Paul Williams

Paul Daniel Williams (born 23 August 1972) is a British Labour Party politician and general practitioner (GP). Since the 2017 general election, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stockton South.

Early life and career
Paul Williams was born on 23 August 1972 in Canterbury, England. His parents worked as a teacher and a nurse respectively. His early education was at the Neale Wade School in March, Cambridgeshire. He started to support the Labour Party during the UK miners' strike (1984–85) and joined the party when he was studying medicine at the Newcastle University Medical School. Williams also obtained a Diploma in Tropical Medicine from the University of Liverpool. After graduating, he specialised in general practice. Prior to entering politics, Williams worked as a GP partner in Stockton and was also the chief executive officer of Hartlepool and Stockton Health GP Federation which oversees 37 practices in Hartlepool and Stockton. Williams also ran a health programme in Uganda for five years involving the implementation of a community health insurance scheme. This involved helping to set up a community hospital near the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest which provided HIV, malaria and tuberculosis services.

Parliamentary career
Williams was selected to contest the Stockton South constituency by the Labour Party in the 2017 UK general election. He had previously made the shortlist for the 2013 South Shields by-election. Williams went on to be elected as MP with 26,102 votes and a majority of 888 over incumbent Conservative Party MP James Wharton who had held the seat since the 2010 general election. His maiden speech focussed on increasing efforts in preventative care in the NHS. After the election, he was chosen to be part of the Health Select Committee.

Views on the NHS
Williams supports accountable care systems in the NHS led by primary care and public health. He opposes markets within the NHS as he feels that they promote "expensive, complex activity". He supports a move away from the partnership model of general practice to a system provided at-scale by GP-led not-for-profit provider organisations, employing salaried doctors.

Personal life
He is married to Vicky, who works as a nurse. They have two daughters and live in Stockton. In addition to his parliamentary activities, Williams continues to work as a GP in Stockton to maintain his medical licence. He is a trustee of ARC Theatre & Arts Centre, Stockton-on-Tees and a board member of Catalyst, a local volunteering organisation.