Ranil Jayawardena

Minister for International Trade | United Kingdom

Minister Jayawardena was appointed Minister for International Trade in May 2020. He was elected as the Conservative MP for North East Hampshire in 2015. Ranil entered Parliament representing his home constituency in 2015, and was re-elected in 2017 and 2019. Before serving as a minister, he was a member of the International Trade, Home Affairs, Procedure and Arms Export Controls Committees, and had been appointed by the Speaker of the House of Commons to the Chairmens’ Panel.

He was also made Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party by the Prime Minister. Prior to his election to Parliament, he was a councillor, serving as deputy leader of the Borough of Basingstoke and Deane. Ranil combined his service in local government with working for Lloyds Banking Group plc and is a freeman of the City of London. He also has wide ranging commercial experience from the pharmaceutical, construction, transport and leisure sectors.

Ranil went to his local comprehensive school in north east Hampshire and studied government at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).