05-22-2020, 06:02 PM
Solomon Fimi Kabumba is a British Liberal Democrat politician and Army Reservist, the Member of Parliament for Carshalton & Wallington since 2014.
The son of a British mother and Congolese father, Solomon grew up on a council estate in Peckham, attending Addey and Stanhope School and going on to study at the Polytechnic of Central London where he gained a degree in Civil Engineering.
Joining the British Army Corps of Royal Engineers at the age of 23, Solomon was headhunted for officer training at Sandhurst, graduating as a Second Lieutenant.
By 1997, Solomon had become a Major. He left his full-time role in the armed forces to join the Army Reserves, then the Territorial Army, in 1999.
Solomon started an IT support firm, Connexion Services Ltd. in 2000, and in 2003 was a regional finalist competing for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Having been a member of the Conservative Party in his youth before joining the Conservative Party, Solomon defected to the Liberal Democrats in 2001, standing for election to Sutton London Borough Council successfully in 2002.
In 2008, Solomon stood unsuccessfully for the London Assembly, before being selected to contest the Croydon South Parliamentary constituency in 2010. Solomon finished second, with the Conservatives holding the seat.
Ahead of the 2015 general election, Solomon was selected by the Liberal Democrats to contest the seat of Carshalton & Wallington, which had been held by the party since 1997. Solomon was successful in winning the seat, entering the House of Commons as the first black Lib Dem MP.
The son of a British mother and Congolese father, Solomon grew up on a council estate in Peckham, attending Addey and Stanhope School and going on to study at the Polytechnic of Central London where he gained a degree in Civil Engineering.
Joining the British Army Corps of Royal Engineers at the age of 23, Solomon was headhunted for officer training at Sandhurst, graduating as a Second Lieutenant.
By 1997, Solomon had become a Major. He left his full-time role in the armed forces to join the Army Reserves, then the Territorial Army, in 1999.
Solomon started an IT support firm, Connexion Services Ltd. in 2000, and in 2003 was a regional finalist competing for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Having been a member of the Conservative Party in his youth before joining the Conservative Party, Solomon defected to the Liberal Democrats in 2001, standing for election to Sutton London Borough Council successfully in 2002.
In 2008, Solomon stood unsuccessfully for the London Assembly, before being selected to contest the Croydon South Parliamentary constituency in 2010. Solomon finished second, with the Conservatives holding the seat.
Ahead of the 2015 general election, Solomon was selected by the Liberal Democrats to contest the seat of Carshalton & Wallington, which had been held by the party since 1997. Solomon was successful in winning the seat, entering the House of Commons as the first black Lib Dem MP.
Rt Hon. Arthur Whitney CH, QC, MP
Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe 1970-present
Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe 1970-present
