Peter Phillips

Peter Phillips OJ (born 28 December 1949) is a Jamaican politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Saint Andrew East Central from 1993 to 2025. Phillips is the former president of the People's National Party and former Leader of the Opposition. He served as Minister of Finance and Planning and Deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica from 2012 to 2016.

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.

He 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.

Phillips lived in the United Kingdom between ages six and nine while his father studied for a PhD there, and then returned to Jamaica, where he attended Jamaica College as a boarder.

Party leader 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 Jamaican general election, he was defeated by current Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, by a 49-14 seat margin. However, the turnout at this election was just 37%, probably affected by the coronavirus pandemic. He resigned as Opposition Leader and PNP President after the defeat, triggering the 2020 People's National Party leadership election.

Phillips retired at the 2025 Jamaican general election.