Former government minister Steve Baker has joined Suffrago, a civic technology startup founded in Harrogate, as a strategic adviser.
Baker, a former Conservative MP for Wycombe and former Northern Ireland minister, will advise the company alongside Harry Richer, his former senior adviser.
Founded by Harrogate entrepreneur Andrew Gray, Suffrago is developing a platform that combines public data with polling and public opinion to help people understand views on issues across the UK’s 650 parliamentary constituencies.
AI platform aims to connect public opinion with decision-making
Suffrago’s platform allows individuals and organisations to create polls, collect public comments and use artificial intelligence to analyse different perspectives behind the results.
The company says its technology is intended to help MPs, councils, journalists, businesses and members of the public make better-informed decisions by bringing together evidence and public opinion.
Baker, who worked in software engineering before entering Parliament, will advise on the platform’s strategy and its potential use by decision-makers and democratic institutions.
Steve Baker, former Northern Ireland minister and Conservative MP:
There’s never been more noise and less communication. MPs are drowning among clamouring voices. Unlike other platforms, Suffrago cuts through to the voices representatives need to hear on the issues which matter.
Harrogate entrepreneur founded company
Gray, a Harrogate resident and former law firm boss, said Baker’s experience in technology, Parliament and government would help the company develop its platform.
Andrew Gray, founder of Suffrago:
Steve has an unusual combination of experience in technology, Parliament and government. He understands both what software can achieve and how decisions actually get made.
Gray added that the company wanted to build a tool that could help people understand both what was happening across Britain and what the public thought about the issues affecting them.
Andrew Gray, founder of Suffrago:
We want to build something that helps Britain understand itself better, connecting what is happening with what people think and why. Steve and Harry can help us make that useful to the people making decisions.
Suffrago describes itself as politically independent, with a commitment to transparent evidence, open participation and protecting individual opinions.
Previous parliamentary evidence
According to the company, Suffrago gave oral evidence to the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee in June 2025.
The company says its platform is organised around Britain’s 650 parliamentary constituencies and allows users to create polls, gather comments, analyse perspectives and embed discussions into websites and newsletters.
Further information about the platform is available on the Suffrago website.