Surgeon Commander Andrew William Murrison (born 24 April 1961) is a British doctor, naval officer and Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Wiltshire, previously Westbury, since 2001. He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence People and Families from October 2022 to July 2024.
Murrison has held a variety of positions within the British government, including Minister for International Security Strategy, Minister of State for Northern Ireland, and then Minister of State for International Development and the Middle East. In Parliament, he chaired the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee from July 2017 to May 2019.
Early life and education
Andrew Murrison was born on 24 April 1961 in Colchester, the son of William Gordon Murrison RD and his wife Marion Horn. He grew up in Harwich, where he attended Harwich School,
Medical and naval career
Having been awarded a Royal Navy scholarship, Murrison qualified as a doctor from the University of Bristol's medical school in 1984 with the degrees of MB ChB. On 31 December 1997, he was promoted to Surgeon Commander.
He served as a medical officer based at Fareham and in 2000 retired with that rank.
From 2000, he worked as a general practitioner locum in Wiltshire and as a consultant in occupational health at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.
In 2003, as a naval reserve officer, Murrison served in Iraq for a six-month tour of duty.
In the 2001 Conservative leadership election, Murrison supported Michael Portillo. After the election, he was appointed as shadow defence minister.
In 2005, he spoke in parliament against a proposed European military union, saying "The threat that the proposed Euro force might pose to one of the most successful post-war organisations, NATO, and to our symbiotic relationship with the United States, has surely not been adequately explored".
He chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group on Clinical Leadership and Management, and was a member of the "Cardiac Risk in the Young All Party Parliamentary Group".
With effect from the 2010 general election, Murrison's constituency of Westbury was abolished and replaced with South West Wiltshire. He was elected as MP for South West Wiltshire with 51.7% of the vote and a majority of 10,367. The election led to the formation of the Cameron–Clegg coalition government.
In November 2011, Murrison was appointed as the Prime Minister's special representative for First World War centenary commemorations.
In September 2012 Murrison was appointed as Minister for International Security Strategy in the Ministry of Defence.
In 2013, the Conservatives were divided when Murrison voted for the second reading of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill.
In July 2014, Murrison was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office.
At the 2015 general election, Murrison was re-elected as MP for South West Wiltshire with an increased vote share of 52.7% and an increased majority of 18,168.
In January 2016, he appointed Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Tunisia and Morocco, until his resignation on 5 July 2022.
Murrison was again re-elected at the snap 2017 general election with an increased vote share of 60% and an increased majority of 18,326. He was again re-elected at the 2019 general election with an increased vote share of 60.2% and an increased majority of 21,630. At the 2024 general election, Murrison was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 33.8% and a decreased majority of 3,243.
Personal life
Murrison is married to Jennifer (Jenny) Munden, a physiotherapist. They have five daughters and live near Mere in Wiltshire.
He was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council on 22 May 2019 at Buckingham Palace. This gave him the honorific prefix "The Right Honourable" for life.
Decorations
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{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
|- style="background:silver;" align="center"
|Ribbon || Description || Notes
|-
|40px || Iraq Medal ||
|-
|40px || Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ||
- 2002
- UK version of this medal
|-
|40px || Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal ||
- 2012
- UK version of this medal
|-
|40px || Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal ||
- 2022
- UK version of this medal
|-
|40x40px
|King Charles III Coronation Medal
|
- 2023
- UK version of this medal
|-
|40px || Volunteer Reserves Service Medal ||
- 2013
- and clasp, 2024
|-
|}