Gillian Keegan

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The Right Honourable
Gillian Keegan
MP
Official portrait, 2019
Secretary of State for Education
Assumed office
25 October 2022
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak
Preceded byKit Malthouse
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa
In office
8 September 2022 – 25 October 2022
Prime MinisterLiz Truss
Preceded byVicky Ford
Succeeded byAndrew Mitchell[a]
Minister of State for Care and Mental Health
In office
16 September 2021 – 7 September 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byHelen Whately[b]
Nadine Dorries[c]
Succeeded byRobert Jenrick[d]
Caroline Johnson[e]
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills
In office
14 February 2020 – 16 September 2021
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byAnne Milton
Succeeded byAlex Burghart
Member of Parliament
for Chichester
Assumed office
8 June 2017
Preceded byAndrew Tyrie
Majority21,490 (35.1%)
Member of Chichester District Council
for Rogate
In office
23 October 2014 – 12 April 2018
Preceded byJohn Kingston
Succeeded byKate O'Kelly
Personal details
Born (1968-03-13) 13 March 1968 (age 56)[1][2]
Leigh, Lancashire, England
Political partyConservative
SpouseMichael Keegan
Alma materLiverpool John Moores University
London Business School
Websitegilliankeegan.com

Gillian Keegan (born 13 March 1968) is a British politician serving as Secretary of State for Education. A member of the Conservative Party, she previously served as Minister of State for Care and Mental Health from 2021 to 2022 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa in 2022. She has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Chichester since 2017.

Keegan grew up in Huyton, Merseyside. She studied at Liverpool John Moores University and London Business School. She held senior positions in various business sectors, including as chief marketing officer for Travelport.

Keegan was a councillor on Chichester District Council from 2014 to 2018. She was elected to Parliament for Chichester at the 2017 general election. She was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills in February 2020 during the second Johnson ministry. In the 2021 cabinet reshuffle she was promoted to Minister of State for Care and Mental Health.

In 2022, she was appointed Secretary of State for Education by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Early life

Keegan (née Gibson) was born in Leigh, Lancashire,[3] to an office manager father and a mother who did secretarial work.[4] She went to primary school in Yorkshire.[3] She grew up in Knowsley, Merseyside and went to St Augustine of Canterbury Secondary School in Huyton. She was the only pupil to get 10 O-Levels at her school.[4] She has a bachelor's degree in Business Studies from Liverpool John Moores University and a Master of Science in Strategy and Leadership (Sloan Fellowship) from London Business School in 2011.[5]

Professional career

Keegan started her career aged 16 as an apprentice at a car factory in Kirkby and went on to have a business career working at Delco Electronics (part of the General Motors Group), NatWest Bank (senior buyer), MasterCard International (commercial director), Amadeus IT Group (group vice president of Multinational Customer Group based in Madrid) and Travelport (chief marketing officer)[6] for over 27 years.

Political career

Keegan has said that it was her experiences of trade unionism and the Militant-controlled Liverpool City Council while working in Kirkby in her youth during the 1980s that convinced her to support the Conservative Party. However, she did not become active in politics until 2014.[7] In 2015, she was advised in her ambitions to become an MP by Justine Greening, whom she met by chance at a London Business School (LBS) reunion; according to her, this demonstrated the power of the LBS network.[8] Her father-in-law was the late Conservative MP, Denis Keegan. She unsuccessfully contested the constituency of St Helens South and Whiston at the 2015 general election. In 2015 she became director of Women2Win—an organisation founded by Theresa May and Anne Jenkin, Baroness Jenkin of Kennington in 2005 to help elect more women Conservative MPs to Parliament.[9] She had left that position by September 2017.[10]

Keegan was elected as a councillor for the Rogate ward on Chichester District Council in 2014.[11] She was appointed cabinet member for commercial services in May 2015.[12] She stood down as a councillor in February 2018 and in the election that followed in April 2018, the seat was taken by the Liberal Democrat candidate Kate O'Kelly.[13] Keegan went on to beat O'Kelly by 21,490 votes at the 2019 general election.

Keegan was selected as the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Chichester in May 2017,[9] and was elected to the House of Commons at the 2017 general election.[14] She is the constituency's first female MP.[11] In September 2017, she was appointed to the Public Accounts Committee.[15]

In February 2019, Keegan was appointed as MP Apprenticeship Ambassador by Anne Milton, with responsibility to support apprenticeship schemes and promote them both within Parliament and to businesses within the UK, working alongside the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network consisting of various advocates of apprenticeship schemes.[16][17]

According to the register of MPs' interests, Keegan has been in receipt of free membership of Chichester Yacht Club, free theatre tickets with dinner worth £536, and free tickets for Goodwood Racecourse with hospitality worth £1,200.[18]

According to Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Keegan claims expenses for a full time Chief of Staff, Senior Parliamentary Assistant, Parliamentary Assistant and a Senior Communications Advisor, as well as a fixed term full time member of staff for whom no job title is provided. The cost of these posts for 2020-21 was £205,000.[19]

Government

Keegan was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to HM Treasury in September 2018.[20] In January 2019, she became PPS to the secretary of state for defence.[21] Keegan became PPS to the home secretary in May 2019.[22] Keegan endorsed Rory Stewart during the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election.[23] She became PPS to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in September 2019.

In February 2020, she was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills, a junior ministerial role at the Department for Education,[24] and was the first former apprentice to hold the office.[25]

In August 2020, Keegan was criticised for being on holiday during the GCSE and A-Level grading controversy. She defended herself by stating that she was not the minister responsible for A-Level and GCSE qualifications. She said that although she had been the duty minister for the first two weeks of summer recess, she had obtained special permission to take her government computer with her to continue working during this period.[26] She was also criticised for posting numerous holiday pictures on Instagram during this period.[27]

As an education minister, voted against extending free school meals during holidays, in October 2020.[28]

In May 2021, Baroness Hayter asked in the House of Lords if Keegan's husband, a former CEO of Fujitsu who was then employed as a crown representative in the Cabinet Office, would be involved in the renewal of Fujitsu's Post Office contract:

"Secondly, there is the major issue of the lack of accountability of those who were deeply implicated in the lies and lack of openness that led to the prosecutions and the delay in dealing with the results. Michael Keegan was Fujitsu’s chief executive when the company was telling the Post Office that Horizon was fine and when its staff were even appearing in court as prosecution witnesses against the sub-postmasters. He does not appear to have suffered any penalty and indeed is now a Crown representative at the Cabinet Office, where he oversees the Government’s relationships with suppliers. Given that Fujitsu continues to work with the Post Office, a £42 million extension to the Horizon contract having been agreed with the Post Office last month, can the Minister assure the House that Mr Keegan would have had no role in any such decision?"[29]

Fujitsu developed Horizon, the flawed Post Office IT system that led to subpostmasters being falsely accused of fraud.[30] Keegan's husband led Fujitsu’s Technology Products Group (IT hardware - unrelated to Horizon) for the UK & Ireland from 2010 to 2014 prior to becoming CEO, and had previously held a senior IT leadership role at the Royal Mail Group/Post Office Ltd.[31] In April 2022 the Post Office contract with Fujitsu was renewed.[32]

In the September 2021 reshuffle, Keegan was appointed Minister of State for Care and Mental Health.[33][34] During the July 2022 United Kingdom government crisis, Keegan did not respond to a press enquiry by the Chichester Observer to comment on her decision not to resign. Following the announcement by Boris Johnson that he intends to resign as party leader, Keegan released a statement in which she praised the prime minister's leadership and announced that she would remain a minister in his government.[35]

In October 2021, Keegan was criticised for voting against proposals to regulate raw sewage discharges by wastewater treatment companies. This has been seen as a controversial issue in her constituency, due to the history of repeated discharges by Southern Water into Chichester Harbour, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[36]

In February 2022, Keegan apologised for continuing a face-to-face meeting with bereaved parents despite testing positive for COVID-19.[37]

Keegan endorsed Rishi Sunak in the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election[38] and was subsequently demoted when Liz Truss became Prime Minister in September 2022, serving as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa. Keegan endorsed Sunak again in the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election and was appointed Secretary of State for Education.[39] She was sworn as a member of the Privy Council on 27 October 2022.[40]

Personal life

Keegan lives in Petworth in West Sussex with her second husband, Michael, and has two stepsons.[citation needed] She worked with Michael when he was CEO of Mondex International, an early pioneer of Smart Cards. Then known as Gillian Chard (reverting to Gillian Gibson on her divorce) she rose to Head of Strategic Alliances and then Commercial Director. Michael was the CEO of Fujitsu UK and Ireland from May 2014 to June 2015, having joined the company in 2006, and then head of products business for Europe, Middle East, India and Africa, before leaving the company in 2018.[41] Keegan's father-in-law, Denis Keegan, was Conservative MP for Nottingham South.[42] Keegan owns a family home in France and two properties in Spain as well as a flat in London.[43]

Notes

  1. ^ As Minister of State for Development and Africa.
  2. ^ As Minister of State for Social Care.
  3. ^ As Minister of State for Mental Health, Suicide Prevention and Patient Safety.
  4. ^ As Minister of State for Health.
  5. ^ As Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Public Health.

References

  1. ^ "Gillian Keegan: 'Militant trade unionists turned me Tory after I saw how it cost us jobs'". The Sunday Telegraph. 7 May 2017. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  2. ^ Dale, Iain; Smith, Jacqui (14 November 2019). The Honourable Ladies: Volume II: Profiles of Women MPs 1997–2019. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78590-447-9. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2020 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b "About Gillian". Gillian Keegan. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Profile: Gillian Keegan". FE Week. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Gillian Keegan". Women2Win. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Gillian Gibson Named to Travelport Post". Travel Agent Central (Press release). Questex. 18 January 2011. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  7. ^ Riley-Smith, Ben (6 May 2017). "'Theresa factor' credited with surge in women candidates as party looks set to make history by securing more women MPs than ever before". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Gillian Keegan". London Business School. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  9. ^ a b Wallace, Mark (2 May 2017). "Keegan selected in Chichester". ConservativeHome. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  10. ^ "Gillian Keegan MP featured in The Times 'Back to Westminster' series". Women2Win. 11 September 2017. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Conservative's bid to be Chichester's first female MP". Chichester Observer. 3 May 2017. Archived from the original on 13 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  12. ^ "New cabinet is announced at Chichester District Council". Chichester District Council. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  13. ^ "District councillor elected for Rogate". Chichester Observer. 13 April 2018. Archived from the original on 14 April 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  14. ^ "Parliamentary career for Gillian Keegan". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  15. ^ "Membership – Public Accounts Committee". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 18 November 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  16. ^ "A REVOLUTION ON THE SOUTH COAST – UNIVERSITY OPENS TO DEGREE APPRENTICES". University of Chichester. 5 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  17. ^ "Chichester MP appointed as Apprenticeship Ambassador". Chichester Observer. 15 February 2019. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  18. ^ "House of Commons - The Register of Members' Financial Interests". UK Parliament. 1 November 2021. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  19. ^ IPSA Website. "Gillian Keegan | IPSA". Archived from the original on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  20. ^ Powling, Joshua (13 September 2018). "Chichester MP promoted to treasury role". Chichester Observer. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  21. ^ "Ministry of Defence role for Chichester MP". Chichester Observer. 11 January 2019. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  22. ^ "Parliamentary Private Secretaries" (PDF). GOV.UK. June 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  23. ^ Powling, Joshua (12 June 2019). "Chichester's MP announces who she is backing for Tory leader". Chichester Observer. Archived from the original on 12 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  24. ^ Camden, Billy (17 February 2020). "Gillian Keegan appointed apprenticeships and skills minister". FE Week. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  25. ^ Careers and Enterprise Company (10 February 2021). "Five young women set out their stall for improving apprenticeship take-up with Skills Minister Gillian Keegan". FE News. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  26. ^ Powling, Joshua (27 August 2020). "Chichester MP explains decision to go abroad on holiday during exam season". Sussex Express. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  27. ^ Heren, Kit (23 August 2020). "Education minister under fire after sharing photos relaxing on French holiday during A Level grades fiasco". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  28. ^ "Free School Meals During School Holidays: Recent Votes". TheyWorkForYou. mySociety. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  29. ^ "Hansard Post Office Update". Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  30. ^ "Fujitsu bosses knew about Post Office Horizon IT flaws, says insider". Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  31. ^ "Fujitsu Appoints Michael Keegan as Head of UK and Ireland - Fujitsu UK". Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  32. ^ "Controversial Fujitsu contract renewed". Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  33. ^ "Minister of State (Minister for Care)". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  34. ^ "Ministerial appointments: September 2021". GOV.UK. 16 September 2021. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  35. ^ Joshua Powling (7 July 2022). "Chichester MP responds to Boris Johnson's resignation and will remain in government". Chichester Observer. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  36. ^ Joe Stack (27 October 2021). "Chichester MP Gillian Keegan responds to anger at sewage vote". SussexWorld.
  37. ^ Morris, Sophie (9 February 2022). "Health minister Gillian Keegan apologises for continuing in-person meeting despite positive COVID lateral flow result". Sky News. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  38. ^ "Gillian backs Rishi Sunak for Leader". gilliankeegan.com/.
  39. ^ "Gillian Keegan MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  40. ^ https://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022-10-27-List-of-Business.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  41. ^ Kunert, Paul (20 September 2018). "Fujitsu says sayonara to UK exec heavyweights". The Register. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  42. ^ "Economy and Jobs - Hansard". UK Parliament. 29 June 2017. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  43. ^ "Gillian Keegan". TheyWorkForYou. mySociety. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Chichester
2017–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills
2020–2021 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of State for Care and Mental Health
2021–2022 		Vacant
Preceded byas Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa
2022
Preceded by Secretary of State for Education
2022–present 		Incumbent
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