Peter Phillips (politician)

The Honourable Dr Peter David Phillips MP
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Leader of the Opposition
In office 3 April 2017 – 4 Septemeber 2020
Prime Minister	Andrew Holness
Preceded by	Portia Simpson Miller
Succeeded by	TBA
Shadow Minister for Finance, Planning and the Public Service
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 March 2016
Prime Minister	Andrew Holness
Preceded by	Audley Shaw
Minister of Finance, Planning and the Public Service
In office 5 January 2012 – 7 March 2016
Prime Minister	Portia Simpson-Miller
Preceded by	Audley Shaw
Succeeded by	Audley Shaw
Minister of National Security
In office 2002 – 11 September 2007
Prime Minister	Percival James Patterson
Preceded by	K.D. Knight
Succeeded by	Trevor MacMillan
President of the People's National Party
In office 26 March 2017 – 3 September 2020
Preceded by	Portia Simpson-Miller
Succeeded by	TBA
Personal details
Born	(1949-12-28) 28 December 1949 Kingston, Jamaica
Political party	People's National Party

Peter Phillips MP (born 28 December 1949) is a Jamaican politician who is the former president of the People's National Party 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, who would later become Governor-General of Jamaica. Phillips spent some of his infancy in Manchester Parish 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 where his father took up a new job as principal of Moneague Teachers' College. He lived in the United Kingdom between ages six and nine while his father studied for a PhD there, and then returned to Jamaica.

Phillips holds a bachelor's degree in Economics, a Master's in Government, 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 People's National Party 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 East Central St Andrew. He has remained the MP for the constituency since.

He served as Minister of Health from 1995 to 1997. In 1998, he was appointed 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. He twice unsuccessfully ran for President of the PNP in 2006 and 2008. He lost ministerial office when the PNP lost the 2007 elections. However, after the party won the 2011 elections, he was appointed Minister of Finance and Public Service. 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 General Election, he was defeated by current Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, by a 49-14 seat margin. He resigned as Opposition Leader and PNP President after the defeat.