David Johnston

David Mervyn Johnston (born 27 November 1981) is a British politician who has served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing since August 2023.

He attended Tom Hood Comprehensive School and Sir George Monoux Sixth Form College, before going on to university at Balliol College, Oxford, where he gained a BA in Modern History and Politics in 2003.

From 2003 to 2006, Johnston was co-ordinator of the Oxford Access Scheme.

He then became a director of Future, holding this role from 2006 to 2009.

Johnston was a governor at Sir George Monoux Sixth Form College, where he had studied, from 2008 to 2016, as well as Pimlico Academy from 2008 to 2017.

Before he became an MP, he was chief executive of the Social Mobility Foundation for over ten years, from 2009 to 2020.

He was also a member of the Social Mobility Commission from 2012 to 2017.

Johnston was appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to social mobility and education, through his former role as chief executive of the Social Mobility Foundation.

Johnston's partner is Charlotte Pickles.

He lists his recreations as travel, the outdoors and the gym, in addition to being a Liverpool season ticket holder.

A member of the Conservative Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wantage since 2019.

On 6 July 2022, he resigned from his position as Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Department for Education amid the Chris Pincher scandal which led to Boris Johnson’s resignation as Prime Minister.

Johnston was born in Whitechapel, East London, to parents Mervyn and Carol Johnston.

He was elected to Wantage, a safe seat for the Conservative Party in Oxfordshire, in 2019.

He succeeded Ed Vaizey.

He served on the Education Select Committee between 2020 and 2021.

In September 2021, he was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Department for Education.

Johnston resigned as PPS on 6 July 2022, following other resignations in protest of Boris Johnson's conduct in the Chris Pincher scandal.

On 31 August 2023 he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing, replacing Claire Coutinho.