Al Pinkerton

{{Short description|British politician and academic}} {{EngvarB|date=June 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox Officeholder | honorific_prefix = {{pre-nominal styles|country=GBR|size=100%|pre-noms=[[Doctor (title)|Doctor]]}} | name = Al Pinkerton | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MP}} | image = Official portrait of Al Pinkerton MP crop 2.jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2024 | parliament = United Kingdom | constituency_MP = Surrey Heath | majority = 5,640 (11.8%) | term_start = 4 July 2024 | term_end = | predecessor = [[Michael Gove]] | successor = | office1 = [[Liberal Democrat frontbench team|Liberal Democrat portfolios]] | suboffice1 = [[Northern Ireland Office|Northern Ireland]] | subterm1 = 2024–2025 | suboffice2 = [[Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories|Europe]] | subterm2 = 2025–present | birth_name = Alasdair Douglas Pinkerton | birth_date = | birth_place = Scotland | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = | party = [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] | children = 2 | alma_mater = {{plainlist| * [[University of St Andrews]] ([[Master of Arts (Scotland)|MA]]) * [[Royal Holloway, University of London]] ([[PhD]]) }} | occupation = {{hlist|Academic|politician}} | website = {{URL|https://www.alpinkerton.uk/}} }}

'''Alasdair Douglas Pinkerton'''<ref>{{London Gazette |date=22 July 2024 |issue=64465 |page=14086}}</ref> is a British politician and academic who has been the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Surrey Heath (UK Parliament constituency)|Surrey Heath]] since the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]]. A member of the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]], he has worked as an associate professor in [[geopolitics]] at [[Royal Holloway, University of London]].

Pinkerton currently sits on the [[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]] in 2001. In 2006, he completed a PhD in [[geopolitics]] at [[Royal Holloway, University of London]], under the supervision of [[Klaus Dodds]], exploring the emergence of the [[BBC Empire Service]] in the 1930s.<ref name="LDbio">{{Cite web |title=Meet Al |url=https://www.surreyheathlibdems.org.uk/alastair-pinkerton/als-bio |publisher=Surrey Heath Liberal Democrats |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=van Efferink |first=Leonhardt |date=5 December 2012 |title=Alasdair Pinkerton: Media geopolitics, BBC Radio, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter |url=https://exploringgeopolitics.org/interview_pinkerton_alasdair_media_geopolitics_bbc_radio_facebook_youtube_twitter_world_service_social_platforms_technologies/ |website=Exploring Geopolitics |access-date=5 December 2012}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alasdair Pinkerton |url=https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/en/persons/alasdair-pinkerton |access-date=6 July 2024 |website=Royal Holloway Research Portal}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=26 July 2024 |title=Maiden speech: Al Pinkerton MP for Surrey Heath |url=https://www.libdemvoice.org/maiden-speech-dr-al-pinkerton-mp-for-surrey-heath-75726.html |website=Liberal Democrat Voice |access-date=26 July 2024}}</ref> He served as an accredited observer of the [[2013 Falkland Islands sovereignty referendum]], and has conducted research in regions affected by international disputes and geopolitical tensions.<ref name="LDbio" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Alasdair Pinkerton |url=https://theconversation.com/profiles/alasdair-pinkerton-133802 |website=The Conversation |date=4 August 2014 |access-date=26 July 2024}}</ref>

== Political career == Pinkerton first sought election to Parliament as a [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] in the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]] for [[Surrey Heath (UK Parliament constituency)|Surrey Heath]], finishing in second place behind the incumbent [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] MP, [[Michael Gove]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Surrey Heath parliamentary constituency – Election 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000983 |work=BBC News |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref> He spent the next five years pursuing Surrey Heath for the Liberal Democrats.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Balls |first=Katy |date=22 June 2024 |title=Meet Surrey's 'M&S movers' |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/meet-surreys-ms-movers/ |website=The Spectator |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref> The party took control of [[Surrey Heath Borough Council]] in 2023, for the first time in the borough's history.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dale |first=Bob |date=5 May 2023 |title=Surrey election results 2023: Conservatives lose seats across the county |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-surrey-65495474 |work=BBC News |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref>

In the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]], Pinkerton was elected as MP for Surrey Heath with 44.8 per cent of the vote and a majority of 5,640.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Surrey Heath {{!}} General Election 2024 |url=https://election.news.sky.com/elections/general-election-2024/surrey-heath-566 |access-date=2024-07-05 |publisher=Sky News}}</ref> He became the first non-Conservative MP to represent the area in 118 years.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Searle |first=Rob |date=5 July 2024 |title=Liberal Democrat Al Pinkerton makes history in Surrey Heath |url=https://www.wokingnewsandmail.co.uk/news/liberal-democrat-al-pinkerton-makes-history-in-surrey-heath-702541 |work=Woking News & Mail |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref>

On 18 September 2024, [[Ed Davey]] announced his new [[Frontbench Team of Ed Davey|Frontbench Team]]. Al Pinkerton became Spokesperson for [[Northern Ireland]] within the team.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Self |first=Josh |date=18 September 2024 |title=Ed Davey unveils new Liberal Democrat frontbench |url=https://www.politics.co.uk/news/2024/09/18/ed-davey-unveils-new-liberal-democrat-frontbench/ |access-date=18 September 2024 |website=Politics.co.uk}}</ref>

On 30 September 2025, [[Ed Davey]] announced that Al Pinkerton would be the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for [[Europe]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 September 2025 |title=Ed Davey announces updated Liberal Democrat frontbench team |url=https://www.libdems.org.uk/latest-news/2025/09/30/ed-davey-announces-updated-frontbench-team |access-date=30 September 2025 |website=Liberal Democrats}}</ref>

== Published works == *{{Cite journal |last1=Dodds |first1=Klaus |last2=Pinkerton |first2=Alasdair |date=October 2013 |title=The Falkland Islands referendum 2013 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/polar-record/article/abs/falkland-islands-referendum-2013/09000CBF72AF0DD9FB44163FED177E9C |journal=Polar Record |volume=49 |issue=4 |pages=413–416 |doi=10.1017/S0032247413000326 |bibcode=2013PoRec..49..413D |issn=0032-2474|url-access=subscription }} *{{Cite book |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-47178-1 |title=The Handbook of Displacement |date=2020 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-47178-1 |isbn=978-3-030-47177-4 |editor-last1=Adey |editor-last2=Bowstead |editor-last3=Brickell |editor-last4=Desai |editor-last5=Dolton |editor-last6=Pinkerton |editor-last7=Siddiqi |editor-first1=Peter |editor-first2=Janet C. |editor-first3=Katherine |editor-first4=Vandana |editor-first5=Mike |editor-first6=Alasdair |editor-first7=Ayesha}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons category}} *{{Official website|https://pinkerton.vote}} *{{UK MP links | parliament = 5288 | publicwhip = Al_Pinkerton | theywork = 26593 }}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|uk}} {{s-bef|before=[[Michael Gove]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Surrey Heath (UK Parliament constituency)|Surrey Heath]]|years=[[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024]]–present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinkerton, Al}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:21st-century British geographers]] [[Category:Academics of Royal Holloway, University of London]] [[Category:Alumni of Royal Holloway, University of London]] [[Category:Alumni of the University of St Andrews]] [[Category:Geopoliticians]] [[Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs for English constituencies]] [[Category:Politicians from Surrey]] [[Category:UK MPs 2024–present]]