Tim Hames was Director General of the

British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association The British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, sometimes known simply as the British Venture Capital Association, or BVCA, is a trade organisation for the private equity and venture capital industry in the United Kingdom. It was found ...

(BVCA). Before joining the BVCA, Hames was a columnist and Chief Leader Writer at ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...

''. He occasionally writes travel pieces. He also wrote for ''

The Tablet ''The Tablet'' is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Brendan Walsh, previously literary editor and then acting editor, was appointed editor in July 2017. History ''The Tablet'' was launched in 1840 by a Quaker convert ...

'' and the ''

Charleston Mercury The ''Charleston Mercury'' was a secessionist newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina, founded by Henry L. Pinckney in 1819. He was its sole editor for fifteen years. It ceased publication with the Union Army occupation of Charleston. After th ...

''. Before joining the ''Times'' in 1999, he was a lecturer in politics at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He attended

Oriel College Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, w ...

, Oxford. He has a doctorate in philosophy (DPhil) from the University of Oxford. Together with

Andrew Adonis Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis, (born Andreas Adonis; 22 February 1963) is a British Labour Party politician and journalist who served in HM Government for five years in the Blair ministry and the Brown ministry. He served as Secretary of Stat ...

he wrote ''A Conservative Revolution?'', a work looking at the rise of

Thatcherism Thatcherism is a form of British conservative ideology named after Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher that relates to not just her political platform and particular policies but also her personal character and general style of manage ...

. Hames edited the ''Times Guide to the House of Commons'' in 2001 and 2005. He was mocked by the magazine ''

Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satirical and current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely recognised for its prominent criticism ...

'' for a 2007 column entitled "I’ve got the sauce to say it: Barack Obama is a loser" in which he made inaccurate predictions about the future of American politics including saying it was "absurd" to say Obama would become President, and that if he won he would eat his words with Tabasco sauce. On 8 September 2009, it was announced that Hames would become Special Adviser to the Speaker of the House of Commons,

John Bercow John Simon Bercow (; born 19 January 1963) is a British former politician who was Speaker of the House of Commons from 2009 to 2019, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Buckingham between 1997 and 2019. A member of the Conservative Party prior ...

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Living people British columnists Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Year of birth missing (living people) {{UK-journalist-stub