I was born in Grahamstown, South Africa, and educated mainly in England: first at Bramdean School in Exeter, then Exeter Sixth Form College, then the LSE. At the LSE, I read for a BSc (Econ) in Government and for a PhD in political philosophy. On completing the PhD, I joined the Department of Politics at York, where I have been ever since. From 2006 to 2010, I was head of the Politics Department. I am now Director of the School of Politics, Economics and Philosophy and Director of the Morrell Centre for Toleration (a post I have also held intermittently in the past).
I married Julika in 1998 and we have three daughters.
