Background
John Michael Howell was born on 27 July 1955.
John Michael Howell was born on 27 July 1955.
He studied at the University of Edinburgh and holds a doctorate in archaeology from Street John"s College, Oxford.
He worked as a tax inspector (1982–1985) for the Inland Revenue (now known as Her Majesty Revenue & Customs) before moving into the world of accountancy and consultancy as a tax adviser at Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young. Howell has been a presenter for British Broadcasting Corporation World and was a councillor on Oxfordshire County Council from 2004 to 2009. In 2000, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for "services to Export in Central and Eastern Europe."
Following the 2010 General Election, Howell was appointed the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the House of Commons and the Lord Privy Seal, then Sir George Young, Baronet
Member of Parliament. He served on the Work and Pensions Select Committee and Justice Committee
In 2012 Howell reported receiving death threats after responding to a question on whether he would be acting try to halt Israeli military actions with a reference to Hamas rocket attacks in an online exchange.
Howell is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and of the Royal Geographical Society.
He became a partner in Ernst & Young in 1990 and was involved in opening Eastern Europe after the fall of communism. He caused controversy during the 2015 campaign after suggesting the reason he lost a poll, taken after a debate held at a local secondary school, was because “Young people generally tend to be more socialist-minded but they generally grow out of lieutenant”.
54th United Kingdom Parliament. 55th United Kingdom Parliament. 56th United Kingdom Parliament.
Royal Geographical Society.
Society of Antiquaries of London.