Sally-Ann Hart
Sally-Ann Hart | |
|---|---|
 Hart in 2019 | |
| Member of Parliament for Hastings and Rye | |
| Assumed office 12 December 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Amber Rudd |
| Majority | 4,043 (7.5%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 March 1968[1] Tynemouth, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Website | www |
Sally-Ann Hart (born 6 March 1968) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hastings and Rye since 2019. A member of the Conservative Party, she succeeded former Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who did not seek re-election.[2]
Prior to her election as an MP, Hart was a local magistrate in Hastings and was elected as a Councillor on the Rother District Council.[3][4]
Following comments she made and content she shared on social media, Hart was subject to two investigations and ultimately cleared over alleged antisemitism and Islamophobia by the Conservative Party.[5][6]
Political career
Councillor
The first elected position Hart was elected to was as a councillor representing the Eastern Rother Ward on the Rother District Council in East Sussex. First elected in 2015, she won re-election in 2019.[7] On the Council, Hart held the position of Cabinet Member for Tourism and Culture.[8]
Member of Parliament
Hart stood as the Conservative Party candidate for North West Durham in the 2017 general election. Receiving 16,516 votes (34.5%), Hart failed to be elected by 8,792 votes, finishing in second place behind Labour candidate Laura Pidcock.[9]
At the 2019 General Election, Hart was selected to stand as the Conservative candidate for Hastings and Rye. At a constituency hustings on 5 December 2019, Hart was asked about an article she'd shared on Facebook which suggested that people with learning difficulties should not be guaranteed a minimum wage. She defended the view, and said "it's about the happiness to work"[10] and that "some people with learning difficulties they don't understand about money". Marsha de Cordova, then Shadow Minister for Disabled People, called the comments "hateful".[11] In a statement made to the The Guardian, Hart said: "My comments have been taken out of context, but I do apologise if any offence or alarm has been caused".[10]
Hart was elected on 12 December as MP for Hastings and Rye with 26,896 votes (49.6%) and a majority of 4,043 votes which improved substantially on her predecessor's majority of 346.[12] [13]
Antisemitism and Islamophobia inquiries
In December 2019, an inquiry was initiated by the Conservative Party into Hart after it was discovered that, in 2017, she shared a video which contained the conspiracy theory that Jewish billionaire George Soros controls the European Union. She liked a comment underneath the video which said "Ein Reich" ("One Empire"), a Nazi slogan.[14][15][16] A second investigation was opened days later over her sharing a blog post, in January 2017, by the anti-Islam activist Cheri Berens. Hart described the blog, in which Berens condemned the 2017 Women's March against U.S. President Donald Trump as being used to promote a "Muslim agenda", as an "affecting read."[17][18]
On 10 August 2020, in an interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy for Channel 4 News, Hart stated that the investigation into the allegations over her social media posts had concluded and that she was "not found to be anti-Semitic, Islamophobic or anything else", although she had attended social media training.[19]
Parliamentary Committees & APPGs
As of March 2020, Hart held membership for three Parliamentary committees: Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union, Scottish Affairs Committee, and Speaker's Advisory Committee on Works of Art.[20]
Hart is the Vice-Chair of several All-Party Parliamentary Groups including on Special Educational Needs and Disability, School Exclusions and Alternative Provision and Housing and Social Mobility.[21][22][23] She is also Secretary of the APPG on Hospitality and Tourism.[24]
Personal life
Hart was born in Northumberland. She is married with three grown-up children.[25]
Prior to entering politics, Hart studied at university in London before qualifying as a lawyer and working for a law firm in the City of London. She went on to become a solicitor and then local magistrate in Hastings with a focus on family law which Hart has cited as one of her motivations for becoming a Member of Parliament.[26][27]
Electoral performance
| Date of election | Constituency | Party | Votes | % of votes | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 general election | North West Durham | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Conservative | 16,516 | 34.5 | Not elected |
| 2019 general election | Hastings and Rye | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Conservative | 26,896 | 49.6 | Elected |
References
- ^ "Members' Names Data Platform query". UK Parliament. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- ^ "Conservatives win Hastings and Rye General Election as Sally-Ann Hart increases majority". Hastings and St. Leonards Observer. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ "About Sally-Ann Hart". Sally-Ann Hart. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Councillor details - Councillor Mrs Sally-Ann Hart". rother.moderngov.co.uk. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ Proctor, Kate; Syal, Rajeev (11 December 2019). "Tories open second investigation into Hastings candidate". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ "Tory MP: Migrant crossings are 'unacceptable and putting lives at risk'". Channel 4 News. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ https://rother.moderngov.co.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=147
- ^ https://www.conservativehome.com/localgovernment/2017/01/sally-ann-hart-its-not-just-commuters-being-hit-by-the-train-strike.html
- ^ "Durham North West parliamentary constituency". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ a b Busby, Mattha (6 December 2019). "Tory candidate defends low pay for people with learning disabilities". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ "Tory candidate says disabled people should be paid less as they 'don't understand money'". The Independent. 6 December 2019.
- ^ "Hastings & Rye parliamentary constituency". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/amber-rudd-election-result-hastings-rye-recount-majority-reduced-346-votes-conservative-home-secretary-tory-a7780786.html
- ^ Proctor, Kate (7 December 2019). "Tories investigate three candidates over alleged antisemitism". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ "Two Tories win seats despite investigations over antisemitism". Jewish News. 13 December 2019.
- ^ "Tory Party accused of 'inaction' over antisemitism investigations into MPs". www.thejc.com. 13 July 2020.
- ^ "Hastings and Rye candidate Sally-Ann Hart under investigation by Conservative party". The Hastings Observer.
- ^ Smyth, Chris (16 December 2019). "Two new Tories facing prejudice inquiries". The Times. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ Guru-Murthy, Krishnan (10 August 2020). "Tory MP: Migrant crossings are 'unacceptable and putting lives at risk'". Channel 4 News.
- ^ https://members.parliament.uk/member/4842/career
- ^ https://www.naht.org.uk/about-us/organisations-we-support/all-party-parliamentary-group-on-send/
- ^ Justice, The Centre for Social (14 October 2020). "APPG: School Exclusions and Alternative Provision". The Centre for Social Justice. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ work, Communities that. "All-Party Parliamentary Group on Housing and Social Mobility". Communities that Work. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "House of Commons - Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups as at 1 July 2020: Hospitality and Tourism". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "About Sally-Ann Hart". Sally-Ann Hart.
- ^ https://www.sallyannhart.org.uk/about-sally-ann-hart
- ^ "Sally-Ann Hart - Parliamentary Candidate". Hastings and Rye. Retrieved 18 November 2020.