| Ben Obese-Jecty | |
| Office: | Member of Parliament for Huntingdon |
| Term Start: | 4 July 2024 |
| Predecessor: | Jonathan Djanogly |
| Majority: | 1,499 (2.9%) |
| Birth Place: | Kingston-upon-Thames, Greater London, England |
| Party: | Conservative |
| Alma Mater: | Kingston University Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst |
| Allegiance: | United Kingdom |
| Branch: | British Army |
| Unit: | Duke of Wellington's Regiment Yorkshire Regiment |
| Serviceyears: | 2004–2012 |
| Rank: | Captain |
| Battles: | Iraq War War in Afghanistan |
Benjamin Obese-Jecty (born September 1979) is a British Conservative politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Huntingdon since 2024.[1]
Obese-Jecty's father was originally Ghanaian and came to Britain on the SS Apapa as a four year old in 1953.[2] He is mixed race, with his mother being white and English.[3] He attended university, before joining the British Army.[4]
Having attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Obese-Jecty was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Duke of Wellington's Regiment on 11 December 2004 with seniority in that rank from 15 December 2001. He was promoted to lieutenant on the same day, 11 December 2004, with seniority in that rank from 15 December 2003. He moved to the Yorkshire Regiment after his first regiment was merged with others to form it in 2006. He was promoted to captain on 11 June 2007.
Obese-Jecty served a tour of duty in Iraq as a battle casualty replacement, "only three months after completing [his] training".[5] From 2009 to 2010, as part of Operation Herrick 11, he served a tour in Afghanistan in an "embedded partnership role mentoring the Afghan National Army's 2nd Kandak" in Sangin, Helmand Province.[6]
Obese-Jecty moved to the Regular Army Reserve of Officers on 11 December 2012, thereby ending his active military service.
After leaving the British Army in 2012, he moved in to banking.[7]
Obese-Jecty spent two years as an academy trustee at Esher Sixth Form College from 2021 to 2023.[8]
In the 2019 general election, Obese-Jecty was selected for the Conservative Party in the safe Labour seat of Hackney North and Stoke Newington against then Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary Diane Abbott. He finished second behind Abbott achieving 11.9% of the vote.[9] During the campaign Obese-Jecty was subjected to racial slurs from other black people because he was standing for the Conservative Party.[10]
In September 2023, Obese-Jecty was selected as the Conservative candidate to succeed Jonathan Djanogly as Member of Parliament (MP) for Huntingdon.[11] At the 2024 general election, he was elected as the next MP for Huntingdon with 18,257 votes and a majority of 1,499 over the second place Labour candidate.[12]
Obese-Jecty gave his maiden speech[13] on 22 July 2024 during the King's Speech debate on the Economy, Welfare and Public Services.