British GQ has revealed the 50 most influential people in Britain

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT  

EMILY MAITLIS, 49, PRESENTER, NEWSNIGHT  

The British-Canadian journalist presents BBC Two’s news and current affairs programme Newsnight, and also covers elections for the BBC in UK, US and Europe. 

She spent six years reporting from the Far East, based in Hong Kong – speaks Spanish, French and Italian – and is the author of a recent book about her years as a Newsnight presenter.

More recently, she carried out the BBC Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew, Duke of York, in relation to his links to Jeffrey Epstein.  

KAMAL AHMED, 52, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, BBC NEWS  

Kamal joined the BBC in 2014 as Business Editor, before moving to the role of Economics Editor two years later. 

This followed an extensive career in newspapers, and was BBC’s Economics Editor until November 2018. 

Now, he is Editorial Director and is responsible for shaping the BBC’s future editorial strategy, focusing on storytelling and explanatory journalism, and oversees everything from Question Time to BBC.co.uk’s Reality Check and long reads.   

SALLY ROONEY, 28, AUTHOR   

The Irish author released debut novel, Conversations with Friends, in 2017. 

This was followed by the publication of Normal People one year later.

She is the winner of the Young Winner of the Year Award and in 2019, was named to the inaugural Time100 Next list.

Her work has also appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Granta and The London Review of Books.

PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE, 34, ACTOR/SCREENWRITER 

She acts, she writes; big screen, small screen, UK, America. Stellar names such as Olivia Colman and Fiona Shaw queue to read her lines. 

Phoebe Waller-Bridge earned plaudits on stage in New York with her one-woman stage version of Fleabag, not to mention two awards at the Golden Globes for the show, where she was named best actress in a TV series (musical or comedy).

Meanwhile, her other critically-acclaimed hit Killing Eve was the big winner at the BAFTA TV Awards 2019,  scooping three trophies including best actress for Jodie Comer and best drama series.     

ES DEVLIN, 48, STAGE DESIGNER   

Es Devlin is an artist and stage designer who is known for creating large-scale performative sculptures and environments that fuse music, language and light.

She has created touring stage sculptures for the likes of Beyonce, U2, Adele and Kanye West as well as two decades of Opera, drama and dances performances worldwide.

The designer’s 25-year long career began in theatre – via a degree in English literature from Bristol University.

Some of Devlin’s most notable stage sets include Benedict Cumberbatch’s Hamlet at the Barbican in 2015 and the National Theatre’s 1998 revival of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal. 

NINA GOLD, 52, CASTING DIRECTOR   

The casting director is renowned for her work on the HBO series Rome and Game of Thrones.

Not only that, but she’s also worked as casting director in films including The Martian, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Gold started casting while still at Cambridge University, where she studied French and Latin. 

Her job involves securing famous names for scripts but also noting who has what it takes to become a star. 

RICHARD MASTERS, 53, CEO, Premier League

In December 2019, Richard Masters was appointed as the permanent successor to Richard Scudamore as Premier League chief executive.

Richard had served in the position on an interim basis since Scudamore stood down in November the previous year.

Richard has worked in the sports industry for more than 25 years. He joined the Premier League as Director of Sales and Marketing in 2006 and was promoted to Managing Director in July 2015.

Prior to joining the Premier League, Richard was Commercial Director at the English Football League and before that he worked for the England and Wales Cricket Board.

JOANNA HOGG, 59, FILMMAKER, DIRECTOR AND WRITER

Joanna Hogg is a director and writer, known for The Souvenir (2019), Unrelated (2007) and Archipelago (2010). 

She previously revealed that she can up to a year or more writing before shooting begins.

The director forms the shape of a story in a document which eventually ends up being around 30 pages long – filled with photographs, descriptions of scenes and characters feelings.

STEVE MCQUEEN, 50, ARTIST AND FILMMAKER  

The British artist, director and screenwriter has won several awards for his outstanding art exhibitions and film work. 

After breaking through into the mainstream film industry with 2008 film, Hunger, he went on to produce 2011 hit, Shame, which earned him many accolades.

For his 2013 film 12 Years a Slave, a historical drama adaptation of an 1853 slave narrative memoir, he won an Academy Award, BAFTA Award for Best Film, and Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture. 

ED SHEERAN, 28, MUSICIAN 

The singer, 28, who is one of the most successful musicians on the planet, has been crowned the world’s top-earning solo artist with an astonishing income of £65,000 a day.

And the pop star  has another award for his mantelpiece – he is Britain’s No 1 artist of the decade.

His ‘Official Chart Record Breaker’ award is for the most No 1 hits (12 in total) on the singles and albums charts from 2010 to 2019 and the most weeks at No 1 (79, which adds up to more than a year and a half at the top).

Meanwhile, the Divide tour is the highest-grossing tour of all time with an attendance of more than 8.7million across 255 shows between 2017 and 2019.

VICTORIA SIDDALL, 42, GLOBAL DIRECTOR, FRIEZE FAIRS 

Victoria Siddall oversees all four Frieze Fairs in her role as Global Director. 

She has worked with Frieze since 2004 and was Head of Development before she launched Frieze Masters in London in 2012.

Victoria is responsible for the successful execution of international contemporary art fairs that unfold in some of the world’s biggest cities: New York, Los Angeles and London.

JESSE ARMSTRONG, 49, SCREENWRITER  

The British author, screenwriter and producer has received many awards for his work on the television series Peep Show.   

He accepted the Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series award for ‘Succession’ onstage during the 71st Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 22, 2019 in Los Angeles.

He was was born in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. 

CAROLE CADWALLADR, 50, JOURNALIST  

The British author, investigative journalist and features writer rose to international prominence in 2018 when she exposed the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal.

Her work won her a nomination for a Pulitzer Prize.

STORMZY, 26, MUSICIAN

The grime artist made a swift rise in the early 2010s to become one of the UK’s most critically acclaimed artists.

He is also a multiple GQ award winner.

Stormzy was born Michael Omari on July 24, 1993 and raised by his mother in Croydon.

At school, Harris Academy, Stormzy excelled academically, getting 6A*s at GCSE, and, according to Lord Harris, the Tory peer who is a benefactor of the school, he could have gone to ‘Oxford or Cambridge’. Stormzy says he had the grades, but not the ‘desire for it’.

‘I got caught up in other things. I wasn’t feeling the whole education thing,’ he told GQ. 

DAVID BECKHAM, 44, PHILANTHROPIST AND BUSINESSMAN 

For the best part of two decades, David Beckham has been at the forefront of the football – and celebrity – world.

From his wacky haircuts to wonderful goals, across Europe and the world, Goldenballs has provided countless golden moments. 

While he’s since announced his retirement from football, he has used his cultural cachet to influence fashion, sport and philanthropy.

LUCY BRONZE, 28, FOOTBALL 

The English footballer plays as a right-back for French club Olympique Lyonnais and the England national team. 

Lucy has previously played for the likes of Sunderland, Everton, Liverpool, and Manchester City as well as the North Carolina Tar Heels at college level in the United States.

She was also named as England player of the year. 

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY 

SIR JIM RATCLIFFE, 67, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, INEOS 

The Lancashire-native part owns the world’s biggest private business, Ineos, selling 60m tonnes of petrochemicals a year.

He founded the company in 1998 and his success is well-documented.

Ratcliffe is one of the richest people in Britain and in the last few years has turned to investing his reported £8.7b fortune into sporting ventures at home and abroad.

In 2018 he partnered with Olympic sailor Ben Ainslie to form Ineos Team UK to compete for the 36th America’s Cup, next year.

Ratcliffe is reportedly investing over £110 million in the project. He is also pumping money into the Team Sky cycling squad, now Team Ineos, after buying it last year.

He bought the team in March and four months later they won the Tour de France with Colombian rider Egan Bernal.

He also owns, through Ineos, Swiss top division football team, FC Lausanne-Sport (bought 2017), and French side OGC Nice – which he acquired in August last year.

 HOLLI ROGERS, 51, CEO, BROWNS, AND CBO, FARFETCH  

The brains behind the Browns revival. She is a member of the Business of Fashion 500 list for her work in turning around the fortunes of the ailing brand since taking over in 2015.

Last year, Rogers was also appointed Chief Brand Officer of Farfetch, owner of Browns.

According to BOF, Rogers has ‘quadrupled the business while bringing it modern relevancy.’

‘I want to re-establish Browns as the coolest boutique in the world and one of the most important factors in achieving this is to both stay completely in tune with the ever-changing lifestyle needs of our customers and to keep innovating,’ she told Vogue in 2016.

CAROLINE RUSH, 48, CEO, BRITISH FASHION COUNCIL  

After a background in public relations and marketing, the mother-of-one was made chief executive of the British Fashion Council in 2009.

She is credited with helping to reclaim the relevance of London Fashion Week and re-instate it in the ‘big four’, alongside, Paris, Milan and New York’s instalments, after an exodus saw big brands such as Burberry ditch the English capital.

She oversees the British Fashion Awards, recently re-branded as ‘The Fashion Awards,’ one of the most highly recognised award ceremonies within the industry.

In Summer 2012, London, and Caroline, introduced London Collections: Men, eventually renamed London Fashion Week Men’s, arguably the CEO’s greatest achievement in her decade in charge.

CAROLYN FAIRBAIRN, 59, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, CONFEDERATION OF BRITISH INDUSTRY  

‘The bosses boss,’ QG say. That’s a reference to the fact that she’s the head of the Confederation Of British Industry, an organisation that claims to speak for 190,000 businesses.

The magazine praised her for her company’s response to the ‘head-bangers of Brexit as well as quelling the near-hysteria prompted by the 2019 Labour election manifesto call for wholesale renationalisation.’

The mother-of-three is former non-executive director of the Competition and Markets Authority, Lloyds Banking Group and the UK Statistics Authority.

She is also former Director of Strategy for BBC Worldwide and, last year, was awarded a Damehood for her services to business in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

ANNASTASIA SEEBOHM, 33, CEO, QUINTESSENTIALLY 

The millennial CEO keeping luxury-focused millennials dancing to the Quintessentially tune.

The British concierge company, which focuses on giving time-strapped and cash-heavy customers bespoke luxury experiences, was founded in London in the year 2000.

Last year Greece-born Annastasia – who Forbes dubbed ‘The Queen Of Luxury’ – was promoted from being the US boss to heading the company’s 65 offices worldwide. 

ANDERS HOLCH POVLSEN, 47, TYCOON AND ENVIRONMENTALIST 

The world’s richest Dane, with an estimated fortune of £6.1bn as per Forbes.

He inherited his parent’s company Bestseller, which owns 17 brands including Vero Moda and Jack&Jones.

Bestseller also commands the highest share ownership in ASOS, and the second-largest in German internet clothes retailer Zalando.

But, more recently, Anders’ efforts have gone into re-wilding large swathes of the Scottish Highlands after he began a purchase spree of land and estates across the area.

His ownership spreads over 13 estates and his green-fingered initiatives aim to undo generations of overgrazing and land clearance.

TOM BLOMFIELD, 34, CEO, MONZO

You may have seen the Monzo card whirl through London, and across the UK, in a blaze of bright coral pink.

The first class law student, an Oxford University alumni, has managed to merge pop culture with banking – his company proving popular with cash-savvy millennials.

His background is in traditional banking, but his current chapter started when he founded challenger bank Monzo in 2015 after leaving Starling Bank under a cloak of mystery.

In 2013, he was recognised as one of the top five entrepreneurs under 30 by the European Commission and, last year, was given an OBE for his services to Improving Competition and Financial Inclusion in the Banking Sector. 

JAN HAMMER, 43, PARTNER, INDEX VENTURES 

The London-based investor and father-of-three identifies and pumps money into companies with a tech focus that he thinks can make it big. 

A partner at Index Ventures, his personal repertoire is quite something, counting Ayden, Collibra and TransferWise in the billion-dollar companies he has spotted. 

Describing his job in layman’s terms, he said he’s always on the lookout for ‘the next Facebook’. 

 BRENT HOBERMAN, 51, FOUNDER, FOUNDERS FACTORY

He and business partner, Henry Lane Fox, do essentially what Jan Hammer does – invest in businesses. 

What’s different are the numbers behind the operation. Their business offers six months of support and £150,000 to an average of 13 new start-ups each year, GQ state. 

The pair also invest in around 35 more per year. They have 118 start-ups that count Hoberman, Lane Fox and the Founders Factory as a springboard.   

The South African co-founded lastminute.com in April 1998, was CEO from its inception, and sold it in 2005 to Sabre for $1.1bn (£800m). 

He is still the chairman and counts a string of successful businesses under his belt. Technology businesses he has co-founded have raised over $650m (£500m). 

JAMES DAUNT, 56, FOUNDER, DAUNT BOOKS 

He’s the founder of the quintessentially English Daunt books, ‘the man who saved Waterstones’ and he’s now turning his hand to reviving another sleeping giant, Barnes & Noble. 

Since May 2011 has been managing director of the bookshop chain Waterstones, overseeing it’s turnaround under Russian ownership, after the giant bought Daunt books and kept him in charge. 

Elliott Management Corporation, who own both Waterstones and Barnes & Noble, bought the majority share in the latter last year, keeping Daunt as CEO and tasking him with overseeing the US market, twice the size of his first page-turner. 

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND INFORMATION 

MARIA RAGA, 41, CEO, DEPOP

Depop has managed to carve out a niche in what was once itself a niche. It commands the second-hand clothes selling market on the internet, which once changed the face of retail.

GQ described the app as ‘a sort of Instagram meets eBay,’ due to its trendy teen and early twenties population flogging cool pre-loved clobber.

At the head of this company – which sees 140,000 new items listed for sale daily – is Maria Raga. 

Raga jumped ship from Groupon in 2014, preferring the forward-thinking mobile first narrative of Depop. When the company’s founding CEO left, she was asked to take over.

SIR NIGEL SHADBOLT, 63, CHAIRMAN AND COFOUNDER, OPEN DATA INSTITUTE

The 63-year-old founded the Open Data Institute alongside none other than Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the man who invented the World Wide Web.

A champion of open data, the ODI’s mission is to connect, equip and inspire people around the world to innovate with data.

In 2015, he was appointed Principal of Jesus College, Oxford and a Professorial Research Fellow in the Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, spearheading their AI ethics institute.

In 2018 he authored The Digital Ape: How to live (in peace) with smart machines.

JEREMY FARRAR, 58, DIRECTOR, THE WELLCOME TRUST 

Jeremy Farrar was Director of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam for 18 years before taking over at Wellcome in October 2013.

An expert on infectious diseases and global health, with a focus on emerging infections – Farrar has published almost 600 articles.

As Brexit threatened UK science, he and the trust came out swinging in its advocacy.

The father-of-three has reams of honours of titles – including his knighting in the Queen’s 2018 New Year Honours for services to global health and his President Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2018.

DEMIS HASSABIS, 43, COFOUNDER AND CEO, DEEPMIND  

Demis co-founded DeepMind while still in his early thirties.

The company, that focuses on machine learning, neuroscience, engineering, mathematics, simulation and computing infrastructure, was bought by Google for £400m in 2014, whilst still setting its own agenda.

DeepMind is leading the charge in AI, having built the first computer to play against humans without restriction and reach the top league of a major esport.

The company also uses their groundbreaking finds for the good of humans, making scientific breakthroughs, making a real world impact in creating systems to help save energy and identify eye disease, while it also explores the most complex challenges posed in computer science.

JAY HUNT, 53, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, EUROPE, WORLDWIDE VIDEO, APPLE 

The 53-year-old head of video at Apple has quite the resume.

She counts director of programmes at Channel 5, controller of BBC One, and chief creative officer of Channel 4 among her former jobs.

She is also reportedly being mooted as the replacement for Tony Hall after he stepped down as BBC director general in recent weeks.

Her most newsworthy coup of late came when she was at Channel 4 and she poached The Great British Bake Off from the national broadcaster.

MARGRETHE VESTAGER, 51, POLITICIAN

Once a particularly spiky thorn in the side of the aforementioned Apple, the EU’s commissioner of competition was tasked with combating tax dodging in the tech world.

The Dane stung Apple for €13 billion (£11billion), plus interest, in the summer of 2016. She said ‘Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple’ from 2004–14.

Margrethe hit the company again last year, this time asking for £222m from Luxembourg-based Apple.

Vestager’s work as competition commissioner received criticism from US President Donald Trump who said: ‘She hates the United States, perhaps worse than any person I’ve ever met.’

The social liberal politician is now Executive Vice President of the European Commission for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age and is tipped to become European commission president someday.

RAJEEV MISRA, 58, CEO, SOFTBANK INVESTMENT ADVISERS  

Misra is one to keep an eye because he is the manager of a Saudi-backed £100bn SoftBank Vision Fund which has poured £13.7bn into the failing WeWork, including a £7.2bn bailout.

The Vision Fund, part of the Japanese bank, has pumped $76.3bn (£58bn) into 88 different technology companies from household names like Uber and to smaller start-ups like DoorDash.

In the process it has start-ups worth at least $1bn in the process. Despite the challenges he and his employer face, Misra is optimistic to say the least.

He announced they will fund a further 100 companies last October.

MARIANA MAZZUCATO, 51, ECONOMIST  

In 2017, The Times called the University College London professor the ‘world’s scariest economist.’

While she doesn’t appear to be a ‘scary’ person, it is the truths she tells that have governments running scared.

A decade after the financial, the left-wing economist believes societal ills like wealth disparity lay at the door of captialism.

She is admired by Bill Gates and has penned two books on modern political economic theory — ‘The Entrepreneurial State’ (2013) and ‘The Value of Everything’ (2018).

She has worked with US Democrat politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her people on how industrial policy might catalyse a Green New Deal.

DR IAN LEVY, 46, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY CENTRE  

The National Cyber Security Centre is a government organisation that provides advice and support for the public and private sector in how to avoid computer security threats, headed in a technical sense by Dr Levy.

The centre dealt with 658, or 13 hourly, security threats last year. Prior to his current role, Levy worked as director at Syntaxis Technology and research fellow at the University of Warwick.

Levy finished his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Computer Science at the University of Warwick. 

ACTIVISM

GRETA THUNBERG, 17, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST 

Greta Thunberg, the Swedish environmental activist on climate change, has gained internal recognition thanks to her campaigning – and she has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the second year on a row. 

She has encouraged students to skip school to join protests demanding faster action on climate change, a movement that has spread beyond Sweden to other European nations and around the world.

Greta also founded the Fridays for Future movement that has inspired similar actions by other young people.

 CATHERINE MAYER, 59, CO-FOUNDER, WOMEN’S EQUALITY PARTY 

Catherine is the President of the Women’s Equality Party.

The author and award-winning journalist has release book ‘Attack of the Fifty Foot Women: How Gender Equality Can Save the World!’ which explains why she co-founded the Women’s Equality Party in 2015.

She served as elected president of the Foreign Press Association in London, is on the founding committee of The Women of the World Festival and was a judge for the 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction. 

As if that isn’t enough, she is also the Executive Director of the think tank, Datum Future. 

MEGHAN MARKLE, 38, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX  

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have decided to ‘step back’ as ‘senior royals’ in a bid to become financially independent, while still supporting the Queen and balance their time between the UK and North America.

Meanwhile, a source close to the couple reportedly told CNN that the duo are ‘single-handedly’ modernising the monarchy.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex insider said the institution around the royal family is full of people ‘inexperienced’ at how best to ‘deploy and harness their value.’ 

GAIL BRADBROOK, 47, COFOUNDER OF EXTINCTION REBELLION 

Protests in London and around the country have caused chaos, with a week of protests in July causing widespread disruption in the capital and one in Manchester bringing misery to drivers.

But the movement has three demands for the UK Government. 

These are to declare a climate and ecological emergency; to act to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025; and to create and be led by the decisions of a citizens’ assembly on climate and ecological justice.

RAHEEM STERLING, 25, FOOTBALLER 

It was never Raheem Sterling’s intention to lead football’s crusade against racism.

On December 9, as he deliberated over whether to send an Instagram post that thrust the issue back into the spotlight, he never thought it would catapult him to the forefront of a movement to erase racial prejudice from the game for good.

Having been abused by Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge the day before, Sterling’s objective — primarily as a black sportsman — was only to speak up because he believed he had been wronged.

His post that day forced football to re-evaluate. Thank heavens he found the courage to tap out that social media post. Thank heavens he is, albeit reluctantly, leading the campaign against racism.

RACHEL RILEY, 34, PRESENTER AND MATHEMATICIAN 

Rachel Riley has blasted Jeremy Corbyn and accused him of ‘condoning’ anti-Semitism in the Labour party and ‘fostering an environment hostile to Jews.’

The star of Channel 4’s Countdown is a vocal critic of Mr Corbyn, whose party has been mired in an anti-Semitism crisis since last summer.

The 34-year-old, who is Jewish, has previously spoken about the deluge of abuse she has suffered for her campaigning against anti-Semitism.

In an interview with former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell in GQ, Ms Riley has said Mr Corbyn is ‘fostering an environment that’s just really hostile to Jews. 

GEORGE MONBIOT, 57, ENVIRONMENTALIST 

The British writer is known for his environmental and political activism and believes that drastic action coupled with strong political will is needed to combat.

He is the founder of The Land is Ours, a campaign for the right of access to the countryside and its resources in the United Kingdom.

After graduating with a degree in zoology, Monbiot joined the BBC Natural History Unit as a radio producer, making natural history and environmental programmes. 

He transferred to the BBC’s World Service, where he worked briefly as a current affairs producer and presenter, before leaving to research and write his first book. 

AARON BASTANI, 35, ACTIVIST 

Aaron Bastani, also known as Aaron Peters, is seen as the driving force behind Novara Media, an organisation closely linked to the far-left Momentum group which supports Jeremy Corbyn. 

Bastani grew up in Bournemouth with his single-parent mother.

He co-founded Novara Media in June 2011, initially as an hour-long show on the community radio station Resonance FM, based in south London. 

POLITICS  

PRINCE KHALID BIN BANDAR BIN SULTAN BIN ABDUL AZIZ AL-SAUD, 42, SAUDI AMBASSADOR TO THE UK   

Saudi Arabia is currently on a huge PR drive, and has started hosting more sports events.

Amongst them include Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr, the Dakar Rally, the Spanish Super Cup – affording its Old Etonian ambassador to the UK much greater clout.

 CARRIE SYMONDS, 31, PUBLICIST

When Boris Johnson first became leader, in July, Symonds was thrust into the limelight.

He was swept into No 10 with his girlfriend by his side, making it clear she will be his First Lady after posing with her at the world-famous black door.

The victorious Tory leader grabbed her hand and then put his arm around his partner in Downing Street after winning the biggest majority for the Conservatives for a generation.

His decision to re-enter the PM’s residence with girlfriend Carrie cemented her place on his arm as his official plus one. 

ISAAC LEVIDO, 36, POLITICAL STRATEGIST  

He is little known outside Westminster, but 36-year-old Australian Isaac Levido will win the lion’s share of the credit for Boris Johnson’s election triumph.

Softly spoken and sporting a black beard, Mr Levido was director of politics and campaigning in Conservative Campaign Headquarters – and the undisputed chief of the Tory campaign.

After the results of the exit poll were revealed, staff at the party’s Westminster HQ chanted ‘Oh, Isaac Levido’ – mocking the tribute to Jeremy Corbyn which used to be sung by Labour supporters.

BORIS JOHNSON, 55, PRIME MINISTER

Boris Johnson vowed to ‘heal’ the country after years of Brexit warring as he hailed his historic election victory.

In a speech on the steps of No10, the PM said he was determined to ‘repay the trust’ of the wave of former Labour supporters who handed him a huge new mandate.

He said he would work ’round the clock’ to unite the UK – promising to represent everyone rather than just his own backers.

TORSTEN BELL, 37, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, RESOLUTION FOUNDATION 

In June 2015, former senior advisor to Ed Miliband Torsten Bell was appointed as the organisation’s director to lead what the Foundation described as ‘an expanded programme of work’.

NICOLA STURGEON, 49, FIRST MINISTER OF SCOTLAND AND LEADER OF THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY 

The Scottish politician is currently serving as the fifth First Minister of Scotland and has been leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) since November 2014. She is the first woman to hold either position.   

She recently spoke to activists, elected members, and the media, as she set out the next steps in the SNP’s campaign for Scottish independence, on the day the UK left the European Union. 

 SIR LINDSAY HOYLE, 62, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

Sir Lindsay was elected as the new Commons Speaker at the start of November 2019 after the incumbent, John Bercow, stepped down after a decade in the role.

First elected MP for Chorley in 1997, he has been Mr Bercow’s most senior deputy – known by the formal title ‘chairman of ways and means’ – since 2010, when post-expenses scandal reforms saw the role elected by MPs rather than appointed by the Leader of the Commons.

But the Bolton Wanderers FC fan is no pushover, having memorably bellowed at one miscreant: ‘The panto season is not for another nine months.’

He also scolded the SNP for singing Ode to Joy – the EU’s anthem – during the vote to trigger Article 50.

Sir Lindsay was an immediate favourite for the role of Commons referee when Mr Bercow – with whom he had a strained relationship – announced he was stepping down after 10 years in the chair.

Following the terror attack on Parliament in March 2017 and the killing of PC Keith Palmer, Sir Lindsay won plaudits by taking responsibility for ramping up security provisions.

He was in the Commons chair at the time of the atrocity in which four people were killed and presided over the lockdown in Parliament.

Born in Adlington in Lancashire, where he still lives, he was elected for Labour on Chorley Borough Council where he became deputy leader and mayor during his near two-decade tenure.

Selected for the Chorley constituency, he won back the seat for the party after it had been in Tory hands for 18 years.