Sir Oliver James Dowden, KCB, CBE (born 1 August 1978) is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2023 to 2024.

Dowden served in the Boris Johnson government as Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General from 2019 to 2020 and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from 2020 to 2021.

He was made Secretary of State in the Cabinet office in February 2023 and, following the resignation of Dominic Raab, was appointed deputy prime minister in April of the same year.

[20] In June 2019, during the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election Dowden, along with Robert Jenrick and Rishi Sunak, wrote an article headlined "The Tories are in deep peril.

[23] On 13 February 2020, Dowden was appointed Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, succeeding Baroness Morgan of Cotes, who resigned from the cabinet.

[27][28] In August 2021, Dowden announced new multi-billion pound data partnerships between the UK, Australia and the Republic of Korea, billed as an opportunity to reduce global barriers to international trade after Brexit.

[30] Dowden also intervened in the national debate over the so-called "cancellation" of controversial historical figures, advocating a "retain and explain" approach from museums and heritage institutions, which would be "moreist" rather than "Maoist".

[32] As the minister responsible for the UK's national collections Dowden opposed the return of historic artefacts held in British museums and galleries that had been brought to Britain during the colonial period.

In an interview with Channel 4 News in September 2021 about the bronzes held in the British Museum, he said "The collections of our great national institutions have been developed over many, many centuries, in many times in questionable circumstances.

I love the Benin bronzes, I've seen them many times throughout my life, and I think them being in the British Museum, which is a world repository of heritage, allows people to see it but that doesn't stop us from sharing it.

[34] In June 2023 it was reported in The Daily Telegraph that Dowden had led a secretive governmental unit during his time as Culture Secretary to counter what the British government saw as lockdown dissent and COVID-19 disinformation.

[38][39][40] In April 2022, the Conservative Government announced a consultation on a measure that would give residents an automatic right to vote on proposals by their local council to change the name of the street in which they live.

After Sunak became prime minister on 25 October 2022, Dowden was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, replacing Nadhim Zahawi,[45] and as Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office, a new position, on 9 February 2023.

[48] On 21 April 2023, following Dominic Raab's resignation after a report over claims he bullied staff was given to Sunak, Dowden was appointed as the deputy prime minister.

[59] Dowden was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 Dissolution Honours on 22 September 2015 for political service as Cameron's deputy chief of staff.