Frederick Isaac van Mierlo[1] (born 1989 or 1990)[2] is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Henley and Thame since 2024. He has also been a member of Oxfordshire County Council since 2021 and South Oxfordshire District Council since 2023. Before his election to Parliament, van Mierlo worked as a consultant to companies and patient groups.
Freddie van Mierlo | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Henley and Thame | |
Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
Preceded by | Constituency established |
Majority | 6,267 (11.8%) |
Member of Oxfordshire County Council for Chalgrove and Watlington | |
Assumed office 10 May 2021 | |
Preceded by | Steve Harrod |
Member of South Oxfordshire District Council for Watlington | |
Assumed office 8 May 2023 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Frederick Isaac van Mierlo 29 October 1989 |
Political party | Liberal Democrats |
Alma mater | |
Early life and education
editVan Mierlo grew up in Preston, Lancashire. His father moved to England from the Netherlands to work as a physiotherapist.[3] He has a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in geographical sciences from the University of Bristol and a Master of Arts (MA) degree in European Union studies from Leiden University in the Netherlands, and also studied geographical sciences at Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, France.[4][5][6]
Career
editVan Mierlo lived and worked in Belgium before moving to South Oxfordshire in 2020. He was a director at the strategy consultancy Harwood Levitt Consulting,[7] and worked as a consultant to companies, NGOs, foundations and patient groups.[4][5]
In the 2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom, van Mierlo was on the Liberal Democrat party list for North West England.[8] Since the 2021 election, van Mierlo has been a member of the Oxfordshire County Council for the division of Chalgrove and Watlington,[5][9] and since the 2023 election a member of South Oxfordshire District Council for the ward of Watlington.[10] He served as South Oxfordshire's cabinet member for climate change and nature recovery from 2023 to 2024.[11][12]
Van Mierlo stood as a Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate in the Lancashire constituency of Fylde at the 2015 and 2017 general elections.[7] He was elected as Member of Parliament for Henley and Thame in the 2024 general election, receiving 45.0 per cent of the vote, with a majority of 6,267 over the second-placed Conservative candidate.[13] Its predecessor constituency of Henley had been held by the Conservatives for 114 years, since the January 1910 general election.[14]
Personal life
editVan Mierlo lives in Henley-on-Thames with his wife and daughter.[4] He is a distant relative of Hans van Mierlo, a co-founder of the Dutch liberal party Democrats 66.[3]
References
edit- ^ "No. 64465". The London Gazette. 22 July 2024. p. 14086.
- ^ Colivicchi, Anna (31 October 2022). "County councillor chosen to represent Lib Dems in Henley in next general election". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ a b Kieskamp, Wilma (15 May 2017). "Van Mierlo-telg wil het Britse Lagerhuis veroveren". Trouw (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "General election 2024: Voters head to the polls". Henley Standard. 4 July 2024. Archived from the original on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "Councillor Freddie van Mierlo". Oxfordshire County Council. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Qurashi, Noor (12 July 2024). "Introduction to Oxfordshire's new MPs after General Election". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ a b Owen, Jonathan (7 August 2023). "Lib Dem comms general election candidates revealed". PRWeek. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ "2019 European elections: List of candidates for the North West". BBC News. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Whittaker, Rebecca (9 May 2021). "Oxfordshire elections results 2021: County council winners and losers". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ "Freddie van Mierlo". South Oxfordshire District Council. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Leader and cabinet members confirmed for South Oxfordshire District Council". South Oxfordshire District Council. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Leader's Report – Annual Council Meeting 16 May 2024". South Oxfordshire District Council. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Henley and Thame - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Booth, Robert (5 July 2024). "'A toddler could do better': how Lib Dems won over Tory stronghold of Henley". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2024.