Peter Phillips (born 28 December 1949) is a Jamaican politician who is currently the MP for Saint Andrew East Central. Phillips is the former president of the

People's National Party The People's National Party (PNP) is a Social democracy, social-democratic List of political parties in Jamaica, political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by independence campaigner Osmond Theodore Fairclough. It holds 14 of the 63 seats in ...

and former leader of the Opposition in Jamaica. He served as Minister of Finance and Planning of Jamaica from 2012 to 2016. He is Member of Parliament for East Central St Andrew.

Early life

Phillips was born in Kingston to Mico Teachers' College lecturer Aubrey Sylvester Phillips and civil servant Thelma Limonius Phillips. Aubrey was a graduate of Mico, where he had roomed with

Howard Cooke Sir Howard Felix Hanlan Cooke (13 November 1915 – 11 July 2014) served as the fourth governor-general of Jamaica from 1 August 1991 to 15 February 2006. Early life Cooke was born on 13 November 1915, in Goodwill, St. James, Jamaica, the s ...

, who would later become

Governor-General of Jamaica The governor-general of Jamaica is the viceregal representative of the Jamaican monarch, King Charles III, in Jamaica. The monarch, on the advice of the prime minister, appoints a governor-general as his or her representative in Jamaica. Bot ...

. Peter Phillips spent some of his infancy in

Manchester Parish The Parish of Manchester is a parish located in west-central Jamaica, in the county of Middlesex. Its capital, Mandeville, is a major business centre. Its St. Paul of the Cross Pro-Cathedral is the episcopal see of the Latin Catholic Dioces ...

where both his mother's and father's parents lived. The family returned to Kingston and he started pre-school there before moving to

Saint Ann Parish Saint Ann is the largest parish in Jamaica. It is situated on the north coast of the island, in the county of Middlesex, roughly halfway between the eastern and western ends of the island. It is often called "the Garden Parish of Jamaica" on ac ...

where his father took up a new job as principal of

Moneague Teachers' College Moneague College is a multidisciplinary institution located in Moneague, Saint Ann, Jamaica on the main road between Kingston and Ocho Rios. The college is partly situated in the former colonial-era Moneague Hotel. History The Moneague Hotel wa ...

. Peter lived in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

between ages six and nine while his father studied for a PhD there, and then returned to

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, where he attended

Jamaica College Jamaica College (abbreviated J.C. or JC) is a public, Christian, secondary school and sixth form for boys in Kingston, Jamaica. It was established in 1789 by Charles Drax, who was the grand-nephew of wealthy Barbadian sugar planter J ...

as a boarder. Phillips holds a bachelor's degree in Economics, a Master's in Government (from The University of the West Indies), and a Doctorate in Sociology from the State University of New York at Binghamton (USA).

Political career

Phillips first entered parliament as an appointed senator after the

won the 1989 general elections. He served as Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister until 1991, when he was appointed PNP General Secretary and Minister of Special Projects in the Office of the Prime Minister. He remained in post until 1994, when he was elected to parliament as the member for Saint Andrew East Central. He served as MP for that constituency for the duration of his political career. Phillips served as Minister of Health to

P.J. Patterson Percival Noel James Patterson, popularly known as P.J. Patterson (born 10 April 1935), is a Jamaican former politician who served as the sixth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1992 to 2006. He served in office for 14 years, making him the longe ...

from 1995 to 1997. In 1998, Patterson appointed him Minister of Transport and Works. He was elected a vice president of the PNP in 1999, serving with Portia Simpson Miller. He was subsequently appointed Minister of National Security. Phillips twice unsuccessfully ran for President of the PNP in 2006 and 2008. He lost ministerial office when the PNP lost the

2007 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2007. * Electoral calendar 2007 * Elections in 2007 * 2007 United Nations Security Council election Africa * 52nd National Conference of the African National Congress * 2007 Algerian legislative el ...

. However, after the party won the 2011 elections, he was appointed Minister of Finance and Public Service.

Party leader

The PNP lost the 2016 elections, after which Simpson Miller stood down as leader and Phillips won the subsequent leadership election in 2017. In 2019 he was challenged for the leadership by Peter Bunting, but was re-elected in the September vote. In the 2020 Jamaican general election, he was defeated by current Prime Minister,

Andrew Holness Andrew Michael Holness, (born 22 July 1972) is a Jamaican politician who has been the Prime Minister of Jamaica since 3 March 2016, following the 2016 Jamaican general election. Holness previously served as prime minister from October 2011 to ...

, by a 49-14 seat margin. However, the turnout at this election was just 37%, probably affected by the coronavirus pandemic. He resigned as Opposition Leader and PNP President after the defeat, triggering the 2020 People's National Party leadership election.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Peter 1949 births Living people People's National Party (Jamaica) politicians Members of the House of Representatives of Jamaica Finance ministers of Jamaica Ministers of Health of Jamaica Government ministers of Jamaica Politicians from Kingston, Jamaica 20th-century Jamaican politicians 21st-century Jamaican politicians Members of the 10th Parliament of Jamaica Members of the 11th Parliament of Jamaica Members of the 12th Parliament of Jamaica Members of the 13th Parliament of Jamaica Members of the 14th Parliament of Jamaica