The Conservative Party Human Rights Commission is delighted to announce the appointment of Tim Loughton MP as its new Chairman.

Mr Loughton, the Member of Parliament for East Worthing and Shoreham since 1997 and a former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Children and Families from 2010-2012, has a long-standing track record championing human rights around the world, notably as Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Tibet and a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC). He replaces Fiona Bruce MP, who stood down as Chair of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission in 2021 upon her appointment as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for freedom of religion or belief.

The Conservative Party Human Rights Commission was founded in 2005 as a body within the Conservative Party to highlight, research and campaign on international human rights challenges. Past chairs of the Commission include Sir Gary Streeter MP, Stephen Crabb MP, Sir Tony Baldry, Sir Robert Buckland MP and Fiona Bruce MP. Over the past 17 years the Commission has held many inquiries and published numerous reports on human rights issues around the world, including two ground-breaking reports on China, The Darkest Moment (2016) and The Darkness Deepens (2021), one on Russia – Poison, Torture, Lies and Repression: Human Rights in Russia Today – in 2018, and reports on Myanmar (Burma), Eritrea and Afghanistan, and on thematic issues including sexual violence in conflict, freedom of religion or belief, supporting women human rights defenders, human rights violations faced by professionals (lawyers, journalists, doctors and others) and the use of child soldiers.

Tim Loughton said: “I am delighted to take up this important role. At a time when the world faces many serious challenges, not least the threats to freedom and democracy and serious violations of human rights, the work of this Commission is vital and I look forward to working with other members of the Commission to renew, develop and expand our work in investigating, researching and advocating on international human rights concerns. At a time when the Conservative Party has a new Leader and Prime Minister in Rishi Sunak, this is an important opportunity for this Commission to provide informed, constructive and where necessary critical advice and recommendations to the government, and we look forward to working closely with the government to promote and defend human rights around the world.”

For further information please contact:

Tim Loughton MP at tim.loughton.mp@parliament.uk or his assistant Kari Sargeant at sargeantkari@parliament.uk or call  0207 219 4471