Simon Kirby
A Conservative politician who captured the Brighton Kemptown seat from Labour, holding a key Treasury role before the 2017 election upset.
Born 1964 (age 62)·British Conservative politician·Birthday: December 22·Baby Boomers
Biography
Simon Kirby's political career was a study in challenging the odds. In 2010, he managed to win Brighton Kemptown for the Conservatives, turning a seat that had been red for over a decade. His tenure in Parliament was marked by a focus on local business and infrastructure, advocating for projects like the renovation of the Brighton Marina. His parliamentary ascent peaked in 2016 when Prime Minister Theresa May appointed him Economic Secretary to the Treasury, placing him at the heart of post-Brexit financial planning. However, the political winds shifted dramatically in the 2017 snap election, and Kirby lost his seat in the Labour surge, ending his frontbench role. His time in Westminster illustrated the precarious nature of political fortunes in marginal constituencies.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Simon was born in 1964, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Simon Was Born
The biggest hits of 1964
#1 Movie
Mary Poppins
Best Picture
My Fair Lady
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Simon's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1964Born
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1969Started school
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1977Became a teenager
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Could drive
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
1982Could vote
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Turned 21
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
1994Turned 30
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 40
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 50
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 60
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 62 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Elected as the Conservative MP for Brighton Kemptown in 2010, flipping a long-held Labour seat.
- Served as Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister from 2016 to 2017.
- Served as a government whip from 2015 to 2016, responsible for party discipline in Parliament.
- Was a member of the Treasury Select Committee, scrutinizing government economic policy.
Did You Know?
Before politics, he worked in the financial services sector as a chartered accountant.
He is a supporter of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club.
He lost his seat in the 2017 general election by just 690 votes.
He used the surname Radford-Kirby earlier in his life before professionally using Simon Kirby.
“Winning here required listening to the high street, not just the party line.”
