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Helen Whately

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Helen Whately
MP
Official portrait, 2019
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Incumbent
Assumed office
8 July 2024
LeaderRishi Sunak
Preceded byLouise Haigh
Minister of State for Social Care
In office
26 October 2022 – 5 July 2024
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak
Preceded byRobert Jenrick
Succeeded byStephen Kinnock
In office
13 February 2020 – 16 September 2021
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byCaroline Dinenage
Succeeded byGillian Keegan
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
In office
16 September 2021 – 7 July 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byKemi Badenoch
Succeeded byAlan Mak
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourism
In office
10 September 2019[1]– 13 February 2020
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byRebecca Pow
Succeeded byNigel Huddleston
Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party
In office
17 April 2019 – 10 September 2019
LeaderTheresa May
Boris Johnson
Preceded byJames Cleverly
Succeeded byPaul Scully
Member of Parliament
forFaversham and Mid Kent
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded byHugh Robertson
Majority1,469 (3.2%)
Personal details
Born
Helen Olivia Bicknell Lightwood

(1976-06-23)23 June 1976(age 48)
Norwich,Norfolk,England
Political partyConservative
Spouse
Marcus Whately
​
(m.2005)​
Children3
Residence(s)London,England
Faversham,Kent,England
EducationWestminster School
Alma materLady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Websitehelenwhately.org.uk

Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately[2](néeLightwood;[3]born 23 June 1976) is a BritishConservative Partypolitician who has beenMember of Parliament(MP) forFaversham and Mid Kentsince 2015 and Shadow Secretary of State for Transport since July 2024.[4]She served asMinister of State for Social Carefrom October 2022 to July 2024, and previously from 2020 to 2021.[5][6]She also served asExchequer Secretary to the Treasuryfrom 2021 to 2022.

Whately was appointedDeputy Chair of the Conservative PartybyTheresa Mayin 2019, and was retained in the position by new Prime MinisterBoris Johnson.She served asParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourismfrom September 2019 to February 2020. In the2020 cabinet reshuffle,Johnson moved her to the post of Minister of State for Social Care. Whately was the Social Care Minister during theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.In the2021 cabinet reshuffle,Johnson moved her to the post of Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, serving under ChancellorRishi Sunak.In July 2022, she resigned from the position in protest at Johnson's leadership amid agovernment crisis.She served on the backbenches duringLiz Truss's tenure as Prime Minister, before returning to her former role of Social Care Minister in October 2022 under Sunak, until the2024 general election.

Early life and career

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Helen Lightwood was born on 23 June 1976 inNorwich,and grew up nearRedhill.Her father was a surgeon and her mother a physician.[7][8]She was educated at theindependentgirls schoolWoldingham School,before entering thesixth format theprivateWestminster Schoolin London.[7][9]During her school years she undertook work experience in hospitals, with the intention of following her parents into a medical career, but Whately commented in her maiden speech as MP that it instead incentivised her to pursue a career in which she could improve healthcare as a whole.[10]

After leaving school, she taught English in ruralNepalfor a year.[8]Lightwood studiedPhilosophy, Politics and EconomicsatLady Margaret Hall, Oxford,[7][11]and was a member of debating society theOxford Union,but she did not have any interest in student politics, later saying that she felt that it "did not seem to be about getting stuff done".[7]

After university, she worked atPwCfor two years as a management consultant trainee, before working atAOL,where she was involved in setting up its internet film service.[8][12][13]After this she worked as a media policy advisor for the then shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport andConservativeMPHugo Swire.This experience inspired Whately to pursue a political career.[7]In 2008, British society magazineTatlerselected Whately as one of ten young rising stars of the Conservative Party and tipped her as a future health secretary.[14]

From 2007 to 2015, Whately worked as an engagement manager for the management consultancy firmMcKinsey & Companyin its healthcare division.[13][15]

Parliamentary career

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Whately was theConservativecandidate forKingston and Surbitonat the2010 general election,coming second with 36.5% of the vote behind the incumbentLiberal DemocratMPEd Davey.[16][17][18][19]

1st term (2015-2017)

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In February 2015 Whately was selected by theConservative Partyto contestFaversham and Mid Kentin anall-women shortlist.[20]At the2015 general election,Whately was elected to Parliament as MP for Faversham and Mid Kent with 54.4% of the vote and a majority of 16,652.[21][22][23]

Whately made her maiden speech on 2 June, which focused on theNational Health Service.[10]

In July 2015, she was chosen to sit on the CommonsHealth Select Committee.[24]

In December 2015, Whately voted to support Prime MinisterDavid Cameron's plans to carry out airstrikes againstISILtargets in Syria.[25]

Whately supported the United Kingdom remaining in theEuropean Unionin the2016 membership referendum.[26]

In July 2016, Whately was appointed as theparliamentary private secretary(PPS) to the international trade ministerGreg Hands.[13]In October 2016, she was selected as the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Mental Health and the APPG for Fruit and Vegetable Farmers.[27][28][29]

In February 2017, she voted to support the government's motion for theinvoking of Article 50to formally start the process of the UK's withdrawal from the EU. Whately explained her decision as honouring the result of the referendum.[30][31]

2nd term (2017-2019)

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Whately was re-elected as MP for Faversham and Mid Kent at the snap2017 general electionwith an increased vote share of 61.1% and an increased majority of 17,413.[32]

Following the election she became the PPS to thesecretary of state for educationandminister for women and equalities,Justine Greening.[33]She also became the chair of the APPG for Health, and Personalised Medicine and continued to be chair of the APPG for Mental Health, and Fruit and Vegetable Farmers.[34][35][36]

In July 2017, Whately was criticised for accepting several thousand pounds' worth of hospitality from theSaudi Arabian governmentbefore going on to defend its record in a parliamentary debate. The debate followed an urgent question by Liberal Democrat MPTom Brakeover fears of the imminent execution of 14 men for protest-related offences, including a number who were children at the time of their alleged offences. Whately had urged parliamentarians to "appreciate that the government of Saudi Arabia are taking to steps to improve their actions on human rights", but was criticised by an oppositionLabour PartyMP as a "serial apologist for the regime".[37][38]

In January 2018, she was appointed as PPS toBrandon Lewis,theminister without portfolioandConservative Party chair.[39][40]In July 2018, she became Vice Chair of the Conservative Party for Women, afterMaria Caulfieldstood down in protest at the Government's approach to Brexit.[41][42]

In April 2019, Whately voted for prime minister Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement. She also stated her opposition to areferendum on any Brexit withdrawal agreement.[43]

On 17 April, Whately was promoted to Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party.[44][45]On 10 September, she was appointed asParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourismby Prime MinisterBoris Johnson.[46]

3rd term (2019-2024)

[edit]

Whately was again re-elected at the2019 general electionwith an increased vote share of 63.2% and an increased majority of 21,976.[47]

In February 2020, Whately joined theDepartment for Health and Social Careas theminister of state for social care.[48]

Whately was appointedExchequer Secretary to the Treasuryin the2021 cabinet reshuffle.[49]She resigned on the morning of 7 July 2022 as part of aseries of mass resignationsagainst Prime Minister Boris Johnson.[50]

4th term (2024-)

[edit]

At the2024 general election,Whately was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 31.8% and a decreased majority of 1,469.[51]

Following the Conservative Party's defeat in the general election and the subsequent formation of theStarmer ministry,Whately was appointedShadow Transport Secretaryin Rishi Sunak'scaretaker Shadow Cabinet.[52]

Campaigns

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Whately campaigned withKent County Councilfor two new schools to be opened inMaidstone,to relieve pressure on primary school places, as well as offering more places for children withspecial needs.[53]This resulted in the opening of Maidstone Primary Academy and the secondaryspecial schoolof Bearsted Academy.[54][55]

She campaigned against Maidstone's Local Plan (a policy document that defines the framework for development in the area until 2031)[56]as she felt that it did not have enough funding for improvements in infrastructure and roads and could damage local landmarks such asLeeds Castle.[57]Both Whately andMaidstone and The WealdMPHelen Grantwrote to the thensecretary of state for communities and local governmentSajid Javidin September 2017 to intervene in the matter, but he declined as he felt that it was a decision that should be made locally.[58][59]Maidstone Borough Councilformally adopted the Local Plan in October.[60]

Personal life

[edit]

Whately lives in London and in a village near Faversham.[61][62]In 2005 she married Marcus Whately (whom she met at theUniversity of Oxford),[63][8]the founder and co-chief executive officer of an energy company.[13][64]They have three children. She has one older brother.[7]Since 2015, she has been a vice-president of theMaidstonebranch of the learning disability charityMencap.[65][66][67]

As a horse rider she was a member of the British Junior Eventing Squad, and at university she was captain of the riding team and won two half-blues.[8]

References

[edit]
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  2. ^"No. 61230".The London Gazette.18 May 2015. p. 9123.
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  7. ^abcdefFinlay, Simon."Personality Profile"(PDF).Mid Kent Living.pp. 8–9. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 9 November 2017.Retrieved7 May2017.
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  9. ^"Who wants your vote in Faversham and Mid Kent?".kentonline.co.uk.15 April 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 15 August 2015.Retrieved14 September2015.
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  12. ^Hopkirk, Elizabeth; Mendick, Robert (9 September 2008)."A future Tory Cabinet... at least according to Tatler".London Evening Standard.Archivedfrom the original on 13 January 2017.Retrieved11 January2017.
  13. ^abcd"Q & A with Helen".Helen Whately.26 March 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 3 December 2017.Retrieved11 January2017.
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  17. ^Statement of Persons NominatedArchived2011-06-08 at theWayback Machine,Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, 20 April 2010
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  19. ^Election 2010 – Kingston & SurbitonBBC News, 7 May 2010
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  28. ^Pyman, Tom (12 October 2016)."Helen Whately elected chair of parliamentary group for mental health".Kent News.Archived fromthe originalon 19 April 2017.
  29. ^McEwan, Gavin (4 November 2016)."New parliamentary group hears fruit and veg growers' concerns".Horticulture Week.Archived fromthe originalon 24 November 2017.Retrieved1 April2017.
  30. ^Whately, Helen (2 February 2017)."Brexit: Let's use this opportunity to frame the country's future".Helen Whately.Archivedfrom the original on 3 December 2017.Retrieved3 December2017.
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  61. ^"IPSA record".IPSA.Archivedfrom the original on 15 October 2018.Retrieved14 October2018.
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
forFaversham and Mid Kent
2015–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party
2019 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourism
2019–2020 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of State for Social Care
2020–2021 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
2021–2022 		Succeeded by
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