A bankruptcy order has been made against Conservative MP Adam Afriyie
(Picture: PA Archive)Tory MP Adam Afriyie has been declared bankrupt due to debts of £1.7 million.
A hearing in the Insolvency and Companies Court on Tuesday (December 13) revealed that Mr Afriyie owed around £1 million to HMRC and around £700,000 to Barclays.
Judge Nicholas Briggs said: “There have been six hearings already of this matter so time really has run out.
“I shall make a bankruptcy order. It seems to me there is no evidence of there being any reasonable prospects of paying debts in full.”
Who is Adam Afriyie?
Adam Afriyie is a Tory MP representing Windsor and has been a member of the Conservative Party since 1990.
Political career and beliefs
He has been an MP continuously since May 5, 2005, but in July, he announced that he would be stepping down at the next general election.
At the time, he said: “It is a double and unexpected honour to have been elected the first black Conservative MP in the history of our party.”
During his time as MP, Mr Afriyie has been a member of the Members’ Expenses Committee, Children, Schools and Families Committee, and the Science and Technology Committee.
From 2007 until 2010, he was the Shadow Minister for Science and Innovation, and from 2010 until 2017, he was the chair of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.
In 2016, during the Brexit referendum, the Windsor MP backed the Vote Leave campaign.
According to his website, Mr Afriyie’s political beliefs include the idea that “People are happiest when they are autonomous; in control of their own lives and able to make their own decisions”.
Furthermore, his political aims include the goal “to support social mobility so that everyone has the chance to make a success of their life based upon hard work and merit, and regardless of their background”.
Personal life
He was born in 1965 to a white English mother and a black Ghanaian father and was brought up by his mother in South London, according to the MP’s website.
The Tory MP gained a BSc in Agricultural Economics from Imperial College at Wye. During his gap year, he lived in Israel and travelled to Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Holland, Denmark, and Sweden.
Before entering politics, he was a businessman and previously worked as Governor of the Museum of London, Trustee of the Museum of London Docklands, and director of Policy Exchange (a centre-right think tank).
Mr Afriyie lives in Old Windsor with his wife and five children.
What has Adam Afriyie said about being declared bankrupt?
The Tory MP said in a statement given to the PA news agency: “This has been ongoing for many years following business failures some time ago.
“I am ultimately responsible for some of the bank borrowing through personal guarantee.”
He continued: “I’ve been trying to sell our home and downsize for some time, but it’s a tough market.
“It is a stressful time and it’ll be tough for a while, but I’m far from the only person in a difficult position, and I will continue to do my best to support my constituents until the next general election, when I’ll be standing down.”
