Charles Walker (British politician)
A backbench Conservative MP who became a respected and candid voice for parliamentary procedure and mental health awareness.
Born 1967 (age 59)·British Conservative politician·Birthday: September 11·Generation X
Biography
Charles Walker's journey in Parliament was less about ministerial ambition and more about the integrity of the institution itself. Elected for the safe seat of Broxbourne in 2005, he quickly found his calling in the often-unseen mechanics of the House of Commons. As Chairman of the Procedure Committee for seven years, he was the backbenchers' backbencher, a stickler for the rules who believed robust process was the bedrock of democracy. Walker gained wider public attention for his extraordinarily frank and emotional speeches about his own struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, helping to destigmatize mental health issues in politics. Knighted in 2020, he was seen as a parliamentarian's parliamentarian—occasionally eccentric, fiercely independent, and deeply committed to the Commons as a place of scrutiny and debate, even as he chose to step down before the 2024 election.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Charles was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Charles Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Charles's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 50
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 59 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the elected Chairman of the House of Commons Procedure Committee from 2012 to 2019.
- Was knighted in the 2020 Dissolution Honours for political and public service.
- Served as the Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party for a period under David Cameron.
Did You Know?
He gave a powerful speech in the Commons in 2012 detailing his lifelong battle with OCD, which went viral.
Before politics, he worked in public relations and as a special adviser to Minister Angela Browning.
He is a passionate advocate for the protection of hedgehogs.
“I am not a broken person, I am a person who has a broken mind from time to time.”
