Melvyn John Stride (born 30 September 1961) is a British politician who has served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in Kemi Badenoch’s Shadow Cabinet since November 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Devon since 2010. He previously served in the May Government as Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General from 2017 to 2019 and as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council from May to July 2019. From 2019 to 2022 he sat as a backbencher, serving as Chair of the Treasury Select Committee. From October 2022 to July 2024, during the government of Rishi Sunak, Stride served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. After the Conservative Party's loss in the 2024 general election, Stride became the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in Sunak's shadow cabinet. He later launched his bid to become Leader of the Conservative Party but was eliminated on the second MP's ballot. Upon Kemi Badenoch's victory in the 2024 leadership election, Stride was appointed as Shadow Chancellor in her shadow cabinet.

Early life and career

Melvyn Stride was born in Ealing on 30 September 1961. He was educated at Portsmouth Grammar School, and then studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where he was elected President of the Oxford Union. In 1987, Stride set up a business specialising in trade exhibitions, conferences and publishing (Venture Marketing Group) which he and his wife jointly controlled before selling it to a United States subsidiary.

Parliamentary career

Stride was selected as the prospective Conservative candidate for Central Devon in June 2006 after his name was added to the Conservative A-List in 2006. He was the first A-Lister to be selected. At the 2010 general election, Stride was elected as MP for Central Devon with 51.5% of the vote and a majority of 9,230. On 28 October 2011, Stride was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, John Hayes. At the 2015 general election, Stride was re-elected as MP for Central Devon with an increased vote share of 52.2% and an increased majority of 21,265. Stride was promoted to the frontbench as Lord Commissioner of the Treasury after the election. Stride was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum. Stride was appointed Comptroller of the Household following the appointment of Theresa May as Prime Minister. At the snap 2017 general election, Stride was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 54.1% and a decreased majority of 15,680. He was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, with an increased vote share of 55.3% and an increased majority of 17,721. At the 2024 general election, Stride was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 31.5% and a decreased majority of 61.

Ministerial career: 2017–2019

Following the 2017 general election, Stride was appointed Financial Secretary to the Treasury. In this role in April 2019, Stride was accused by MPs of breaking the Ministerial Code over comments he had made in relation to the Loan Charge. Stride was appointed Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council on 23 May 2019, following the resignation of Andrea Leadsom. Stride endorsed Michael Gove to become Leader of the Conservative Party in the 2019 leadership election. Following Boris Johnson's election as party leader and appointment as Prime Minister he was dismissed from his role as Leader of the House of Commons and replaced by Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Backbencher: 2019–2022

On 23 October 2019, Stride was elected Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, replacing Nicky Morgan. Stride supported Rishi Sunak in the July-September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, serving as his campaign chief, and lent his support to him again in the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions: 2022–2024

Upon the appointment of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, Stride returned to the frontbench having been appointed Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. In September 2023, Stride commented on the state pension system in the United Kingdom. Stride said that the triple lock system was not sustainable in the long term. The comments came in response to reports that the government was considering scrapping the mechanism used to uprate the state pension having seen several years of large increases.

In opposition

Following the Conservative Party's defeat in the 2024 general election and the subsequent formation of the Starmer ministry, Stride was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in Rishi Sunak's caretaker Shadow Cabinet. On 26 July 2024, Stride announced he was running in the 2024 leadership election to be the new Conservative Party leader. During the first MP's ballot, Stride achieved the second lowest number of votes at 16. He came last in the second MP's ballot, remaining at 16 votes and was eliminated. On 4 November 2024, Stride was appointed Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in Kemi Badenoch's Shadow Cabinet.

Personal life

Stride is married to Michelle (born 1975) and has three daughters.