access-date=28 April 2021}}

Business career

Brownlow co-founded the recruitment firm Huntswood in 1996 and in 2013 co-founded a private equity firm, Havisham, through which over £20 million has been invested. Havisham is one of the biggest investors in Cefinn, a fashion label founded by Samantha Cameron, the wife of David Cameron. Brownlow was described as Cameron’s "white knight" rescuer as Cefinn was losing more than £500,000 a year when Brownlow took a 10% stake in 2018.{{cite news |title=Who is Lord Brownlow, the man who helped pay for Downing Street refurb? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/apr/27/lord-david-brownlow-tory-donor-paid-no-10-refurbishment-boris-johnson |access-date=28 April 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=27 April 2021}}

The Prince's Foundation

Brownlow was a trustee of The Prince's Foundation between 2013 and 2018, serving for a period as Chairman.{{cite web |title=Watchdog investigates firm behind Prince Charles's eco-village in Scotland |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/02/watchdog-investigates-firm-behind-prince-charless-eco-village-in-scotland |website=The Guardian |first=Hannah |last=Summers |date=2 July 2022 |access-date=3 July 2022}} Between 2012 and 2017, Havisham Properties, owned by Brownlow, purchased 11 properties for £1.7 million on the Knockroon development, a site originally acquired as a piece of farmland by Prince Charles when he bought nearby Dumfries House, and intended to become an eco-village. Dumfries House Trust also awarded Brownlow's company a £1.2 million construction contract.{{cite web |title=Prince Charles honoured tycoon Lord Brownlow who bailed out his eco-village |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-family/article/prince-charles-honoured-tycoon-lord-brownlow-who-bailed-out-his-eco-village-z2l9cx2mk |website=The Times |first=Gabriel |last=Pogrund |date=2 July 2022 |access-date=3 July 2022}}{{Subscription required}} In July 2022, a spokesman for the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator said "we can confirm that the work of Havisham Group and property transactions relating to the Knockroon development in Ayrshire forms part of our overall investigation, work on which is ongoing." Brownlow was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 2018 Birthday Honours.{{London Gazette|issue=62310|date=9 June 2018|page=B4|supp=y}} The Prince's Foundation said "Lord Brownlow was appointed CVO in recognition of his role of chair of The Prince's Foundation for Building Community."{{cite web |title=Watchdog investigating peer given honour after bailing out Prince Charles' £1.7m project |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/prince-charles-lord-brownlow-honour-eco-village-scheme-ayrshire-knockroon-royal-family-b1009875.html |website=Evening Standard |first=Sami |last=Quadri |date=3 July 2022 |access-date=3 July 2022}}

Politics

He was nominated for a life peerage in Theresa May's resignation honours and was created Baron Brownlow of Shurlock Row, of Shurlock Row in the Royal County of Berkshire, on 9 October 2019 and introduced to The House on 15 October 2019.{{cite web|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/830278/Resignation-Peerages-2019.pdf|title=Resignation Peerages 2019|publisher=Cabinet Office|date=10 September 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-brownlow-of-shurlock-row/4720|title=Lord Brownlow of Shurlock Row|publisher=UK Parliament|accessdate=11 October 2019}}{{London Gazette|issue=62796|date=15 October 2019|page=18456}}

In figures released by the Electoral Commission, it was shown that he was one of the Conservative Party's biggest donors,{{cite news |title=Theresa May accused of cronyism over resignation honours list |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/10/theresa-may-accused-of-cronyism-over-resignation-honours |access-date=28 April 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=10 Sep 2019}} giving the party almost £3 million (£714,690 in 2017 alone).{{cite news |title=Revealed: The 20 super-rich fatcats who bankrolled the Tories with £11.5m donations in one yea |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/20-super-rich-donors-who-12121172 |access-date=28 April 2021 |publisher=The Mirror |date=3 Mar 2018}} Brownlow’s company Huntswood Associates Ltd paid a total of £112,549 to the supplier responsible for the refurbishment of the flat above 11 Downing Street, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his wife, Carrie, and their children live.{{cite news |last1=Elgot |first1=Jessica |last2=Allegretti |first2=Aubrey |last3=Walker |first3=Peter |title=Boris Johnson accused of misleading ethics adviser over No 10 refurb |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/dec/09/boris-johnson-accused-of-misleading-ethics-adviser-over-no-10-refurb |access-date=10 December 2021 |work=the Guardian |date=9 December 2021 |language=en}} Johnson has since repaid more than £110,000 of these costs. By the end of December 2021, sources with knowledge of the matter indicated to the press that the prime minister is expected to be cleared of breaking the ministerial code with regard to the £58,000 of flat improvement expenses which remained under scrutiny.{{cite news |title=Johnson to be cleared over donation for Downing St flat refurbishment |access-date=30 December 2021 |date=30 December 2021 |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/d47eaada-ec63-466f-b1e6-d61e0a30a891}}