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Elliot Haydn George Colburn[1] (born 6 August 1992)[2] is a British Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Carshalton and Wallington from the 2019 general election until he lost his seat in 2024. Colburn also served as councillor for the Cheam ward on Sutton Council from 2018 to 2022.

Early life

Colburn was born at St Helier Hospital and Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children in St Helier, London. He grew up in Sutton, London,[3] and attended Carshalton Boys Sports College.[4] Colburn has campaigned for the Conservative Party since the age of 13,[3] and studied politics at Aberystwyth University.[5]

After graduation Colburn worked as a parliamentary assistant for the Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Scully,[5] and Scotland Secretary Alister Jack.[6] He has also worked as a public affairs officer for South West London Health and Care Partnership.[5][7]

Colburn was a Conservative candidate in the 2014 Sutton Council election for Wallington North ward, and came fourth.[1] In the 2016 referendum on membership of the European Union, Colburn supported Brexit.[5][8] He was elected to Sutton Borough Council as one of the three Conservative councillors for Cheam ward at the 2018 election, and was selected on to committees for People and Scrutiny.[9][10] He resigned from his council seat in 2022.[11][12]

Career

Colburn speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, 7 February 2024

Colburn was selected as the Conservative candidate for Carshalton and Wallington on 11 February 2019.[13] He then won the election that year, wresting it from 24 years of Liberal Democrat representation with a majority of 629 and 42.4% of the vote.[14][15] [16][17] [18] His campaign included local promises to extend the London Overground to Sutton, and to oppose the settling of gypsies and travellers on local green spaces.[3]

Colburn joined the Petitions and the Women and Equalities Committees the next year.[19] He was vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on HIV/AIDS.[20] Colburn submitted a letter of no confidence in Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the wake of Sue Gray‘s report on Partygate in May 2022.[21]

Colburn endorsed Penny Mordaunt in the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, and again in the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.[22][23]

He lost his seat in 2024 to Liberal Democrat Bobby Dean.[24] Having spoken prominently about help with suicidal thoughts, including his own, Colburn found a new career as a manager for the Samaritans, in Public Affairs and Campaigns.[25]

Personal life

Colburn is gay.[8] After receiving a homophobic death threat in 2021, he spoke out to raise awareness of the abuse MPs too often face.[26]

Colburn has served as a trustee of the charitable organisation Community Action Sutton and as a Scout Leader for the 6th Carshalton Scout Group.[27]

In February 2024, at Prime Minister’s Questions, Colburn revealed he had attempted suicide three years before, and said that he wanted to share the message that “help is out there.”[28] The contribution was welcomed by the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition.[29]

References

  1. ^ a b “Election results for Wallington North, 22 May 2014”. Sutton London Borough Council. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  2. ^ Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain’s historic 2019 General Election. HarperCollins Publishers Limited. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
  3. ^ a b c Roberts, Lizzie (17 December 2019). “10 under 30: meet the new fresh faced MPs arriving in Parliament for the first time”. The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.(subscription required)
  4. ^ “Elliot Colburn”. Sutton Conservatives. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d Bond, Daniel (16 December 2019). “Class of 2019: Meet the new MPs”. Politics Home. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  6. ^ “Register of Interests of Members’ Secretaries and Research Assistants” (PDF). UK Parliament. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  7. ^ “Declarations of interest – Councillor Elliot Colburn”. Sutton Council. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  8. ^ a b Evans, Jack (14 February 2019). “‘I’ve lived in Sutton all my life, and did my first door knock at 13’: meet the new Conservative parliamentary candidate for Carshalton and Wallington”. SW Londoner. South West Londoner. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  9. ^ “Election results May 2018 – Cheam”. Sutton Council. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  10. ^ “Councillor Elliot Colburn”. Sutton Council. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  11. ^ “Half of Sutton LibDem councillors quitting at May’s elections”. Inside Croydon. 8 April 2022.
  12. ^ “Cheam Results”. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  13. ^ Kituno, Nick (11 February 2019). “Elliot Colburn announced as Carshalton and Wallington parliamentary candidate”. Sutton & Croydon Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 February 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  14. ^ Council, Sutton. “Statement of Persons Nominated & Notice of Poll – Carshalton & Wallington 2019 – Sutton Council”. www.sutton.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  15. ^ “Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis” (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022..
  16. ^ “New Carshalton and Wallington Tory MP ‘over the moon’ as Lib Dem’s Tom Brake bows out”. Sutton & Croydon Guardian. Newsquest Media Group. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  17. ^ “Carshalton and Wallington”. Election 2019. BBC News. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  18. ^ “Parliamentary career – Rt Hon Tom Brake”. UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  19. ^ “Parliamentary career for Elliot Colburn”. UK Parliament. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  20. ^ “The APPG on HIV/AIDS—What We Do”. All Party Parliamentary Group on HIV/AIDS. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  21. ^ “How many Tories have submitted letters of no confidence in Boris Johnson?”. ITV News. 31 May 2022.
  22. ^ Boycott-Owen, Mason; Penna, Dominic (13 July 2022). “Who’s backing whom in the Tory leadership race?”. The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  23. ^ “Sunak or Mordaunt: who is backing whom as next Tory leader?”. The Guardian. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  24. ^ “Carshalton & Wallington | General Election 2024 | Sky News”. election.news.sky.com. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  25. ^ Crowther, Zoe (6 July 2025). “One Year After The General Election: Where Are Former MPs Now?”. PoliticsHome. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  26. ^ “South London MP speaks out after receiving homophobic death threat”. South West Londoner. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  27. ^ “About Elliot”. Elliot Colburn. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  28. ^ Buchan, Lizzy (7 February 2024). “Tory MP close to tears as he tells of suicide attempt in PMQs speech”. The Mirror. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  29. ^ “Elliot Colburn: MP tells PMQs about suicide attempt”. BBC News. 7 January 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
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