Nick Hawkins was born in 1957. He was educated at Bedford Modern School; Lincoln College, Oxford (MA Hons Jurisprudence) and the Inns of Law (Council of Legal Education). He won a Harmsworth Entrance Exhibition and Senior Scholarship at the Middle Temple, where he was called to the Bar in 1979. He has two sons and a daughter.

He was elected Member of Parliament for Blackpool South in 1992. Following major adverse boundary changes, he became Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Surrey Heath in 1997 and was elected with the second largest Conservative majority after Huntingdon.

He contested Huddersfield in the 1987 General Election. He was Constituency Vice-Chairman, Rochford Constituency Association 1988-91 and became the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Blackpool South in 1991. Having held several senior offices in the Bow Group, he was elected Chairman for 1992-93.

From October 1995 to August 1996 he was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Ministers of State, Ministry of Defence. In August 1996 he was promoted to become Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State, Department of National Heritage.

He practised at the Bar on the Midland and Oxford Circuit 1979-86, and then became a Consultant.. He was elected to the Bar Council in 1988, serving until 1995, representing the employed Bar, and has served on the International Practice, Law Reform, Public Affairs and General Management Committees. In 1993-94 he was Chairman of the Bar Association for Commerce Finance and Industry.

He was Secretary and then Co-Chairman of the All-Party Railways Group, Chairman of the Conservative Backbench Sports Committee and was Secretary of the Conservative Backbench Education Committee 1993-5. He is an active member of several Conservative Backbench Committees, especially on Tourism, Small Business, Finance and Home Affairs, and is Deputy Chairman of the All-Party Group on Insurance and Financial Services.

He was elected Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Backbench Home Affairs and National Heritage Committees in July 1997, and was appointed to assist the Shadow Leader of the House's team in November 1997. In the June 1999 reshuffle, Mr. Hawkins was appointed Front Bench Spokesman for Legal Affairs and Shadow Minister, Lord Chancellor's Dept, and in February 2000 he was appointed in addition as a Shadow Home Office Minister.

July 2000