Chloe Smith | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Official portrait, 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 28 April 2023 –20 July 2023 [lower-alpha 1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Michelle Donelan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Michelle Donelan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 6 September 2022 –25 October 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Liz Truss | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Thérèse Coffey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Mel Stride | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Member of Parliament for Norwich North | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 23 July 2009 –30 May 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Ian Gibson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Alice Macdonald | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Chloe Rebecca Smith 17 May 1982 Ashford,Kent,England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Political party | Conservative | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse | Sandy McFadzean (m. 2013) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | University of York | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | www.chloesmith.org.uk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chloe Rebecca Smith (born 17 May 1982) is a British Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Norwich North from 2009 to 2024. She previously served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from September to October 2022 [1] and Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology from April to July 2023. [lower-alpha 3] [2]
Smith was elected in a 2009 by-election following the resignation of Labour MP Ian Gibson due to the MPs' expenses scandal. Smith held a number of junior ministerial roles under David Cameron and Theresa May, serving two terms as Parliamentary Secretary for the Constitution. She continued to serve in the latter role after Boris Johnson's victory in the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election.
In the February 2020 reshuffle, Smith was promoted to Minister of State during the second Johnson ministry. In the 2021 reshuffle, she was appointed by Johnson as Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions. After Johnson resigned in 2022, Smith supported Liz Truss’s bid to become Conservative leader. Following Truss's appointment as Prime Minister, she appointed Smith as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. She was later temporarily Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology during the time Michelle Donelan MP was Minister on Leave (Secretary of State), a position given to Secretaries and Ministers of State while on Maternity Leave. [3]
Chloe Smith was born in Ashford, Kent, in 1982. [4] [5] Her family moved to Stoke Ferry, Norfolk, when she was three years old, and she attended comprehensive schools in Swaffham and Methwold. [6] [7] After a gap year working for former Conservative Education Secretary Gillian Shephard, [6] she read English Literature at the University of York. [7] She undertook summer work for Bernard Jenkin. [6]
After graduating from the University of York, Smith joined Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu as a management consultant. She advised private businesses, government departments and public bodies. [6]
In 2007, Smith was chosen to be the Conservative Party candidate for the constituency of Norwich North at the general election. [7] She then took leave from her job, working for Conservative Central Office on secondment, to "draw up detailed plans to put our policies into practice". [6]
Following the resignation of Labour MP Ian Gibson as a result of the MPs' expenses scandal, Smith became the Conservatives' by-election candidate. At the 2009 Norwich North by-election, Smith was elected, winning with 39.5% of the vote and a majority of 7,348. [8] Smith became the youngest member of the House of Commons. [9] [10] She took her seat in the House of Commons when the parliamentary break ended in October. [11]
At the 2010 general election, Smith was re-elected as MP for Norwich North with an increased vote share of 40.6% and a decreased majority of 3,901. [12]
On 14 October 2011, she was appointed Economic Secretary to the Treasury in a ministerial reshuffle, becoming the youngest minister serving in government at that point. [13] According to The Guardian newspaper Smith was appointed to the role because David Cameron wrongly understood her to be a trained accountant. [14]
On 26 June 2012, she appeared on the BBC Two current affairs programme Newsnight and was interviewed about Chancellor George Osborne's decision that day to delay plans to increase fuel duty. [15] Jeremy Paxman questioned the apparent change in her views on fuel duty. [16] The interview attracted much comment, being described as a "mauling" and a "humiliation" of Smith. [17] [14] Politicians, including John Prescott and Nadine Dorries, questioned Osborne's judgement for sending a junior minister onto the programme in his place. [15] [18]
In September 2012, Smith was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Cabinet Office.
In August 2013, she was criticised for blocking identification of civil servants and public sector bodies responsible for £77m of flights booked through the Government Procurement Service. [19] In October 2013, she resigned from the Cabinet Office to "concentrate on the most important part of my job: being the Member of Parliament for Norwich North". [20]
In May 2014, she was awarded the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative Award under the Business Driver category for designing and conceiving the Norwich for Jobs campaign, which brought over 400 jobs and apprenticeships for young people in her constituency. [21]
During the campaign for the 2015 general election, Smith was mocked by political opponents for quoting a constituent's letter in her election literature. [22] The letter said she seemed "to act more like a Socialist than a Conservative". [23] Smith responded: "Clearly I am not a socialist. I am a proud Conservative. What the letter writer was saying was my work can appeal across party lines". [22]
At the 2015 general election, Smith was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 43.7% and an increased majority of 4,463. [24]
At the snap 2017 general election, Smith was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 47.7% and a decreased majority of 507. [25] Following the election, she was appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland working under James Brokenshire. [26]
In January 2018, during the 2018 British cabinet reshuffle by Theresa May, Smith was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for the Constitution, a role she had previously held under David Cameron. In February 2020, Smith was promoted to Minister of State by Boris Johnson. [27]
In August 2019, Smith was the victim of an anthrax scare in which she was sent a package of white powder. [28]
At the 2019 general election, Smith was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 50.5% and an increased majority of 4,738. [29]
In September 2021, during the cabinet reshuffle, Smith became Minister of State for Disabled People, Work and Health at the Department for Work and Pensions. [27]
On 6 September 2022, the then-Prime Minister Liz Truss appointed Smith as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. She was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council on 13 September 2022 at Buckingham Palace following her appointment. [30] entitling her to the honorific prefix "The Right Honourable" for Life.
On 25 October 2022, following the appointment of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, Smith returned to the backbenches.
On 22 November 2022 Smith announced that she would not stand for election to Parliament at the 2024 general election. [31]
From 28 April 2023 to 19 July 2023, Smith was the temporary Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology during Michelle Donelan's maternity leave in accordance with the Ministerial and other Maternity Allowances Act 2021.
Smith's political stances have included support for lower taxation, increasing VAT, [32] and opposition to the Lisbon Treaty. [33] She also supported the legalisation of same-sex marriage. [34] She singles out Benjamin Disraeli as a political leader she admires. [33]
Smith was opposed to Brexit before the 2016 referendum. [35] She endorsed Boris Johnson during the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election. [36]
Smith is an active volunteer and fundraiser for several charities including Cancer Research UK and Sport Relief. [7] She is an atheist. [37] [38]
In 2013, Smith married financial consultant Sandy McFadzean. [39] They had their first child, a son, in 2016. [40] In 2019, their second child, a daughter, was born. [41]
In November 2020, Smith announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. [42] In June 2021, she announced that after chemotherapy and surgery, she was cancer-free. [43]
Justine Greening is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education from 2016 to 2018. Prior to that, she served as Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 2010 to 2011, Secretary of State for Transport from 2011 to 2012 and Secretary of State for International Development from 2012 to 2016. A member of the Conservative Party, she was Member of Parliament (MP) for Putney from 2005 to 2019.
Esther Louise, Lady Davies, known as Esther McVey, is a British Conservative politician and television presenter who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tatton since 2017 and as the MP for Wirral West from 2010 to 2015. She previously served in cabinet as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in 2018, Minister of State for Housing and Planning from 2019 to 2020 and Minister of State without Portfolio from 2023 to 2024.
Benedict Michael Gummer is a British businessman and former politician. He is a partner of Gummer Leathes, a property developer. He is a senior adviser to McKinsey & Company, the management consultancy, a visiting fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University and a member of the advisory board of the Office for Place.
Stuart James Andrew is a British Conservative politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Daventry since 2024. He was the MP for Pudsey from 2010 until the constituency was abolished before the 2024 general election. He has served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Civil Society since September 2022 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities since October 2022. Andrew previously served as Government Deputy Chief Whip from 2020 to 2022, Minister of State for Housing from February to July 2022, and Minister of State for Prisons and Probation from July to September 2022.
Dame Jacqueline Doyle-Price is a British Conservative Party politician and former civil servant who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Thurrock from 2010 to 2024. She was first elected as MP in the 2010 general election and was defeated by Jen Craft of the Labour Party in the 2024 general election.
Nadhim Zahawi is an Iraqi-born British politician who served in various ministerial positions under prime ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak from 2018 to 2023. He most recently served as Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio from 25 October 2022 until he was dismissed by Sunak on 29 January 2023. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Stratford-on-Avon from 2010 to 2024.
Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately is a British politician serving as Minister of State for Social Care since October 2022, and previously from 2020 to 2021. She also served as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury from 2021 to 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Faversham and Mid Kent since 2015.
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan is a British politician who previously served as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology from July 2023 to July 2024, having previously served in the position from February to April 2023 before being temporarily replaced during her maternity leave. A member of the Conservative Party, Donelan also held three other cabinet positions from 2020 to 2023 under Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. She served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chippenham in Wiltshire from 2015 to 2024.
Wendy Morton is a British politician who served as Chief Whip of the House of Commons and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury from September to October 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aldridge-Brownhills since 2015.
Maria Colette Caulfield is a former British politician. She served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Women's Health Strategy and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women from October 2022 to July 2024.
Kelly Jane Tolhurst is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rochester and Strood from 2015 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Minister of State for Schools and Childhood from September to October 2022.
Major James Stephen Heappey is a British politician and former soldier who served as Minister of State for the Armed Forces from 2020 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wells in Somerset from 2015 to 2024.
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan is a British politician who served as Minister of State for Indo-Pacific under Rishi Sunak between October 2022 to July 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, she was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Berwick-upon-Tweed from 2015 until 2024. She previously served in the Cabinets of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
Lucy Claire Frazer is a British politician and barrister who served as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from February 2023 to July 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South East Cambridgeshire from 2015 to 2024.
Margaret Ann Throup is a British Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Erewash in Derbyshire from the 2015 general election to the 2024 general election. Prior to entering politics, Throup worked as a biomedical scientist and business consultant.
Paul Stuart Scully is a former British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sutton and Cheam from 2015 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Minister for London from February 2020 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Tech and the Digital Economy from October 2022. He was sacked from both roles in November 2023.
Olukemi Olufunto "Kemi" Badenoch is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Business and Trade from 2023 to 2024 and President of the Board of Trade and as Minister for Women and Equalities from 2022 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, she served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Saffron Walden in Essex from 2017 to 2024. In the 2024 general election, she was elected to the new seat of North West Essex.
Trudy Lynne Harrison is a British Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Copeland from the February 2017 by-election to the 2024 general election. Her election marked the first time Copeland had elected a Conservative MP since 1931, and the first time the constituency had elected a female MP. Three months after her by-election victory, Harrison was re-elected in the 2017 general election and held her seat in 2019.
Gillian Keegan is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education from 2022 to 2024. She previously served as Minister of State for Care and Mental Health from 2021 to 2022, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa from September to October 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, Keegan served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chichester from 2017 to 2024.
The Sunak ministry began on 25 October 2022 when Rishi Sunak was invited by King Charles III to succeed Liz Truss as prime minister of the United Kingdom. Truss resigned as leader of the Conservative Party the previous day after Sunak was elected unopposed as her successor. The Sunak ministry was formed from the 2019 Parliament of the United Kingdom, as a Conservative majority government. Sunak reshuffled his cabinet twice, first in February 2023 and later in November 2023.