Neil O’Brien OBE MP co-founded Onward in May 2018, alongside Danny Finkelstein, Will Tanner, Martyn Rose and Nick Faith. He has written numerous research reports for Onward including Measuring Up for Levelling Up; Green, Pleasant and Affordable; and Firing on All Cylinders. Neil was also the founding chair of the Levelling Up Taskforce, a group of 65 Conservative MPs that Onward convened to press for greater ambition on the levelling up agenda.

Neil served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities till July 2022, and currently serves as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care. He was previously the Prime Minister’s adviser on Levelling Up, with responsibility for the Levelling Up White Paper.

Neil O’Brien was elected as the Member of Parliament for Harborough in June 2017. Prior to entering Parliament, Neil served as a Special Adviser in both Theresa May’s Number 10 Policy Unit and within George Osborne’s team in HM Treasury. As well as co-founding Onward, Neil is the former Director of Policy Exchange and Open Europe.