Theresa May

For the British glamour model and porn actor, see Teresa May.

The Right Honourable Theresa May MP
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
In office 6 December, 2005 – present
Leader	David Cameron
Preceded by	Oliver Heald
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In office 6 May 2005 – 6 December 2005
Leader	Michael Howard
Preceded by	Julie Kirkbride
Succeeded by	Hugo Swire
Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Also Secretary of State for Transport)
In office 6 November 2003 – 6 May 2005
Leader	Michael Howard
Preceded by	Tim Collins (Transport) David Lidington (Environment)
Succeeded by	Alan Duncan
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In office 23 July 2002 – 6 November 2003
Preceded by	David Davis
Succeeded by	Liam Fox
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions
In office 18 September 2001 – 23 July 2002
Leader	Iain Duncan Smith
Preceded by	Archie Norman
Succeeded by	Tim Collins
Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Employment
In office 2 December 1998 – 18 September 2001
Preceded by	David Willetts
Succeeded by	Damian Green
Personal details
Born	(1956-10-01) 1 October 1956 Eastbourne, Sussex, England
Political party	Conservative

Theresa Mary May (born in Eastbourne, Sussex, England, on 1 October 1956 as Theresa Mary Brasier) is a British politician, former chairman of the Conservative Party, and Member of Parliament for Maidenhead.

Early life

May studied at St Hugh's College, Oxford and obtained a Geography MA. From 1985 to 1997, she worked as a financial consultant, and was also a councillor in the London Borough of Merton from 1986 to 1994, where she was Chairman of Education (1988–1990) and Deputy Group Leader and Housing Spokesman (1992–1994). In the 1992 general election she stood (and lost) in the safe Labour seat of North West Durham and then unsuccessfully contested the 1994 Barking by-election. In the 1997 general election she was elected the Conservative MP for Maidenhead.

Member of Parliament

Having entered parliament she soon became a member of William Hague's front-bench team as Shadow Spokesman for Schools, Disabled People and Women (1998 – June 1999). May became the first of the 1997 MPs to enter the Shadow Cabinet when in 1999 she was appointed Shadow Education and Employment Secretary. After the 2001 election the new Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith retained her services in the Shadow Cabinet, moving her to the Transport portfolio. In this role she opposed then Transport Secretary Stephen Byers in the period leading up to his resignation.

May was appointed the first female chairman in July 2002. During her speech at the 2002 Conservative Party Conference while making a point about why her party must change, she controversially stated that the Conservatives were currently perceived as the "nasty party". After Michael Howard became Conservative leader in 2003 he made May Shadow Secretary of State for Transport and the Environment. However in June 2004 she was moved to the new position of Shadow Secretary of State for the Family. After the 2005 election her portfolio was expanded and she became Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whilst remaining Shadow Secretary of State for the Family. David Cameron appointed her Shadow Leader of the House in December 2005 after his accession to the leadership.

Personal Life

May is known for her love of shoes; in the register of members interests she declared that she had '[received a] discount card on the purchase of shoes from Russell & Bromley which has the potential to be of registrable value.' She is married to Philip May and lives in Sonning, Berkshire.

See also

• Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (UK)

External links

• Theresa May MP official website
• Conservative Party — Theresa May MP
• ePolitix.com — Theresa May profile
• Guardian Unlimited Politics — Ask Aristotle: Theresa May MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com — Theresa May MP
• The Public Whip — Theresa May MP voting record
• BBC News — Theresa May profile 10 February, 2005
• Open Directory Project — Theresa May directory category

Audio clips

• WPRadio Discussing the Women2Win campaign on Women's Parliamentary Radio