Stephen Williams

Stephen Williams was elected to Parliament in 2005 as MP for Bristol West. He is the first Liberal MP ever for this constituency and the first to be elected in the city of Bristol since 1935. Following the 2005 election, Charles Kennedy appointed Stephen as Liberal Democrat public health spokesperson. In this role he strongly supported a ban on smoking in all public places and subsequently won an award from Cancer Research UK for his advocacy of a full ban. Following the election of Nick Clegg as the Liberal Democrat Party leader, Stephen was made the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

After retaining his seat with an increased majority in 2010, Stephen was appointed as Chairman of the party's Treasury backbench committee and was also elected to serve on the newly-formed Constitutional Reform Select Committee. On 7th October 2013 he was promoted to Minister for Communities at the Department for Communities and Local Government. He now has responsibility for integration and race equality, localism, building regulations, empty homes and sustainable development.