Edward Thomas Weir CH CBE (born 18 October 1982) is a British politician and Founder of Weir Inc.
Early Life
Born in 1982, he is the only child of Thomas and Eliza Weir where he grew up in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. His family members all share a history in the music industry, his uncle being Oliver Leighton. He received an honourable Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) award in 2005.
Political Career
Edward became interested in politics in late 2019, in which he held his first position as the Chancellor of the Exchequer alongside First Secretary of State under Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister, Quincy Duval. Edward was inducted into the Order of the British Empire where he was awarded Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his efforts towards industrial engineering in December 2013 shortly after establishing Weir Inc.
Edward had previously shown a strong bond with Quincy Duval. As a result, he was offered the position Chancellor of the Exchequer as well as First Secretary of State before stepping down as First Secretary due to political differences in early 2020. He was an avid supporter of Brexit, urging Duval to choose a side before the upcoming referendum to which he was ignored.
Edward was made Chairman of the European Research Group (ERG).
On 10 January 2020, he announced his loss of faith under Quincy and was shortly spotted attending luncheon with Ed Daley (previous Leader of the UKIP Party) where the both were supposedly discussing an alliance pact between parties.
On 12 January 2020, newly-elected Prime Minister, Quincy Duval announced his support for a referendum as well as the Leave Campaign. Edward labelled this as an "extremely proud moment". Later that day, the BBC conducted an exclusive interview where he was questioned on his political future. As always, Edward reiterated the importance of a referendum and that he would work around the clock to ensure that it was delivered. At the time there was huge scepticism for Edward succeeding Duval as Prime Minister, however, this never come to light.
Shortly after the election, Edward was moved from Chancellor of the Exchequer to Home Secretary due to a cabinet restructure. Several hours after his appointment, Edward denied Shamima Begum asylum to the United Kingdom which caused an uproar within parliament.
On 13 January 2020, the newly-appointed Home Secretary proposed plans for a National Security Number (NSN) that was similar to America's Social Security Number labelling it as a "safer and fairer" system. It was set up to control, monitor and crackdown on illegal immigration as well as valid identification.
Once again, Duval attempts to ditch the referendum promise by saying it was at the "bottom of the list in priorities". Naturally, Edward reacted to this labelling the Prime Minister as untrustworthy.
We saw Edward host Golden Globe who recognise excellence in the film and TV industry due to his contribution towards music and public speaking in an attempt to improve his reputation amongst the people and party. It is unknown how much of an effect this had.
On 16 January 2020, Weir managed to secure phase one of tasers for MET police throughout London. When questioned over budget, he said this; "You must be kidding, I was the one to slash foreign aid, there is plenty of money for officers safety - I assure you that."
On 19 January 2020, Edward formally resigned as Home Secretary due to the uncertainty over a promised referendum. He said this; "The Forward Campaign was the final straw. I cannot and will not serve a government where I have a Prime Minister who fails to deliver on a promise and a cabinet who refuse a referendum. I have dignity and honour - this was the best thing to do professionally and this cabinet goes against that. I will continue to serve as a back-bench Member of Parliament for Huntingdon. I wish my colleagues and The Conservative Party the very best."
On 22 January 2020, the Daily Star published an article labelled "Where is Weir?" the article went on to explain how Edward had very much taken a 'back seat' in frontline politics where he was focusing on his music career releasing 'Freelove Freeway' that was supposedly referencing his ex-wife, Rebecca.
As of January 2020, Edward is a backbench Member of Parliament for Huntingdon.
Personal Life
Edward married Rebecca where they had their son, Lewis (born 2012), Edward and Rebecca divorced five years after they married in 2010.
For many years, this deeply affected him where he attended therapy during his early days as Chancellor leaving uncertainty over his Winter Statement in 2020.
In early January leaked images of Edward appeared on the dating application 'Tinder' - Weir refused to comment. Several days later an article was in the Daily Star expresses his frustrations with the press who were "invading his privacy".