James Arbuthnot was a Conservative MP for 28 years, for Wanstead and Woodford from 1987 to 1997, and then for North East Hampshire from 1997 to 2015. He served as Minister for Pension (1994-1995), Minister for Defence Procurement (1995-1997), Chief Whip (1997-2001) and Chairman of the Defence Select Committee (2005-2014). He was appointed to the House of Lords in 2015.
James is the Chairman of the Information Assurance Advisory Council, a not for profit organisation working with universities, government bodies and industry to improve the security of information in all fields. He is Chairman of the Nuffield Trust for the Forces of the Crown, and a Senior Associate Fellow of the Royal United Services Institution (RUSI).
He is chairman of the Advisory Board of the defence company Thales (UK), a director, with Sir John Scarlett and Lord Carlile, of SC Strategy Ltd and an adviser to Babcock International, Pure Storage and other companies. He is Chairman of Susan Greenfield’s Neuro-Bio Ltd, a company conducting ground-breaking research into Alzheimer’s Disease. He is a director of the English wine company Gusbourne Estates Ltd. In his spare time he is not a cook, but he can read and follow recipes.