# Al Pinkerton

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British politician and academic

Doctor Al Pinkerton MP Official portrait, 2024 Member of Parliament for Surrey Heath Incumbent Assumed office 4 July 2024 Preceded by Michael Gove Majority 5,640 (11.8%) Liberal Democrat portfolios 2024–2025 Northern Ireland 2025–present Europe Personal details Born Alasdair Douglas Pinkerton Scotland Party Liberal Democrats Children 2 Alma mater University of St Andrews (MA) Royal Holloway, University of London (PhD) Occupation Academic politician Website www.alpinkerton.uk

**Alasdair Douglas Pinkerton**[1] is a British politician and academic who has been the [Member of Parliament](/source/Member_of_Parliament_(United_Kingdom)) (MP) for [Surrey Heath](/source/Surrey_Heath_(UK_Parliament_constituency)) since the [2024 general election](/source/2024_United_Kingdom_general_election). A member of the [Liberal Democrats](/source/Liberal_Democrats_(UK)), he has worked as an associate professor in [geopolitics](/source/Geopolitics) at [Royal Holloway, University of London](/source/Royal_Holloway%2C_University_of_London).

Pinkerton currently sits on the [Liberal Democrat frontbench team](/source/Liberal_Democrat_frontbench_team) as the Spokesman for Europe.

## Early life and academic career

Pinkerton was born and grew up in Scotland. He graduated with a degree in geography from the [University of St Andrews](/source/University_of_St_Andrews) in 2001. In 2006, he completed a PhD in [geopolitics](/source/Geopolitics) at [Royal Holloway, University of London](/source/Royal_Holloway%2C_University_of_London), under the supervision of [Klaus Dodds](/source/Klaus_Dodds), exploring the emergence of the [BBC Empire Service](/source/BBC_Empire_Service) in the 1930s.[2][3]

Since 2009, Pinkerton has worked as an academic at Royal Holloway. At the time of his election to Parliament in 2024, he was a reader (associate professor) of geopolitics.[4][5] He served as an accredited observer of the [2013 Falkland Islands sovereignty referendum](/source/2013_Falkland_Islands_sovereignty_referendum), and has conducted research in regions affected by international disputes and geopolitical tensions.[2][6]

## Political career

Pinkerton first sought election to Parliament as a [Liberal Democrat](/source/Liberal_Democrats_(UK)) in the [2019 general election](/source/2019_United_Kingdom_general_election) for [Surrey Heath](/source/Surrey_Heath_(UK_Parliament_constituency)), finishing in second place behind the incumbent [Conservative](/source/Conservative_Party_(UK)) MP, [Michael Gove](/source/Michael_Gove).[7] He spent the next five years pursuing Surrey Heath for the Liberal Democrats.[8] The party took control of [Surrey Heath Borough Council](/source/Surrey_Heath_Borough_Council) in 2023, for the first time in the borough's history.[9]

In the [2024 general election](/source/2024_United_Kingdom_general_election), Pinkerton was elected as MP for Surrey Heath with 44.8 per cent of the vote and a majority of 5,640.[10] He became the first non-Conservative MP to represent the area in 118 years.[11]

On 18 September 2024, [Ed Davey](/source/Ed_Davey) announced his new [Frontbench Team](/source/Frontbench_Team_of_Ed_Davey). Al Pinkerton became Spokesperson for [Northern Ireland](/source/Northern_Ireland) within the team.[12]

On 30 September 2025, [Ed Davey](/source/Ed_Davey) announced that Al Pinkerton would be the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for [Europe](/source/Europe).[13]

## Published works

- Dodds, Klaus; Pinkerton, Alasdair (October 2013). ["The Falkland Islands referendum 2013"](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/polar-record/article/abs/falkland-islands-referendum-2013/09000CBF72AF0DD9FB44163FED177E9C). *Polar Record*. **49** (4): 413–416. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2013PoRec..49..413D](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013PoRec..49..413D). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1017/S0032247413000326](https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS0032247413000326). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0032-2474](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0032-2474).

- Adey, Peter; Bowstead, Janet C.; Brickell, Katherine; Desai, Vandana; Dolton, Mike; Pinkerton, Alasdair; Siddiqi, Ayesha, eds. (2020). [*The Handbook of Displacement*](https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-47178-1). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1007/978-3-030-47178-1](https://doi.org/10.1007%2F978-3-030-47178-1). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-3-030-47177-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-030-47177-4).

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["No. 64465"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/64465/page/14086). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 22 July 2024. p. 14086.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-LDbio_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-LDbio_2-1) ["Meet Al"](https://www.surreyheathlibdems.org.uk/alastair-pinkerton/als-bio). Surrey Heath Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 6 July 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** van Efferink, Leonhardt (5 December 2012). ["Alasdair Pinkerton: Media geopolitics, BBC Radio, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter"](https://exploringgeopolitics.org/interview_pinkerton_alasdair_media_geopolitics_bbc_radio_facebook_youtube_twitter_world_service_social_platforms_technologies/). *Exploring Geopolitics*. Retrieved 5 December 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Alasdair Pinkerton"](https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/en/persons/alasdair-pinkerton). *Royal Holloway Research Portal*. Retrieved 6 July 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Maiden speech: Al Pinkerton MP for Surrey Heath"](https://www.libdemvoice.org/maiden-speech-dr-al-pinkerton-mp-for-surrey-heath-75726.html). *Liberal Democrat Voice*. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Alasdair Pinkerton"](https://theconversation.com/profiles/alasdair-pinkerton-133802). *The Conversation*. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Surrey Heath parliamentary constituency – Election 2019"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000983). *BBC News*. Retrieved 6 July 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Balls, Katy (22 June 2024). ["Meet Surrey's 'M&S movers'"](https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/meet-surreys-ms-movers/). *The Spectator*. Retrieved 6 July 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Dale, Bob (5 May 2023). ["Surrey election results 2023: Conservatives lose seats across the county"](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-surrey-65495474). *BBC News*. Retrieved 6 July 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Surrey Heath | General Election 2024"](https://election.news.sky.com/elections/general-election-2024/surrey-heath-566). Sky News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Searle, Rob (5 July 2024). ["Liberal Democrat Al Pinkerton makes history in Surrey Heath"](https://www.wokingnewsandmail.co.uk/news/liberal-democrat-al-pinkerton-makes-history-in-surrey-heath-702541). *Woking News & Mail*. Retrieved 6 July 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Self, Josh (18 September 2024). ["Ed Davey unveils new Liberal Democrat frontbench"](https://www.politics.co.uk/news/2024/09/18/ed-davey-unveils-new-liberal-democrat-frontbench/). *Politics.co.uk*. Retrieved 18 September 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Ed Davey announces updated Liberal Democrat frontbench team"](https://www.libdems.org.uk/latest-news/2025/09/30/ed-davey-announces-updated-frontbench-team). *Liberal Democrats*. 30 September 2025. Retrieved 30 September 2025.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Al Pinkerton](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Al_Pinkerton).

- [Official website](https://pinkerton.vote)

- [Profile](https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/member/5288) at [Parliament of the United Kingdom](/source/Parliament_of_the_United_Kingdom)

- [Contributions in Parliament](https://hansard.parliament.uk/search/MemberContributions?memberId=5288) at *[Hansard](/source/Hansard)*

- [Voting record](https://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Al_Pinkerton) at [Public Whip](/source/Public_Whip)

- [Record in Parliament](https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/26593) at [TheyWorkForYou](/source/TheyWorkForYou)

- [Profile](https://www.opensanctions.org/entities/Q75839213) on OpenSanctions, an open database of sanctions and persons of interest

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