James O'Shaughnessy, Baron O'Shaughnessy

British politician (born 1976)

The Right Honourable The Lord O'Shaughnessy


Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health
In office 21 December 2016 – 31 December 2018
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	The Baron Prior of Brampton
Succeeded by	The Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
Lord-in-Waiting Government Whip
In office 21 December 2016 – 11 June 2017
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	The Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen
Succeeded by	The Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 October 2015 Life Peerage

Personal details
Born	(1976-03-26) 26 March 1976 (age 48)
Political party	Conservative

James Richard O'Shaughnessy, Baron O'Shaughnessy (born 26 March 1976) is a British Conservative politician and member of the House of Lords. He authored the 2010 Conservative Party Manifesto titled 'An Invitation to Join the Government of Britain'.^[1] O'Shaughnessy is now a senior partner at Newmarket Strategy, a medical consultancy which he founded in 2021.

O'Shaughnessy was born on 26 March 1976 in Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England.^[2] He was educated in Berkshire at Claires Court School then Wellington College. He went up to St Hugh's College, Oxford to read philosophy, politics and economics, graduating in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree: as per tradition, his BA was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Oxon) degree.^[2]

A former Downing Street aide, he was Director of Policy to Prime Minister David Cameron from May 2010 to October 2011. Following the general election in May that year he led the development and implementation of the Programme for Government in the Conservative-Lib Dem Coalition.

Created a life peer on 1 October 2015, he took the title Baron O'Shaughnessy, of Maidenhead in the Royal County of Berkshire,^[3] before being appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care and as a Lord-in-Waiting (i.e. Government Whip in the House of Lords) on 21 December 2016.^[4] He resigned on 31 December 2018 due to "family circumstances."^[5]

In March 2021, Lord O'Shaughnessy founded Newmarket Strategy, a medical consultancy.^[6]

In May 2023, he published the O'Shaughnessy Review of Commercial Clinical Trials in the United Kingdom, which was commissioned by HM Government in February of that year.^[7]

References

^ "James O'Shaughnessy". HDR UK. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
^ ^a ^b "O'Shaughnessy, Baron, (James Richard O'Shaughnessy) (born 26 March 1976)". W's Who 2020. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
^ "notice 2410213". The London Gazette.
^ "Ministerial appointments: 21 December 2016". 10 Downing Street. 21 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
^ Alex Morales (3 April 2019). "Theresa May's Ministerial Resignations Pile Up at Rate of 1.5 a Month". Bloomberg.
^ "New consultancy specialising in healthcare innovation launches". Pharmafield. March 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
^ "Commercial clinical trials in the UK: the Lord O'Shaughnessy review". GOV.UK. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.