Damian graduated in Modern History from St Benet’s Hall, University of Oxford in 1996. After university he joined the Conservative Central Office in 1996, working in the Conservative Research Department and then in the Press Office. He then went on to work in the advertising and communications industries, at M&C Saatchi from 1999 to 2008 and Lexington Communications from 2008 to 2010.
In 2010 he was first elected as Conservative Member of Parliament for Folkestone and Hythe, and has since been re-elected in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
From 2016 to 2019 Damian was Chair of the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, having previously served as a member. In this role he led the Committee’s inquiries into doping in sport, disinformation and fake news, football governance, reality TV, homophobia in sport, and addictive and immersive technologies.
In addition to his work in Parliament, Damian is a trustee of the Shepway Sports Trust, the Folkestone Youth Project, and he is a Chairman of Step Short, a heritage charity working to commemorate Folkestone’s role in the First World War. He also chairs the Conservative Arts and Creative Industries Network.