Nus Ghani
Nusrat Ghani | |
---|---|
![]() Ghani in 2019 | |
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Aviation and Maritime | |
In office 9 January 2018 – 13 February 2020 | |
Prime Minister | Theresa May Boris Johnson |
Preceded by | Paul Maynard |
Succeeded by | Kelly Tolhurst |
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury | |
In office 11 July 2019 – 17 December 2019 | |
Prime Minister | Theresa May Boris Johnson |
Preceded by | Paul Maynard |
Succeeded by | Iain Stewart |
Member of Parliament for Wealden | |
Assumed office 7 May 2015 | |
Preceded by | Charles Hendry |
Majority | 25,655 (42.1%) |
Personal details | |
Born | Azad Kashmir, Pakistan | 1 September 1972
Political party | Conservative |
Alma mater | Birmingham City University University of Leeds |
Website | Official website |
Nusrat Munir Ul-Ghani[1] (born 1 September 1972) is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wealden in East Sussex since 2015.[2] She previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport and Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury.[3]
Early life and career
Ghani was born in Kashmir[4] on 1 September 1972, the daughter of parents from Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.[5][6] Ghani was educated in state schools before studying at Birmingham City University, and after graduating, for a master's degree at Leeds University.[7]
She was employed by the charities Age UK and Breakthrough Breast Cancer, and later for the BBC World Service.[8]
Ghani first stood as a parliamentary candidate for Birmingham Ladywood at the 2010 general election, finishing third.[8]
Parliamentary career
Following the announcement of sitting MP Charles Hendry's retirement at the next election, Ghani was selected in December 2013 at an open primary in which anyone on the electoral register in Wealden could attend and vote.[9] The primary attracted nearly 400 residents.[10][11][12][13] In the 2015 general election Ghani became the first female MP to hold the seat, being elected with a majority of 22,967.[14] In the 2017 general election Ghani won 61.2% of the votes, increasing her majority to 23,628.[14]
In July 2015, she was appointed as a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee.[15]
In 2016, Ghani worked with Barnardo's, the UK's oldest children's charity to undertake an independent inquiry into harmful child sexual behaviour.[16]
In July 2017, Ghani was promoted to Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Home Office.[17] Ghani was involved in producing reports on home affairs, security, hate crime, policing and immigration.[18]
In 2017, Ghani chaired the Government's Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network.[19]
She described Sir John Sawers, the ex-MI6 chief, as providing only "gloom and doom" about Brexit.[20]
In January 2018, Ghani was appointed an Assistant Whip and a Minister within the Department for Transport. Ghani was the first Muslim woman minister to speak from the House of Commons despatch box.[21]
During the 2020 British cabinet reshuffle, Ghani was dismissed from government and replaced by Kelly Tolhurst in the Department for Transport. Her dismissal came as a surprise, as she had been discussed as a contender to oversee the High Speed 2 rail line construction.[22]
In September 2020, Ghani "launched an inquiry with the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee exploring how it can look at the UK Uighur supply chain."[23]
In October 2020, Ghani took up a second job as non-executive chairman at Artemis Technologies, paying £60,000 per year for seven hours work per week. The company leads the Belfast Maritime Consortium, which successfully bid for a £33m grant Ghani had lobbied for while she was serving in government. The appointment was criticised by Labour and the Liberal Democrats.[24]
Although she voted for the second COVID-19 lockdown, Ghani is a steering committee member of the lockdown-sceptic COVID Recovery Group, a group of Conservative MPs who oppose the UK government's December 2020 lockdown.[25] They have been seen as an "echo" of the Brexiteer European Research Group (ERG) of MPs, and a response by backbench Conservatives to Nigel Farage's anti-lockdown Reform UK party.[25]
Committee Work and APPGs
Position | Group/Committee | Year |
---|---|---|
Member | Home Affairs Select Committee [26] | 2015 |
Member | Armed Forces Bill Committee [26] | 2015 |
Chair | Conservative Rural Affairs Group [27] | 2015 |
Chair | All Party Parliamentary Group on Sight Loss [28] | 2015 |
Chair | All Party Parliamentary Group on Ageing and Older People [29] | 2015 |
Vice-Chair | All Party Parliamentary Group on Thalidomide [30] | 2015 |
PPS | Home Office [17] | 2017 |
See also
References
- ^ "No. 61230". The London Gazette. 18 May 2015. p. 9121.
- ^ "Nusrat Ghani MP". Parliament of the United Kingdom.
- ^ correspondent, Peter Walker Political (9 January 2018). "Theresa May's junior ministerial reshuffle: who's in and who's out". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
{{cite news}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ "Nus Ghani is first Muslim woman minister to speak in Commons". BBC News. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ "Kashmir origin woman Nusrat Ghani elected as UK's Parliament member". Only Kashmir. 9 May 2015. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- ^ "Ten of Pakistani origin make it to British parliament". Dawn. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ^ Haque, Mozammel (May 2015). "British Muslims and the UK General Elections 2015". The Muslim Weekly. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- ^ a b "My life's story is not one of a traditional politician". Nus Ghani Parliamentary Candidate for Wealden. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ "Nus Ghani chosen by Tories to stand for Wealden". Uckfield News. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
- ^ "RESULT: Conservative Nus Ghani wins Wealden seat". Kent and Sussex Courier. 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
- ^ "Nusrat Ghani selected in open primary to succeed Charles Hendry MP as Wealden Conservative Candidate". Wealden Conservatives.
- ^ "UK Polling Report - UKPR ELECTION GUIDE - Wealden". Ukpollongreport.co.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
- ^ "Nus Ghani for Wealden". wealdenconservatives.com. Wealden Conservatives.
- ^ a b "Election 2017: Wealden parliamentary constituency". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Home Affairs Committee: Committee membership announced". Parliament.UK. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- ^ "Now I know it was wrong: Report of the parliamentary inquiry into support and sanctions for children who display harmful sexual behaviour" (PDF). Barnados.org.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
- ^ a b Dods People (3 July 2017). "Latest civil service & public affairs moves". Civil Service World. Dods (Group) PLC.
- ^ "Publications - Home Affairs Committee". UK Parliament. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Network established to encourage diversity in apprenticeships - GOV.UK". Gov.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ Wintour, Patrick (19 December 2017). "Brexit will cause loss of influence on scale of 1970s, says ex-MI6 chief". The Guardian.
- ^ "A first for Muslim women in Commons". BBC News. 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ Mason, Rowena; Proctor, Kate (13 February 2020). "Boris Johnson's reshuffle: who's in, who's out, at a glance". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- ^ Sheridan, Danielle (29 September 2020). "Britain's trade relationship with China 'under threat' after MPs' Uighur genocide proposal". Telegraph Media Group Limited.
- ^ Murphy, Simon (8 October 2020). "Former Tory minister criticised for new job at firm she lobbied for". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
- ^ a b Hope, Christopher (10 November 2020). "Tory lockdown rebels unite to form Covid Recovery Group". The Telegraph.
- ^ a b "Nusrat Ghani MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Contacts". CRAG. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ Commons, The Committee Office, House of. "House of Commons - Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups as at 15 February 2017: Eye Health and Visual Impairment". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Commons, The Committee Office, House of. "House of Commons - Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups as at 2 May 2017: Ageing and Older People". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Commons, The Committee Office, House of. "House of Commons - Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups as at 2 May 2017: Thalidomide". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
External links
- 1972 births
- Alumni of Birmingham City University
- Alumni of the University of Leeds
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
- British politicians of Pakistani descent
- English people of Azad Kashmiri descent
- Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
- Living people
- UK MPs 2015–2017
- UK MPs 2017–2019
- UK MPs 2019–
- 21st-century British women politicians
- COVID Recovery Group members