Background
Phillips was born on 9 March 1970, the son of Stewart Charles Phillips, a civil servant, and his wife Janice Frances née Woodhall.
Phillips was born on 9 March 1970, the son of Stewart Charles Phillips, a civil servant, and his wife Janice Frances née Woodhall.
He attended Canford School, Dorset before going up to Oriel College, Oxford from 1988 to 1992, where he graduated with a Bachelor degree (proceeding Master of Arts (Oxfordshire)) in Jurisprudence (Law) in 1991. He pursued postgraduate studies at Oxford University receiving a Bachelor of Civil Law (Bachelor of Civil Law) in 1992.
After studying to become a barrister at the Inns of Court School of Law, he was called to the Bar at Lincoln"s Inn in 1993. He took silk (Queen's Counsel) and also serves as a recorder since 2009. He was chairman of the governing body of Frank Barnes School, one of the only sign-bilingual schools for deaf people in Britain.
Phillips served a short commission in the British Army, as a Welsh Guards officer
Phillips sits on the European Scrutiny Committee, the Public Accounts Committee and the Committee for the Defamation Bill. He attracted criticism from some for spending around 1,700 hours annually working as a barrister whilst serving as an Member of Parliament. Phillips described his own parliamentary attendance record as "excellent", asserting his outside work "doesn’t affect the way in which I perform as an Member of Parliament", and accused his critics of "envy" over his £750,000 per annum second job earnings.
In 2008 he contested a by-election for Hampstead Town ward where he lives on the Camden London Borough Council triggered by the resignation of the Conservative incumbent but lost to the Liberal Democrats.
55th United Kingdom Parliament. 56th United Kingdom Parliament]
Phillips has represented the constituency of Sleaford and North Hykeham as its Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) since 2010. Phillips entered the House of Commons in 2010 as Member of Parliament for Sleaford and North Hykeham, being its second parliamentary representative since the constituency was created, following Douglas Hogg.