Phil Willis MP (Lib Dem, Horrogate & Knaresborough) – Chair, Innovation, Universities and Skills Select Committee
Phil Willis entered Parliament as MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough in 1997 and from 1999 until 2005 he was Lib Dem Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills. In 2005 he was appointed Chairman of the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee. In May 2007 he was also appointed Chair of the Joint Committee on the Draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill. In November 2007 the Science and Technology Select Committee was disbanded and the House of Commons Innovation, Universities and Skills Select Committee was formed. Phil Willis was elected chairman soon after.
Phil was born in Burnley Lancashire in 1941. He graduated with a degree in philosophy from Birmingham University, before going on to spend much of his professional life in teaching. From 1978 until 1997 he worked as Head of two large comprehensive schools in Middlesbrough and Leeds where he achieved national recognition for his pioneering work on inclusive education.
