CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(born 19 November 1960) is a British businessperson,
angel investor
An angel investor (also known as a business angel, informal investor, angel funder, private investor, or seed investor) is an individual who provides capital to a business or businesses, including startups, usually in exchange for convertible de ...
, and former
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
politician.
Early life
Middleton was born on 19 November 1960 in
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 censu ...
to Dennis Middleton and Vivienne Middleton. He was educated at
Tettenhall College
Tettenhall College is a co-educational private day and boarding school located in the Wolverhampton suburb of Tettenhall in England.
History
The college was founded in 1863 by a group of prominent local businessmen and industrialists, most of ...
before studying History at the
University of Kent
The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. The university was granted its roya ...
. He married Catherine Smith in 1988, with whom he has two children.
Business career
Middleton started his career in 1984 as a brand manager at
Procter & Gamble
The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/con ...
, a role he held until he became a consultant at
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers, also known as PwC, is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom.
It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, alon ...
in 1988.
He co-founded emergency repairs company
HomeServe
HomeServe is a British multinational home emergency repairs and improvements business based in Walsall, England. It operates in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, France, Spain, Japan and Germany.
Established in 1993, HomeServe was list ...
in 1990, and has served on its executive committee since 1992.
He has been managing director of investment company Middleton Enterprises since 1990, which funds new companies in the North East and part funded the film ''
The Liability
''The Liability'' (also known as ''The Hitman's Apprentice''bbfc.co.uk ) is a 2013 British He invested in
Atom Bank
Atom Bank plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It is the United Kingdom's first bank built for smartphone or tablet, without any branches, and the first digital-only challenger bank to be granted a full UK regulatory licence. The company ...
and Rota, an app providing casual labour in the hospitality sector. He started the Middleton Community Enterprise Fund in 2007, to give money to charities to support their commercial work.
In 2008, he was listed as the 1,259th richest person in the United Kingdom by the Times, with wealth valued at £60 million.
From 2012 to 2016, Middleton served on the board of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership. From 2013 to 2017 he served on the board of energy consultancy Utilitywise.
He is also governor of Studio West School and a board member of a charity for the homeless, Changing Lives.
Political career
Middleton contested
Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend
Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
This constituency was ...
Nick Brown
Nicholas Hugh Brown (born 13 June 1950), known as Nick Brown, is a British former politician and trade unionist who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne East between 1983 and 2024. He represented the Labour Party unti ...
. He has five times unsuccessfully contested seats on Newcastle upon Tyne City Council. In the
2004 European Parliament election
The 2004 European Parliament election was held between 10 and 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. The European Parliamental parties could not be voted for, but elect ...
he was listed second on the Conservative list in the North East region but again failed to be elected. He was the Conservative candidate in the 2004 Hartlepool by-election, where he came fourth.
Middleton served as President of the National Conservative Convention from 2008 to 2009. In April 2009, he was elected onto the board of the Conservative party as Chairman of the National Convention, a role he held until 2012.
In February 2016, Middleton became the first candidate to enter the North East mayoral race and subsequently resigned from the Conservative Party. The elections were subsequently cancelled after North East councils failed to agree on the central government's devolution package.
Honours
He was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...