Michelle Donelan
Michelle Donelan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament for Chippenham | |
| Assumed office 8 May 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Duncan Hames |
| Majority | 16,630 (29.1%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 April 1984 Whitley, Cheshire, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | University of York |
| Website | Official website |
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan[1] (born 8 April 1984, Whitley, Cheshire)[2] is a British Conservative Party politician. She was elected at the general election in May 2015 as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Chippenham constituency in Wiltshire, which includes the market towns of Bradford on Avon, Chippenham, Corsham and Melksham, and the surrounding rural areas.
Early life
Originally from Cheshire, where her parents live at Whitley, Donelan came to attention when she spoke at a Conservative Party Conference aged fifteen. She studied for a degree in history and politics at the University of York and then stood for parliament at the 2010 general election in the safe Labour seat of Wentworth and Dearne, taking 7,396 votes (17.6%) to Labour MP John Healey's 21,316 (50.6%). She was then selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Chippenham in February 2013; she had no previous connection to the area.[3]
Career
Before the election of 2015 Donelan was a Trustee of Help Victims of Domestic Violence, a charitable organisation based in Chippenham, and a member of the Steering Group of Wiltshire Carers, and in 2013 bought her first house in Chippenham town centre.[4] Shortly before the result of her first election success was announced, she was reported to be "excited by the challenge ahead".[5] She defeated incumbent Liberal Democrat member Duncan Hames with 26,354 votes (47.6%) to 16,278 (29.4%).[6] Outside politics, her career was in marketing.[3]
In July 2015, Donelan was elected (by fellow MPs) onto the Education Select Committee, where she became part of the Sub-Committee on Education, Skills and the Economy in November 2015.
Donelan was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 referendum.[7]
In June 2017, Donelan was re-elected as Member of Parliament for Chippenham with 31,267 votes (54.7%) to the 14,637 votes (25.6%) for the Liberal Democrats, a majority of 16,630.[6]
References
- ^ "No. 61230". The London Gazette. 18 May 2015. p. 9126.
- ^ "Michelle Donelan MP". myparliament.info. MyParliament. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ a b "Tories select Michelle Donelan as prospective parliamentary candidate for Chippenham". Bath Evening Chronicle. 4 March 2013.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Donelan, Michelle. "About Michelle". Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ Cork, Tristan (8 May 2015). "Conservative Michelle Donelan excited to be new Chippenham MP". Western Daily Press.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b "Election 2017: Chippenham parliamentary constituency". BBC news. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
- ^ Goodenough, Tom (16 February 2016). "Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?". The Spectator. Retrieved 11 October 2016.