A Fairer Society, A Fairer Deal for the North
Gandhi famously said that we should ‘be the change you would like to see in the world’, that’s what inspired me to apply to be the candidate for Thirsk & Malton, my home constituency. I would like to see the world become a fairer place, with equal opportunity for all and a fair deal for those who work hard and want to do their best for their families. How do we achieve that? We need to make work pay, improve education for all, support local business and get a fairer deal from central government in terms of investment into our region.
Kevin Hollinrake was born and brought up in what used to be part of the Thirsk and Malton constituency, near Easingwold. His dad was a hill farmer and the local milkman in Easingwold and his mum a social worker. All his children attended local schools in Crayke and Easingwold, where Kevin was also Vice-Chair of Governors. He is a keen sportsman, playing cricket for Easingwold for over 30 years, rugby union for York RI and golf at Easingwold Golf Club.
Business Career
He started Hunters Estate Agents in 1992, co-founding the business with John Waterhouse, and it is now one of the most successful and fastest-growing estate agencies in the UK. Hunters have over 200 branches nationwide including 30 in Greater London with gross turnover in excess of £40m and approximately 1000 people employed throughout the network.
Kevin has been in property for more than 30 years, but after studying physics at Sheffield Hallam University he set up various businesses. "I sold everything from army surplus to mobile phones. At that time it seemed the best way to make a living.”
Then he joined Prudential, at the time the largest estate agency in Britain as a branch manager, initially in Haxby and later in Burnley, Lancs.
"I discovered that it was a great business to be in, fast moving and challenging. It was inevitable that eventually I would want to be in the forefront of the industry.”
Five years later, in 1992, he and his original founding partner, John Waterhouse, started Hunters in Goodramgate.
"It was a tough time to start. Two months after opening our doors, we were hit by Black Wednesday when in one day interest rates went from ten per cent to 15 per cent. But we worked very hard and true to our name, hunted down every deal and we prayed that the market would improve. Eventually it did and we never looked back."
Why Politics?
"My parents always encouraged us to take an interest in politics and current affairs and to share our opinions around the dining room table. I think that’s where the seed was planted for a lifetime ambition to enter politics. I did not want to be a career politician, I first wanted to prove that I could be successful in business and think that gives me the credibility and experience to be able to help to improve things at a local and national level. Gandhi once said that we should “be the change we would like to see in the world” – that’s why I want to represent everyone in Thirsk, Malton & Filey."
Kevin was elected as the MP for Thirsk and Malton on 7th May 2015 with 27,545 votes, a 52.6% share of the ballot. In July 2016 he was made Parliamentary Private Secretary to David Lidington MP, Leader of the House of Commons.
In June 2017 he was re-elected as MP for Thirsk and Malton with 33,572 votes, a 60% share of the votes cast . In July 2017 he became PPS to the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. From July 2019 to September 2021, he was PPS to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He has previously been a member of the Treasury Select Committee but stepped down once being appointed a Minister in October 2022.
Kevin was re-elected for the third time as the MP for Thirsk and Malton in December 2019 with 35,634 votes, a 63% vote share with an increase of 2.9%.
Kevin co-chaired the extremely successful and renowned APPG on Fair Business Banking along with Margaret Hodge MP since 2018, supporting those affected by economic crime such as fraud, corruption and mis-selling of financial products. He stepped down as Chair in October 2022 after being appointed Minister for Small Business, Enterprise and Markets by the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak and therefore continues his extensive work on economic crime, a position he held until the July 2024 general election.
Kevin was re-elected for the fourth time in July 2024 for the revised constituency of Thirsk and Malton, which no longer includes Easingwold but includes Bedale and West Tanfield. Following the July 2024 election, Kevin was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade in Rishi Sunak's interim Shadow Cabinet, where he continued his work supporting small businesses' in Parliament. On Tuesday 5th November, following the election of Kemi Badenoch as the new Leader of the Conservative Party and HM Official Opposition, Kevin was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.