Andrea Jenkyns

Last updated

Jack Lopresti
​
​
(m. 2017;div. 2022)​
Dame Andrea Jenkyns
DBE MP
Official portrait of Mrs Andrea Jenkyns MP crop 2.jpg
Official portrait, 2020
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Skills [lower-alpha 1]
In office
9 July 2022 –27 October 2022
Children1
Residence(s) Gildersome, West Yorkshire, England
London, England
Alma mater University of Lincoln
Open University
Website Official website

Dame Andrea Marie Jenkyns DBE (born 16 June 1974) is a British politician serving as Deputy Chairwoman of the European Research Group (ERG) since 2019.

Contents

She was first elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Morley and Outwood in West Yorkshire at the 2015 general election, defeating Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls. [2] [3] She was an advocate for the Eurosceptic organisation Leave Means Leave. [4] She was a strong critic of Theresa May during her leadership of the Conservative Party due to her handling of Brexit. [5] Jenkyns served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Skills from July to October 2022, when she was sacked by new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Early life and career

Andrea Jenkyns was born in Beverley, Humberside. After leaving school at 16, she worked at the Greggs bakery. [6] When she was 18, Jenkyns' father sent her photo off to a beauty pageant, and she eventually reached the final of Miss UK. [7] In her late thirties, Jenkyns studied for a degree in Economics from the Open University and for one in International Relations from the University of Lincoln. [8]

Jenkyns is a former member of Lincolnshire County Council for Boston North West.

Parliamentary career

Following an open primary in 2013, Jenkyns was selected to contest the Morley and Outwood parliamentary seat as the Conservative candidate. [9] In the 2015 general election, she was elected with a slim majority of 422 votes, unseating Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Ed Balls in the process. [9] [10] From July 2015, she sat on the Health Select Committee.

Jenkyns supported Brexit in the 2016 EU membership referendum [11] and was a member of the Exiting the European Union Select Committee from 2016 to 2019. [12] Jenkyns stated that she was willing to vote against the government if it brought forward to the House of Commons the Chequers plan on Brexit. [13]

In the 2017 general election, Jenkyns increased her vote share by 11.8%, though only increased her majority to 2,104 as Labour's vote share also increased. Both were helped by the lack of a UKIP candidate in her constituency. [14]

Jenkyns is a Trustee and the voluntary Regional Representative for the charity MRSA Action UK, having joined following the death of her father from MRSA. [15] [8]

In May 2018, Jenkyns quit her role as a PPS in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in order to focus on fighting for Brexit. [16]

In July 2018, after David Davis resigned from the Cabinet, Jenkyns called for the Prime Minister Theresa May to be replaced, saying: "Theresa May's premiership is over." [17] [18] She called on the Prime Minister to return to her Lancaster House speech, stating "Prime Ministers keep their jobs when they keep their promises". [19]

She submitted a formal letter to the 1922 Committee requesting a vote of no confidence in Theresa May as leader of the Conservative Party; at that time letters from 48 MPs were required to trigger a vote of no confidence. [20] Following this, Iain Dale put her on his annual Top 100 Most Influential Conservatives of 2018 List. [21]

In May 2019, Jenkyns received media attention for her appearance on the BBC's Politics Live show, as she was unable to name any countries that trade solely with the EU using World Trade Organization (WTO) terms. [22]

In 2019, Jenkyns received a campaign donation declared at £2,000 from the Brexit advocate and Leave.EU funder Arron Banks. [23] Banks was barred from membership of the Conservative Party at the time, on the grounds that he had advocated entryism. [23] Jenkyns has received a number of death threats, largely as a result of her stance on Brexit. [24] In October 2019 she discovered graffiti on the wall of her office calling for her to kill herself. [24] In the summer of 2019, a person was taken to court for threatening to "rip" her face off. [24] In 2018, she received a threatening and sexually explicit email calling for her to be cut with barbed wire and die. [24]

Jenkyns is opposed to Britain's sugary drink tax, arguing instead for "better education, better labelling [and] parental responsibility". [25]

Jenkyns held her seat at the 2019 general election with an increased majority of 11,267. [10] Jenkyns claimed to have experienced a considerable amount of abuse and intimidation during the campaign. [26] After the election, she was elected Vice-Chair of the European Research Group, replacing Steve Baker, who became the Chair. [27]

In February 2020, Jenkyns defended her decision to provide a character reference for the court case of a Conservative Party activist who made violent threats to Labour MP Yvette Cooper and was subsequently jailed for nine weeks. The statement described the activist as a "decent and honest person whose heart is in the right place". Jenkyns said that the activist had mental health issues and she wanted his emotional and mental well-being to be taken into consideration as part of the judicial process. [28]

On 17 September 2021, Jenkyns was appointed an Assistant Government Whip in the second cabinet reshuffle of the second Johnson ministry. [29]

In July 2022, Jenkyns was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Education. [30] On the way to attending Boris Johnson's resignation speech in Downing Street, Jenkyns was filmed making a "middle finger" gesture at protesters. [31] Jenkyns said she made the gesture after being provoked by a "baying mob", stating she had received "huge amounts of abuse from some of the people who were there over the years". She said she should have shown more composure "but is only human". Her gesture was criticised by teaching representatives and by Conservative MPs Mark Spencer and George Freeman. [32] On 12 July 2022, her portfolio was confirmed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Skills, Further and Higher Education. She was reappointed by Liz Truss, [33] but left her role when Rishi Sunak replaced Truss as Prime Minister fifty days later. [34]

Following the November 2023 British cabinet reshuffle, Jenkyns submitted a public letter of no confidence in Sunak. [35]

Personal life

Jenkyns receiving her DBE in 2023 AndreaJenkynsDBEMP.jpg
Jenkyns receiving her DBE in 2023

Jenkyns lives in Gildersome, West Yorkshire and London; the latter for her Parliamentary duties where she lived with her ex-husband, fellow Conservative MP Jack Lopresti, and her son, [36] who was born in 2017 and named after her late father.

She married Lopresti, the MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke in Bristol, in St Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster on 22 December 2017, [37] two years after it had been reported that she was in a relationship with him while he was still married to his first wife. [38] [39]

In March 2024, Jenkyns revealed to GB News that she had been targeted with abusive emails, with the most recent threatening her six-year old son. The police have been advising her on improved security and are investigating the source of the anonymous communication. [40]

In April 2024, she announced via Twitter that her and Lopresti had divorced. [41]

Jenkyns suffers from fibromyalgia and glossopharyngeal neuralgia which cause bouts of debilitating pain. [42]

Jenkyns is a vegetarian and supports improvement of animal rights. She also supports keeping the ban on fox hunting. [8] In 2015, her dogs Lady and Godiva won top prize in the Westminster Dog of the Year show. [43]

Jenkyns is also an amateur soprano singer. [44]

Honours

Jenkyns was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 9 June 2023 as part of the 2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours. [45] [46]

Notes

  1. ↑ Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Skills, Further and Higher Education July to September 2022.
  2. ↑ As Minister of State for Higher and Further Education. She assumed responsibilities for Skills from Alex Burghart. [1]

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References

  1. ↑ "Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Skills) – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  2. ↑ "Elections 2015 – Morley & Outwood". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Andrea Jenkyns: About the woman who toppled Ed Balls". ITV News . 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "Co-Chairmen – Political Advisory Board – Supporters". Leave Means Leave. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "Andrea Jenkyns is a long-standing critic of the prime minister". Sky News. 8 May 2019. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  6. ↑ "About Andrea". Personal website. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  7. ↑ Scott, Caroline (20 March 2016). "Relative Values: Andrea Jenkyns, Tory MP, and her mum, Valerie" . TheTimes. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 Whale, Sebastian (29 May 2015). "Andrea Jenkyns: 'There's not much that really floors me'". Totalpolitics.com. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  9. 1 2 Bloom, Dan (8 May 2015). "Andrea Jenkyns ousts Ed Balls: Everything you need to know about Tory who defeated Labour giant". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Morley & Outwood parliamentary constituency – Election 2019". Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  11. ↑ "Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?". Blogs.spectator.co.uk. 16 February 2016. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  12. ↑ "Michael Gove lands key role overseeing Brexit". Sky News. 26 October 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  13. ↑ "Inside the meeting of Tory MPs planning to bring down Theresa May's Brexit plan". Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  14. ↑ "Labour gain in Leeds as student vote and 'Corbyn effect' topples long serving Lib Dem". Yorkshire Evening Post. 9 June 2017. Archived from the original on 13 June 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  15. ↑ "Andrea Jenkyns". Morley and Outwood Website. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  16. ↑ "Aide quits government 'to fight for Brexit'". BBC News. 25 May 2018. Archived from the original on 7 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  17. ↑ "Top Brexit Officials Resign in Blow to Theresa May". New York Daily Intelligencer. 9 July 2017. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  18. ↑ "May to fight any leadership challenge after resignations". Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTE). 9 July 2017. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  19. ↑ "May urged to 'chuck Chequers' by Tory Brexiteers". Shropshire Star. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  20. ↑ McCann, Kate (13 July 2018). "Conservative MPs asked to withdraw letters demanding a vote of confidence in Theresa May". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  21. ↑ "The Top 100 Most Influential Conservatives of 2018". Iaindale.com. October 2018. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  22. ↑ "Brexiteer Andrea Jenkyns unable to name countries that trade solely with EU on WTO rules". inews.co.uk. 21 May 2019. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  23. 1 2 "Arron Banks donated £2,000 to Tory Andrea Jenkyns's campaign". The Guardian. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  24. 1 2 3 4 "Andrea Jenkyns MP told to 'just kill herself' in office graffiti". Wakefield Express. 4 October 2019. Archived from the original on 5 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  25. ↑ "Two Yorkshire MPs hit out at the 'nanny state' they say is stripping away individual choice and responsibility". Yorkshire Post. 2 October 2019. Archived from the original on 4 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  26. ↑ Criddle, Cristina; Ktena, Natalie; Close, Emma (21 December 2019). "'Abuse on the campaign trail doesn't shock me any more'". Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  27. ↑ "Andrea Jenkyns made second in command of influential European Research Group". Yorkshire Post. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  28. ↑ Duffy, Nick (7 February 2020). "Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns defends giving character reference to activist jailed for violent Brexit threats". inews. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  29. ↑ "Ministerial appointments: September 2021". 16 September 2021. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  30. ↑ "Andrea Jenkyns: Minister says she raised her middle finger because of a 'baying mob'". BBC News. 9 July 2022.
  31. ↑ "Tory MP who gave Boris protesters the middle finger is made education minister". The National. 8 July 2022. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  32. ↑ "Tory MP says she made rude gesture after being provoked by 'baying mob'". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  33. ↑ "Ministerial Appointments: September 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  34. ↑ "Andrea Jenkyns MP". gov.uk. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  35. ↑ Cowburn, Ashley (13 November 2023). "Rishi Sunak faces revolt as Tory MP delivers brutal warning in letter of no confidence". The Mirror. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  36. ↑ "About Andrea". Personal website. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  37. ↑ "Brexit baby brings the Commons together in laughter". ITV News. 29 March 2017. Archived from the original on 17 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  38. ↑ "Bristol MP Jack Lopresti having affair with Tory colleague, Conservative party confirms". ITV News. 21 December 2015. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  39. ↑ "Tory MPs admit to relationship after photo shows them canoodling at train station". Daily Telegraph. 21 December 2015. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  40. ↑ "Dame Andrea Jenkyns MP stands up against threats against her children | 'They WON'T silence me!'". YouTube . Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  41. ↑ @AndreaJenkins (16 April 2024). "This is complete rubbish, and there is nothing to see here, I am divorced!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  42. ↑ Singh, Arj (16 June 2018). "Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns 'cannot remember a day without pain' in 15 years". Yorkshire Post. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  43. ↑ Bloom, Dan (29 October 2015). "The Tories have triumphed in a public vote – at this adorable dog contest". Mirror.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  44. ↑ Wilkinson, Michael (29 December 2015). "Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns, who admitted she is dating married MP, releases charity music single". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  45. ↑ "Resignation Honours 2023" (PDF). GOV.UK. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  46. ↑ "No. 64120". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 July 2023. p. 14503.
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