The Rt Hon Tobias Ellwood was born in New York in 1966 to British parents and holds dual British-American nationality. He was schooled in Bonn and Vienna before Loughborough University. He commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets, reached the rank of captain, and still serves as an Army reservist, now a lieutenant colonel and County Colonel for Dorset.
He was Conservative MP for Bournemouth East from 2005 to 2024. In government he served as a Foreign Office minister covering the Middle East and Africa, then as Defence Minister for Veterans, Reserves and Personnel. He chaired the House of Commons Defence Select Committee from 2020 to 2023, which put him at the centre of British thinking on Ukraine, NATO and the Middle East.
Two moments shaped the man behind the politician. His brother Jonathan was killed in the 2002 Bali bombing. Then in March 2017, during the Westminster terror attack, Tobias Ellwood knelt over PC Keith Palmer and gave him CPR as the officer lay dying, ignoring the risk that the attacker might have left a second device. He was later appointed to the Privy Council, which gave him the \"Right Honourable\" prefix. He lost his seat in 2024 and now works as a consultant and commentator on defence and geopolitics.
The book: a two-line synopsis
Ten Steps to Prevent World War Three argues that the rules-based order has come apart, and that the next global conflict will not be fought on one front but across many at once: Russia and Ukraine, Iran and the United States, Israel and Palestine, and a new cold war between America and China forught with information, influence and ideology.
Tobias Ellwood then sets out a practical plan to step back from the brink: rebuild hard power, restore soft power, strengthen alliances, and build the off-ramps that let adversaries de-escalate without losing face.
It has landed well. William Hague calls it crucial reading on how the global order came apart, and it carries endorsements from Peter Frankopan, John Kerry, Rory Stewart and General Jim Mattis.
Website: https://jonathanperks.com/podcasts/
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