Adam Afriyie: UK MP of Ghanaian parentage declared bankrupt over £1.7m debt

A Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom, Adam Afriyie has been declared bankrupt by a court after it emerged that he indebted to the tune of £1.7 million.

Afriyie, despite being a Brit was born to a Ghanaian father and British mother but grew up in Britain largely under the guidance of his mother.

His indebtedness according to the BBC is in two parts, an amount of around £1 million is owed to state-run HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) whiles £700,000 is owed to Barclays bank.

A bankruptcy order was made against the MP at a hearing in the Insolvency and Companies Court on Tuesday, a BBC report added.

Afriyie is Windsor MP on the ticket of the governing Conservative Party, he had already announced he would be standing down at the next election, saying with Brexit "concluded" it was the "right time."

Afriyie reacts to bankruptcy

Afriyie said of the court order that it was "a stressful time".

"This has been ongoing for many years following business failures some time ago.

"I am ultimately responsible for some of the bank borrowing through personal guarantee. I've been trying to sell our home and downsize for some time, but it's a tough market.

"It'll be tough for a while, but I'm far from the only person in a difficult position, and I will continue to do my best to support my constituents until the next general election when I'll be standing down."

The BBC report added that the embattled MP had asked for the court proceedings to be adjourned until March arguing he would be able to pay off his debts by selling off a property.

About Adam Afriyie

He was born 4 August 1965 in Wimbledon, London to an English mother and a Ghanaian father, growing up in a council estate in Peckham.

He has been an MP since 2005 and has along the way held a number of cabinet portfolios.

He attended the local Oliver Goldsmith Primary School as well as Addey and Stanhope School in New Cross, before earning a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics from Wye College in 1987.

Afriyie has seven half-siblings and one brother. He said of his upbringing: "I never knew my father until I was much older and my mother, Gwen, brought us up alone. She was my rock, the gel at the centre of my life, although her tumultuous relationships with different men made for a constant state of flux at the boundaries of our family."

GhanaWeb Excellence Awards nominees reveal video



SARA