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Stephen Parkinson (born 1983) is a special adviser to British Prime Minister Theresa May, former think tank researcher, and former lobbyist.
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Education
Parkinson attended the Park House School in Newbury, Berkshire, before going on to read History at Emmanuel College, Cambridge from 2001 to 2004, where he graduated with a BA (subsequently upgraded to an MA). During his time at Cambridge, Parkinson was Chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association in Lent 2003, and President of the Cambridge Union in Lent 2004. Parkinson subsequently wrote a history of the Cambridge Union, Arena of Ambition, published in 2009.
Conservative politics - in opposition
Upon graduation in 2004, Parkinson went to work on the Home Affairs desk at the Conservative Research Department, including during the 2005 general election. Later that year, he moved to the department's Political Section, where he was engaged in opposition research on other parties, briefing Shadow Ministers ahead of media appearances, and was part of David Cameron's briefing team as Leader of the Opposition ahead of Prime Minister’s Questions.
In 2006, Parkinson left the Conservative Research Department, to take up a post as Director of Research at the Conservative think-tank, the Centre for Policy Studies. He remained there until late 2007, when he returned to Conservative Central Office, this time to work on the party's target seats campaign. He continued working at Central Office until the 2010 general election.
At the 2010 general election, Parkinson stood as the Conservative candidate for Newcastle upon Tyne North. He came third, polling 7,966 votes (18.1%), although he managed to increase the Conservative vote by a third.
Lobbying career
After the 2010 election, with the Conservative Party back in government, Parkinson left Central Office to become a lobbyist with the lobbying firm Quiller Consultants, remaining with them for two years.
2011 AV referendum campaign
During his time at Quiller, Parkinson also played a key role in the victorious NOtoAV campaign in the United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum, 2011, serving as the Conservative Party's National Organiser in the cross-party campaign.
Home Office Special Adviser
In 2012 he became Special Adviser to Theresa May when she was Home Secretary. Parkinson continued in this role until the autumn of 2015.
Parkinson had declared his interest in standing for a winnable constituency at the 2015 general election, and had been tipped for the shortlist in safe seats such as Richmond, Yorkshire; but in December 2014, he and another of May's Special Advisers, Nick Timothy, became involved in a candidate selection row. Both were removed from the Conservative Party's list of approved candidates by Party Chairman Grant Shapps, reportedly on the instructions of David Cameron's growing alarm at having such key allies of a leadership rival such as Theresa May in the House of Commons, and Parkinson and Timothy were given the pretext that neither had campaigned in the Rochester and Strood by-election (with such campaigning being a requirement of candidates staying on the approved list). Both Parkinson and Timothy protested that as Special Advisers, they were bound by the Civil Service Code of Conduct which specifically forbids senior civil servants from engaging in political campaigning. The Conservative Party subsequently apologised to both Parkinson and Timothy, but by that time, it was too late for either to apply for a seat.
2016 EU referendum campaign
In October 2015, Parkinson left his role as Special Adviser at the Home Office to become National Organiser of the successful Vote Leave campaign in the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016.
Downing Street Special Adviser
In the aftermath of the June 2016 EU referendum campaign, Theresa May became Prime Minister the following month, whereupon Parkinson rejoined her as a Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, based in Downing Street.
In March 2017, it emerged in a Channel 4 News report that according to a cache of leaked documents and emails, Parkinson is one of the Conservative Party's senior campaigns figures at the heart of the party election spending investigation relating to alleged over-spending during the 2015 general election campaign.