Amanda Solloway

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Amanda Solloway
Official portrait, 2020
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Affordability and Skills [lower-alpha 1]
In office 7 February 2023 –5 July 2024
Website	amandasolloway.org.uk

Amanda Jane Solloway is a British politician who served as Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from September 2022 to July 2024 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Affordability and Skills ^{[lower-alpha 1]} from February 2023 to July 2024. ^{[1] [2]} A member of the Conservative Party, she was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Derby North between 2019 and 2024, having previously served from 2015 to 2017.

Education and pre-parliamentary career

Amanda Jane Edghill has a younger sister and brother.^{[ citation needed ]} She was educated at Bramcote Hills Grammar School in Bramcote, Nottinghamshire, ^[3] which became comprehensive in 1978.

She started working at the age of 16 behind the counter of an off-licence before working as a management trainee at Sainsbury's supermarket where she stayed for 13 years. She then spent 15 years in human resources at charities Help the Aged and Save the Children, and in the private sector at Baird Clothing Group. ^[4] In 2008 she founded her own management consultancy Amanda Solloway Limited.

Parliamentary career

First term (2015-17)

Solloway was first elected at the 2015 general election for the Derby North constituency, with a majority of 41 votes, unseating the Labour MP Chris Williamson, who had been the MP for the seat since 2010. She became a parliamentary private secretary to the minister of state for the Department of International Development. ^[5]

Solloway campaigned for improving provision for mental health and homelessness in Derby North and in Parliament. ^[6]

Solloway lost her seat at the 2017 general election to Williamson, ^[7] on a night where Labour made gains across the United Kingdom. She continued to be active in Derby North, including in the 2018 Derby City Council election and 2019 Derby City Council election, where the Conservatives made gains in the Derby North constituency wards.

Second Term (2019-24)

She regained Derby North for the Conservatives at the 2019 general election with a majority of 2,540, with Williamson (standing as an independent) in sixth place. ^[8]

Following Derby County FC's decision to enter administration in September 2021 Solloway played a prominent role in the campaign to save the club from potential expulsion from the English Football League. ^[9] Amanda organised the formation of the "Team Derby" campaign, composed of other local MPs and Derby City Council, and facilitated meetings between "Team Derby", administrators Quantuma, the then Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston and the EFL on multiple occasions. ^{[10] [11]} Solloway has credited helping to save the club from administration as her "single most important thing" she did while the MP for Derby North. ^[12]

From May to July 2022, Amanda has campaigned on behalf of constituents in Darley Abbey, following the closure of the Darley Abbey Bridge, for the installation of a temporary replacement. ^[13] Following news that Derby City Council had agreed to purchase the temporary structure and keep it in place until 2027, Solloway has campaigned for a permanent alternative instead. ^[14] This campaign included a visit to Darley Abbey by both the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts and Heritage Lord Parkinson in April 2024 the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Roads Guy Opperman in May 2024. ^[15]

Between July 5, 2022 and the 21st of March 2023, Solloway successfully campaigned for Derby to be chosen as the location for the Department for Transport's Great British Railways Headquarters. ^[16] Her efforts included asking constituents to vote for Derby by scanning a QR code printed on a T-shirt she wore at constituency events and by holding meetings with the Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper and Minister of State for Rail and HS2 Huw Merriman. ^{[17] [18]}

In October 2023, rollingstock manufacturer Alstom announced that its Derby factory Litchurch Lane could close if orders were not found to fill a production gap at the site, putting over 1,000 jobs at risk of redundancy. ^[19] Solloway described her work to address this as her "main priority" over the following eight months until, in June 2024, a deal between Alstom and Transport for London, financed by £220 million of Department for Transport funding was agreed for an order of 10 Elizabeth Line trains. ^[20] Over this period Solloway routinely met with the Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper who stated Solloway "deserved a lot of credit for her absolutely tenacious campaigning" for a solution for Alstom's production gap. ^{[21] [22]}

Ministerial responsibilities (2020-24)

On 14 February 2020, Solloway was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Science, Research and Innovation at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy during the first cabinet reshuffle of the second Johnson ministry. ^[23] On 17 September 2021, Solloway was appointed a lord commissioner of the Treasury (Government whip) during the second cabinet reshuffle of the second Johnson ministry. ^[24]

Solloway then served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding from July to September 2022. ^{[25] [26]} She was also Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science, Research and Innovation from February 2020 to September 2021.

She was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Energy Consumers and Affordability) at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 7 February 2023. ^[27] In this role, Solloway was responsible for energy affordability, energy bill support schemes, fuel poverty, the Department's oversight of Ofgem, and green skills, jobs and education. ^[28] In her role, Solloway implemented measures to end the "prepayment premium" which saw energy customers who used prepayment meters pay higher energy prices than those who paid using direct debit. ^[29] She also oversaw the Government's response to significant increases in energy prices following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. ^[30] She was the Minister responsible for supervising the delivery of the Energy Price Guarantee, and both the Energy Bills Relief Scheme and Energy Bill Support Scheme which among other measures, dispensed roughly £40 billion of support to energy consumers in the UK between 2022 and 2023. ^{[31] [32]}

Personal life

Solloway lives in Derbyshire and was patron of the Friends Of The Baby Unit at Royal Derby Hospital. ^[33] She ran the London Marathon, in 2016 and 2017, and, in doing so, raised money for the hospital's baby unit.

She is also a Trustee at the Landau Forte Charitable Trust which runs 6 school academies across the Midlands. ^[34]

Controversies

In May 2023, Solloway paid a £80 fixed penalty notice which was issued on 2 July 2020 for a missed congestion charge payment, which had been paid through her expenses, according to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority's (IPSA) expenses register. ^{[35] [36]}

Notes

1. As Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Consumers and Affordability until January 2024.
2. As Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation.

References

1. "Ministerial Appointments: September 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
2. "Ministerial Appointments commencing: 25 October 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
3. "Solloway, Amanda Jane, (born 6 June 1961), MP (C) Derby North, 2015–17 and 2019-24; Amanda served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in early 2020 until becoming a Government Whip". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2015. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u283952. ISBN   978-0-19-954088-4 . Retrieved 27 January 2021.
4. "Amanda Solloway, former MP, Derby North – TheyWorkForYou". TheyWorkForYou. mySociety. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017.
5. "About me". Amanda Solloway. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017.
6. "Amanda Solloway: We need to tackle mental health issues head on". Derby Telegraph. 21 August 2015. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
7. "Election Results 2017: Derby North won by Labour's Chris Williamson". BBC News . 9 June 2017. Archived from the original on 14 June 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
8. Hawley, Zena (13 December 2019). "Amanda Solloway jumps for joy as she takes Derby North from Labour". Derby Telegraph . Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
9. "Derby County officially enter administration and are deducted 12 points". BBC Sport. 22 September 2021.
10. "Save Derby County Football Club". July 2022.
11. "DCFC update". 28 January 2022.
12. Ask Amanda. Episode 5 (4.25 minutes/4.40) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nqbj1ItV8Hk
13. "Darley Abbey Bridge Closure". August 2023.
14. "Darley Abbey bridge: Council approves purchase of temporary footbridge". BBC News. 14 September 2023.
15. https://www.facebook.com/reel/976019670902217 ^{[ bare URL ]}
16. "Last chance to vote to help bring Great British Railways HQ to Derby".
17. "Amanda Solloway on Facebook". Facebook .
18. "Amanda Solloway on Facebook". Facebook .
19. "City factory working on 'production gap' that threatens 2,000 jobs". Derbyshire Live. 12 September 2023. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 20 June 2024.
20. "Alstom signs £370m deal and train making in Derby is saved". Derbyshire Live. 14 June 2024. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 20 June 2024.
21. Mark Harper (1.30 minute/2.12) https://www.facebook.com/AmandaSollowayOfficial/posts/pfbid02AFbZ7khnTL78hGuD7oUp4no6C58AYXKj9ijQfre1CcHLogCyY7ERsLskbcWfyw9ql
22. "Urgent talks with national Government over factory job cuts threat". Derbyshire Live. 22 November 2023. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 20 June 2024.
23. "Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - GOV.UK". Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
24. "Ministerial appointments: September 2021". GOV.UK. 16 September 2021.
25. "Amanda Solloway MP". GOV.UK. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
26. "Ministerial appointments: July 2022". GOV.UK. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
27. "Amanda Solloway".
28. "Amanda Solloway".
29. "UK government moves to end 'unfair' prepayment meter energy charges". 3 July 2023.
30. https://www.gov.uk/government/people/amanda-sollowa ^{[ bare URL ]}
31. "£40 billion spent protecting families and businesses from energy costs".
32. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63ff948cd3bf7f564ee6bada/energy-bill-support-schemes-next-steps-letter-to-local-authorities-1-march-2023.pdf ^{[ bare URL PDF ]}
33. "FOBU is delighted to announce MP Amanda Solloway as Patron – Friends of the Baby Unit Derby". fobuderby.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
34. //https://lfct.org.uk/about/governance/
35. "MPS asked to repay driving fines claimed on expenses". BBC News. 28 May 2023.
36. Stone, Jon (1 June 2023). "Tory minister 'devastated' over claiming driving fine on expenses". The Independent. Retrieved 20 June 2024.

External links

• Official website
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Chris Williamson	Member of Parliament for Derby North 2015–2017	Succeeded by Chris Williamson
Preceded by Chris Williamson	Member of Parliament for Derby North 2019–2024	Succeeded by Catherine Atkinson
Political offices
Preceded by Chris Skidmore as Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science, Research and Innovation 2020–2021	Succeeded by George Freeman
Preceded by Rachel Maclean	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding 2022–present	Incumbent
Preceded by Mike Freer	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities 2022–present	Incumbent