The Rt. Hon. Sir Edward Julian Egerton Leigh has been the Member of Parliament for Gainsborough since first being elected on 9th June 1983. As the longest serving MP in Parliament, he is, since July 2024 the incumbent Father of the House.

During the 41 years that he has represented Gainsborough (originally Gainsborough & Horncastle) he has held a number of positions including:

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1990-1993)

Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (2001-2010)

Independent Financial Adviser to HM Treasury (2010-2011)

Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission (2011-2020)

Additionally he served as Joint Secretary of the Conservative Parliamentary Defence Committee and the Parliamentary Agricultural Committee from 1983-1985; until 2015 he was Chairman of the Conservative Backbench Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and International Relations.

Sir Edward is married to Mary and they have 6 children. They split their time between their homes in Lincolnshire and London.

Sir Edward is a qualified barrister and a member of the Inner Temple who practised in arbitration and criminal law. He was knighted in 2013 and in 2018 appointed by the Queen to the Privy Council.