Matthew served as the Member of Parliament for Hendon from 2010 to 2024.

He was first elected as the Member of Parliament for the Hendon constituency in 2010 and was subsequently re-elected in May 2015, June 2017 and December 2019.

Matthew was born in Hampshire and grew up in Cornwall. He was state-educated and went on to study at Nottingham Trent University. He has a masters degree from Lancaster University and in 2011 he was awarded a PhD at Kings College, London. As the first member of his family to go on to further education, Matthew is passionately committed to ensuring all children receive the best possible opportunities.

Matthew is a keen sailor, both on the Welsh Harp and also at sea. He has participated in the Round The Island Race, just off the Isle of Wight, with the Welsh Harp’s Seahorse Sailing Club and he completed the Fastnet Race in 2009. Whilst living in Cornwall, Matthew was a lifeguard and he is a keen scuba diver, qualified to the level of instructor and technical diver.

As an elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, in 2005 Matthew undertook a 2,000 km exploration of the Libyan Desert. Travel in general is another of his interests and he has visited many countries including Bangladesh, Cyprus, India, Israel and Sri Lanka.

Prior to becoming a Member of Parliament, Matthew worked for the BBC as a political analyst and was also Deputy Leader of Barnet Council.

As MP for Hendon Matthew took up a wide range of issues in Parliament including tackling crime on our local streets, improvements to the Thameslink service, free schools and new school places, funding for extra school security, lower energy costs, campaigning for a ban on Hezbollah, increased animal welfare, and a referendum on membership of the EU. 

In Parliament, Matthew was a member of Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee from 2012 to 2024 and was Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Sri Lanka and APPG on Explosive Threats.