Afolami was educated at Bishopsgate School, a prep school in Egham, Surrey, and at Eton College, an all-boys independentboarding school in Berkshire. He was Berkshire county champion several times in both the 400m and triple jump as a schoolboy, and also competed at national level. He reached the final of the national English schools athletics championships finals in 2002 in the triple jump.[5] He attended University College, Oxford, where he read modern history. While at Oxford, he was librarian of the Oxford Union Society and played football for the university team.[6][7]
In 2018, Afolami was named one of the Franco-British Council's Young Leaders.[15] In January that year, it was reported that Afolami had claimed £2,000 in expenses for subscription to the European Research Group.[16] In April, Afolami was a member of the delegation to Beijing for the tenth Anniversary Leadership Forum, led by David Lidington. The Forum, entitled "Partners for Progress: Strengthening the UK-China relationship in the Golden Era", aimed to discuss practical cooperation between the UK and China.[17]
It was announced in May 2018 that Afolami would be one of 14 members of the Conservative Reform Group, a group of centrist Conservative MPs.[18] At the end of 2018, Afolami joined the Steering Committee of the Constitution Reform Group,[19] a cross-party pressure group chaired by Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury, which supports the Act of Union Bill 2018,[20] a private member's bill introduced by Lord Lisvane in the House of Lords on 9 October 2018.
In September 2018, Afolami was appointed parliamentary private secretary in the Department for Transport.[21] In December, Afolami announced his support for Theresa May's Brexit deal.[22] In February 2019, Afolami was appointed PPS to the Secretary of State for International Development,[23] followed by his appointment as PPS to the Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss. He was subsequently appointed as PPS to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Thérèse Coffey. In April 2021, a private member's bill introduced by Afolami, the British Library Board (Power to Borrow) Act 2021, gained royal assent.[24] Years later, in 2025, Rory Stewart would criticise Afolami's performance as his PPS at the Department for International Development, saying he often absent from the weekly meetings.[25]
Afolami served as Chair of PRASEG, the all-party parliamentary group on Renewable and Sustainable energy, until November 2023, when he resigned on being appointed as Economic Secretary to the treasury.[29] Afolami was also the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Credit Unions[30] and a Commissioner for the Financial Inclusion Commission,[31] a financial inclusion campaign group.
He is active in supporting charities and other voluntary groups. He is patron of Harpenden Spotlight on Africa[32] a charity working in health and education in rural Uganda. He is also patron of GRIT (Growing Resilience in Teens)[33] and Tilehouse Counselling,[34] two mental health charities in his constituency. Afolami also sits on the advisory board of the Social Market Foundation[35] and on the Programme Committee of the Ditchley Foundation.[36]
On 5 July 2022, whilst being interviewed live on television, Afolami resigned from his role as Vice Chair of the Conservative Party, owing to recent scandals in government under Boris Johnson.[37]
In November 2023, Afolami was appointed as Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister – the mid level ministerial role responsible for financial services. He is the youngest person ever appointed to the latter role. His appointment was widely welcomed by leading City figures due to his experience in the financial services industry both before entering parliament and whilst on the backbenches.[41]
Works
Afolami, Bim (September 2023). "William III". In Dale, Ian (ed.). Kings and Queens: 1200 Years of English and British Monarchs. Hodder & Stoughton.
^"E-mail: OXFORD UNION in 7th Week". groupspaces.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2019. Bim Afolami MP: The Conservative Member of Parliament for Hitchin and Harpenden constituency, he is a former Librarian of the Oxford Union.
