Nick Boles was born in 1965. He is the youngest in a large family and has fourteen nephews and nieces. He was brought up in the countryside and his parents live on the family farm in Devon.

Nick studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Magdalen College, Oxford and won a scholarship to study for a master's degree at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Nick's Experience
Nick spent most of his 30s running his own business, which manufactured paint brushes and rollers. In 2002, he set up Policy Exchange, which has since become one of the Britain's largest and most influential think tanks.

Nick took his first steps into politics in 1998, when he was elected onto Westminster Council. He stood for Parliament in Hove in 2005 but lost narrowly. Since 2008, Nick has been working with Francis Maude to draw up detailed plans for the implementation of Conservative policies in government.