Jim is married to Ava and has two grown-up sons. He has been the Member of Parliament for South East Cambridgeshire since 1987. In what little spare time he has he enjoys tending his small herd of Highland Cattle and various country pursuits.

Before Parliament:

Jim was born in Felixstowe in Suffolk and attended Framlingham College and then Writtle Agricultural College after which he started a career in farm management. In his youth and early twenties Jim was active in the Young Farmers movement, becoming chairman of the Agricultural Policy Committee of the National Federation and representing the UK on the European Council of Young Farmers.

Parliamentary Career 1987-1997

Upon entering Parliament he served on the Select Committee for Employment before being appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Baroness Trumpington at the Ministry of Agriculture in 1989, then promoted to PPS to John Gummer as Minister of Agriculture and then Secretary of State for the Environment. In 1994 he was appointed Under Secretary of State at the Department of Employment and in 1995 at the Department of Education and Employment.

Parliamentary Career 1997-2010

After the General Election of 1997 Jim was appointed Opposition Spokesman on Agriculture and has remained on the front bench ever since. Following the 2001 General Election, Jim was appointed Shadow Minister for Police. Then in September 2004 he was promoted to Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs - a position he retained until the General Election in 2010.

Parliamentary Career 2010-present

In the General Election in 2010 Jim was re-elected for a sixth term as MP for South East Cambridgeshire. Following the announcement of the formation of the Coalition Government in May 2010, the Prime Minister appointed Jim as Minister of State for Agriculture and Food. Jim’s brief includes farming, food, animal health, and forestry and keeps him very busy!

Click here for details of Jim's expenses and voting record