Sarah McCarthy-Fry

The Right Honourable Sarah McCarthy-Fry MP
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
In office 17 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Kitty Ussher
Succeeded by	David Gauke
Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 May 2005
Preceded by	Syd Rapson
Majority	1,139 (3.0%)
Personal details
Born	(1955-02-04) 4 February 1955 Portsmouth
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour Co-operative
Spouse	Tony McCarthy

Sarah McCarthy-Fry (born 4 February 1955) is a British Labour Co-operative politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North from 2005 to 2010; McCarthy-Fry was the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury in the last Labour government.

Early life

She was born Sarah Louise Macaree, the daughter of a defence worker of Scottish descent. Fry is the name of her first husband, McCarthy of her second. She went to Portsmouth High School (now an independent school, but at that time a direct grant grammar school) in Southsea. She worked for the multi-national defence engineering company GKN Westland at Portsmouth, and most recently as financial controller for GKN Aerospace at Cowes, Isle of Wight. Her job has included spells working abroad in Germany and the United States. She qualified as a chartered accountant in 2004. She came to prominence in local politics leading a neighbourhood group, Ban the Burner successfully opposing a proposed incinerator. She was elected to Portsmouth City Council in 1994, chaired the environment committee, and was deputy leader for five years from 1995-2000, remaining with the council until 2002. She is a member of Amicus and of the Co-operative Party.

Political career

She tried to be selected for the seat in 1997, and later became Syd Rapson's campaign manager. Her main political interests are trade and industry, defence and the social economy. She campaigned in favour of identity cards after a constituency survey indicated a large majority in favour of them, and stressed her support in her maiden speech.

In 2006 Sarah was made PPS to John Healey, Financial Secretary to the Treasury. In Prime Minister Gordon Brown's cabinet reshuffle in 2007, Sarah was made PPS to Geoff Hoon, Chief Whip. She was then promoted on 5 October 2008, when she became a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Children, Schools and Families replacing Lord Adonis; who was moved from Education to Transport a controversial move that brought about much speculation in the press afterwards; as Adonis was seen to be a key education reformer and in removing him from a post he flourished in it signified that the government no longer had education at the top of their agenda. Mcarthy-Fry was moved to the Department for Communities and Local Government in the June 2009 reshuffle.

On 17 June 2009, she was appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, replacing Kitty Ussher after her resignation. She was at the Department for Communities and Local Government for just one week.

At the general election on 6 May 2010 she lost her seat to the Conservative candidate.

Expenses controversy

In May 2009 the Daily Telegraph revealed that McCarthy-Fry had attempted to claim for a £100 set of hair straighteners on her expenses, though the claim was refused. Items the taxpayer did fund include £333 worth of bedding and a sewing box. She also receives a salary of £95,617

Personal life

Sarah married her second husband Tony McCarthy in 1997 and they have four grown-up children. She is a fan of The Who, and her hobbies include tap-dancing, dog walking and amateur dramatics.

External links

• Sarah McCarthy-Fry's website
• They Work For You
• Guardian biography
• Voting record at the Public Whip
• BBC Politics page
• Meet the MP at the BBC
• Kaupthing controversy

News items

• Concern over Royal Navy ships
• Upset over Boris Johnson

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