Tobias Ellwood was born in New York due to his father’s overseas posting as a diplomat. He attended schools in Bonn and Vienna where he completed the International Baccalaureate.

He then took his first degree at Loughborough University, where he was elected President of the Students’ Union. He later completed an MBA at City University Business School and finally the senior executive course in national and International Studies at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Tobias spent six years in the Regular Army with The Royal Green Jackets, head quartered in Winchester, and served in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Kuwait, Germany, Gibraltar and Bosnia. He now has the rank of Lieutenant Colonel as a reservist in the 77th Brigade.

He has worked as a researcher for former Defence Secretary, the Rt Hon Tom King MP (now Lord King), and as a Senior Business Development Manager at the London Stock Exchange and Allen and Overy.

Tobias served as Parish and Borough Councillor before being elected Member of Parliament for Bournemouth East in May 2005, and subsequently re-elected in 2010, 2015 and most recently in June 2017.

Shortly after first being elected to Parliament in 2005, Tobias was appointed

Opposition Whip. In July 2007, he was promoted to the post of Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport. After the May 2010 General Election, he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary firstly for the Defence Secretary, Rt Hon Liam Fox MP and then for the Minister for Europe, the Rt Hon David Lidington MP.

In July 2014 he was promoted to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as Minister for the Middle East and Africa. He was then moved to Ministry of Defence as Minister for Defence People and Veterans.

Tobias was elected Chair of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee in

January 2020 and served in this position until September 2023.

Tobias has written publications on post-conflict stability, Royal Navy aircraft carriers, the future of Afghanistan, the weaponisation on space and daylight saving.

Outside of politics Tobias is a keen sportsman and a private pilot. He is frequent

visitor to the United States and the Middle East. He also enjoys the theatre, military history, and is an Eagle Scout.