- published: 02 Mar 2016
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Philip Hammond MP (born 4 December 1955) is a British Conservative Party politician. He is the current Secretary of State for Defence in the Coalition government led by David Cameron, having succeeded Liam Fox on 14 October 2011. He previously served as Secretary of State for Transport from 13 May 2010, when he was appointed as a Privy Counsellor. He is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Runnymede and Weybridge.
Philip Hammond was born in Epping, Essex, the son of a civil engineer, he first attended Brookfield Junior school, further educated at Shenfield School (now Shenfield High School) in Brentwood, Essex, and University College, Oxford, where he was awarded a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.
He joined the medical equipment manufacturers Speywood Laboratories Ltd in 1977, becoming a director of Speywood Medical Limited in 1981. In 1982, an automatic electrocardiograph electrode manufacturing plant figured among his notable achievements. He left in 1983. From 1984, he was a director in Castlemead Ltd, and from 1993–95 he was a partner in CMA Consultants, and from 1994, a director in Castlemead Homes. He has had many business interests including house building and property, manufacturing, healthcare and oil and gas. He has undertaken various consulting assignments in Latin America for the World Bank in Washington, D.C., and was a consultant to the government of Malawi from 1995 until his election to Parliament.