Theresa Villiers: Difference between revisions
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| name = Theresa Villiers |
| name = Theresa Villiers |
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| honorific-suffix = <br /><small>[[Member of Parliament|MP]]</small> |
| honorific-suffix = <br /><small>[[Member of Parliament|MP]]</small> |
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| image = |
| image = |
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| office = [[Minister of State for Transport]] |
| office = [[Minister of State for Transport]] |
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| term_start = 13 May 2010 |
| term_start = 13 May 2010 |
Revision as of 03:32, 7 November 2010
Theresa Villiers | |
---|---|
Minister of State for Transport | |
Assumed office 13 May 2010 | |
Preceded by | Sadiq Khan |
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport | |
In office 2 July 2007 – 11 May 2010 | |
Leader | David Cameron |
Preceded by | Chris Grayling |
Succeeded by | The Lord Adonis |
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury | |
In office 6 December 2005 – 2 July 2007 | |
Preceded by | Philip Hammond |
Succeeded by | Philip Hammond |
Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet | |
Assumed office 5 May 2005 | |
Preceded by | Sir Sydney Chapman |
Majority | 5,960 (14.1%) |
Personal details | |
Born | London, England | 5 March 1968
Political party | Conservative |
Alma mater | Jesus College, Oxford; University of Bristol |
Profession | Barrister, Lecturer |
Website | Theresa Villiers MP |
Theresa Anne Villiers (born 5 March 1968) is a British Conservative Party politician. She is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chipping Barnet and the Minister of State for Transport.[1]
She was appointed as a Privy Counsellor on 9 June 2010. [2]
Early life
Villiers was born in London in 1968, the daughter of George Edward Villiers and Anne Virginia (née Threlfall). On her father's side she is a descendant of the Honourable Edward Ernest Villiers (1806-1843), brother of George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon, Charles Pelham Villiers and Henry Villiers.[3]
Growing up in North London, she was educated at the independent Francis Holland School. She gained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree with first class honours in 1990 from the University of Bristol, and went on to obtain a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) from Jesus College, Oxford, in 1991. After graduating she worked as a barrister and as a lecturer at King's College London (1994–99).
Member of the European Parliament
She was elected Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the London constituency in 1999, and was re-elected in 2004. She stood down after the 2005 general election when she was elected as the Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet.[4]
As an MEP, her main interests were finance and financial services, the preservation of London's green belt, Cyprus, animal welfare and campaigning against the Euro and the European Constitution. She served as Deputy Leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament between 2001 and 2002. She also served as a member of the governing board of the Conservative Party during this period.
Member of Parliament
In 2003, following Sir Sydney Chapman's announcement that he would retire at the following election, Villiers was selected as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Chipping Barnet. Although Chapman's majority at the 2001 general election was only 2,701 Chipping Barnet was considered a "safe" Conservative seat, and in the 2005 general election she held the seat with an increased majority of 5,960. She resigned her seat as an MEP, which under the list system was filled by the next candidate on the Conservatives' London regional list, Syed Kamall. She lives in the constituency, in Arkley.
Shadow Cabinet
In December 2005, following the election of David Cameron as Conservative leader, Villiers was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet after just seven months in Parliament, as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. In July 2007, Cameron promoted her to Shadow Secretary of State for Transport.[citation needed]
MPs' Expenses: Second London home
The Daily Telegraph reported on 11 May 2009 that Theresa Villiers bought a £345,000 property in Kennington. In 2007-08 she claimed a total of £18,181 in parliamentary allowances for this second London home.
She also has a house in Arkley in her north London constituency of Chipping Barnet. The house, a semi-detached property that she bought for £296,500 in May 2004, is an 8 minute drive away from High Barnet Underground station, from which commuters can reach Westminster in about 45 minutes. [5]
Political positions
Villiers supported the temporary suspension of Ken Livingstone by the Adjudication Panel for England, who examined the case after a complaint from the Board of Deputies of British Jews to the Standards Board for England.
Since late September 2008, Villiers has dedicated a considerable proportion of her public announcements to aviation policy, specifically the expansion of airports in the South East of England. There has been considerable debate within Conservative Party grassroots membership about her policies. Many commentators have defended her policies as environmentalist and politically expedient (given the high number of marginal constituencies around London Heathrow Airport), while others have criticised her for putting businesses and even family holidays at risk by undermining Heathrow as a major international hub airport and intentionally supporting higher costs for flights. Criticism of Villiers's aviation policy was heightened when she spoke out against the Mayor of London's proposals for a new London airport based in the Thames Estuary, and alternative expansions at Gatwick and Stansted airports, favouring a high speed rail link from London to Leeds as an alternative policy.
Personal life
Villiers married fellow lawyer Sean Wilken in 1997,[3] and the couple wrote an academic legal book.[6] They have since divorced.[7]
Quotations
- "The European Union has been one of the greatest offenders in excluding developing countries from participating in European markets. There is simply no way that impoverished African farmers can compete with the subsidies given to farmers under the Common Agricultural Policy"
- "The (European) Constitution is designed to create a country called Europe and give ever more power to Brussels at the expense of nationally elected governments. I think that's bad for democracy, bad for Britain and bad for Europe"
Publications
- Theresa Villiers & Sean Wilken (29 April 1998). Law of Estoppel, Variation and Waiver. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0471969214.
References
- ^ PoliticsHome[dead link]
- ^ "Privy Council appointments, 9 June 2010". Privy Council. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ a b "Theresa Anne Villiers". The Peerage. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ^ "Conservative Diary". The Free Library. 20 May 2003. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
- ^ Theresa Villiers claimed stamp duty on second London home: MPs' expenses Telegraph 11 May 2009
- ^ Theresa Villiers & Sean Wilken (29 April 1998). Law of Estoppel, Variation and Waiver. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0471969214.
- ^ "Theresa Villiers". Westminster Parliamentary Record. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
External links
- Theresa Villiers Official constituency website
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
- Theresa Villiers at IMDb
- Profile BBC Politics
- Video clips
- 1968 births
- Academics of King's College London
- Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford
- Alumni of the University of Bristol
- British female MPs
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs
- Living people
- Members of the European Parliament for English constituencies
- Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies
- UK MPs 2005–2010
- UK MPs 2010–
- Villiers family
- Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- Conservative Party (UK) MEPs
- MEPs for the United Kingdom 1999–2004
- Female Members of the European Parliament
- MEPs for the United Kingdom 2004–2009