Rachel Gilmour | |
|---|---|
 Gilmour in July 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for Tiverton and Minehead | |
| Assumed office 4 [1] July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Majority | 3,507 (7.4%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1964 or 1965 (aged 59) |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Alma mater | |
| Website | rachelgilmour |
Rachel Clare Gilmour [2] (formerly Oliver; born 13th October 1964) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Tiverton and Minehead since 2024. [3]
Gilmour grew up on the Somerset–Devon border and was privately educated at Cheltenham Ladies' College after attending local schools including St John's Primary School in Wellington. [4]
It was while she was at the College that she joined the Liberal Party aged 17.
She is the daughter of the former England international rugby player David Wrench. [4] She studied law at SOAS University of London and English literature at King's College London. [5]
After a stint as an English Lecturer at Somerset College of Arts & Technology in Taunton, Gilmour began her career in corporate communications and public affairs. Having worked for national and international NGOs, she was appointed Director of Communications at the National Farmers' Union, becoming the first woman to join their board in 100 years. She went on to be Head of Strategy at the Environment Agency.
Most recently she was employed as Director of Communications for Pangea 21, a group of health tech start-ups. [6]
In the 2015 United Kingdom general election, Gilmour contested Taunton Deane to succeed Jeremy Browne. [7] She had unsuccessfully stood in two earlier general elections. [4] In 1997 she contested Nottingham North in 1997 and Totnes in 2001. [8] She contested these two elections under her previous name Rachel Oliver. [9]
She was previously a member of Taunton Deane Borough Council and currently represents the Clare & Shuttern ward of Mid Devon District Council. [4]
She lives in Bampton with her husband, Patrick, a corporate lawyer. They have three sons and a daughter. They share their home and garden with two dogs, three cats and twenty two rescue chickens. [6]
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Taunton Deane was a constituency in Somerset represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.
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Honiton and Sidmouth is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election. The current MP is Richard Foord.
Tiverton and Minehead is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election.
Taunton and Wellington is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election, with Gideon Amos of the Liberal Democrats taking the seat with a majority of 11,939. The predecessor seat, Taunton Deane, had been held by Rebecca Pow of the Conservative Party since 2015.
Gideon John Amos is a British politician, architect, and urban designer. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Taunton and Wellington since 2024. A member of the Liberal Democrats, he gained the seat from Rebecca Pow of the Conservative Party with a majority of 11,989 in the 2024 United Kingdom General Election.
Frederick David Bryan Wrench was a British rugby union player and politician.