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{{Short description|British politician (born 1976)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}{{Use British English|date=December 2019}}

factoids

| term_end4 = 13 February 2020| predecessor4 = Rebecca Pow| successor4 = Nigel HuddlestonConservative Party (UK)>Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party| leader5 = Theresa MayBoris Johnson| term_start5 = 17 April 2019| term_end5 = 10 September 2019| predecessor5 = James Cleverly| successor5 = Paul ScullyMember of Parliament (United Kingdom)>Member of Parliamentfor Faversham and Mid Kent| term_start6 = 7 May 2015Hugh Robertson (politician)>Hugh RobertsonTITLE=FAVERSHAM & MID KENT ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20190411094752/HTTPS://WWW.BBC.CO.UK/NEWS/POLITICS/CONSTITUENCIES/E14000700 URL-STATUS=LIVE, | birth_name = Helen Olivia Bicknell Lightwood197623|df=y}}| birth_place = Norwich, Norfolk, England| death_date = | death_place = Conservative Party (UK)>ConservativeMarcus Whately|2005}}| children = 3| education = Westminster School| alma_mater = Lady Margaret Hall, Oxfordhelenwhately.org.uk}}| caption = Official portrait, 2019}}Helen Olivia Bicknell Whately{{London Gazette |issue=61230 |date=18 May 2015 |page=9123}} (née Lightwood;NEWS,weblink The Telegraph, 3 August 2008, 9 November 2017, Whately, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171111205028weblink">weblink 11 November 2017, born 23 June 1976) is a British politician serving as Minister of State for Social Care since October 2022, and previously from 2020 to 2021.WEB, Ministerial Appointments commencing: 25 October 2022,weblink 2022-10-26, GOV.UK, en, WEB, Minister of State (Minister for Social Care) - GOV.UK,weblink 2022-11-03, www.gov.uk, en, 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.Whately was appointed Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party by Theresa May in 2019, and was retained in the position by new Prime Minister Boris Johnson. She served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourism from September 2019 to February 2020. In the 2020 cabinet reshuffle, Johnson moved her to the post of Minister of State for Social Care. Whately was the Social Care Minister during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. In the 2021 cabinet reshuffle, Johnson moved her to the post of Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, serving under Chancellor Rishi Sunak. In July 2022, she resigned from the position in protest at Johnson's leadership amid a government crisis. She served on the backbenches during Liz Truss's tenure as Prime Minister, before returning to her former role of Social Care Minister in October 2022 under Sunak.

Early life and career

Helen Lightwood was born in Norwich on 23 June 1976, and grew up near Redhill, Surrey. Her father was a surgeon and her mother a physician.NEWS, Personality Profile, 8–9,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171109173126weblink">weblink 9 November 2017, Finlay, Simon,weblink Mid Kent Living, 7 May 2017, NEWS,weblink Conservatives are putting faith in youthful Whately, 30 April 2007, Surrey Comet, 14 September 2015, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20151124083816weblink">weblink 24 November 2015, She was educated at the independent girls-only Woldingham School, before entering the sixth form at the private Westminster School in London.WEB,weblink Who wants your vote in Faversham and Mid Kent?, kentonline.co.uk, 15 April 2015, 14 September 2015, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150815083143weblink">weblink 15 August 2015, 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.After leaving school, she taught English in rural Nepal for a year. Lightwood studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford,WEB,weblink LMH, Oxford â€“ Prominent Alumni, 22 May 2015, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150512181442weblink">weblink 12 May 2015, and was a member of debating society the Oxford 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".After university, she worked at PwC for two years as a management consultant trainee, before working at AOL, where she was involved in setting up its internet film service.NEWS, A future Tory Cabinet ... at least according to Tatler,weblink London Evening Standard, 9 September 2008, Hopkirk, Elizabeth, Mendick, Robert, 11 January 2017, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170113013809weblink">weblink 13 January 2017, After this she worked as a media policy advisor for the then shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport and Conservative MP Hugo Swire. This experience inspired Whately to pursue a political career. In 2008, British society magazine Tatler selected Whately as one of ten young rising stars of the Conservative Party and tipped her as a future health secretary.NEWS, Society magazine Tatler unveils line-up of 'top Tory totty',weblink The Daily Telegraph, 9 September 2008, 27 June 2019, Singh, Anita,weblink 26 June 2019, live, Whately was the Conservative candidate for Kingston and Surbiton at the 2010 general election, coming second with 36.5% of the vote behind the incumbent Liberal Democrat MP Ed Davey.WEB, Election Data 2010,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130726162034weblink">weblink 26 July 2013, 17 October 2015, Electoral Calculus, Statement of Persons Nominated {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608193043weblink|date=2011-06-08}}, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, 20 April 2010Election results for Kingston and Surbiton – Parliamentary General Election – Thursday 6 May 2010 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100510045426weblink|date=10 May 2010}} Royal Borough of Kingston upon ThamesElection 2010 – Kingston & Surbiton BBC News, 7 May 2010 From 2007 to 2015, Whately worked as an engagement manager for the management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company in its healthcare division.NEWS,weblink Health Service Journal, Helen Whately, 21 June 2017, live,weblink 28 August 2017,

Parliamentary career

In February 2015 Whately was selected by the Conservative Party to contest the Faversham and Mid Kent seat in an all-women shortlist.WEB,weblink Helen Whately to replace Sir Hugh Robertson as conservative candidate for Faversham and Mid Kent, kentonline.co.uk, 7 May 2015, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150511022350weblink">weblink 11 May 2015, 25 February 2015, She had also made the shortlist for the Wealden, North East Hampshire, South Cambridgeshire, Bury St Edmunds and Banbury constituencies.At the 2015 general election Whately was elected as MP for Faversham and Mid Kent with 54.4% and a majority of 16,652.WEB, Election Data 2015,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20151017112223weblink">weblink 17 October 2015, 17 October 2015, Electoral Calculus, WEB, UKIP in Faversham and Mid-Kent elect candidate for 2015,weblink dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150518094350weblink">weblink 2015-05-18, 2014-02-14, Canterbury Times, WEB, Faversham Conservatives name Helen Whately as parliamentary candidate | Canterbury Times,weblink dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150415012454weblink">weblink 2015-04-15, 2015-02-24, Whately made her maiden speech on 2 June, which focused on the National Health Service.WEB,weblink Maiden Speech, Helen Whately, 2 June 2015, 27 August 2017, Whately, Helen, live,weblink 28 August 2017, In July 2015, she was chosen to sit on the Commons Health Select Committee.WEB,weblink Helen Whately MP, UK Parliament, 14 September 2015, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150906212133weblink">weblink 6 September 2015, In December 2015, Whately voted to support Prime Minister David Cameron's plans to carry out airstrikes against ISIL targets in Syria.WEB,weblink Syria strikes: Find out how your MP voted, BBC News, 3 December 2015, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20151203070703weblink">weblink 3 December 2015, Whately supported the United Kingdom remaining in the European Union in the 2016 membership referendum.NEWS, Goodenough, Tom, Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?,weblink 11 October 2016, The Spectator, 16 February 2016, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161022111657weblink">weblink 22 October 2016, In July 2016, Whately was appointed as the parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the international trade minister Greg Hands. In October, she was selected as the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Mental Health and the APPG for Fruit and Vegetable Farmers.WEB,weblink All-Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health, UK Parliament, 11 January 2017, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170113121932weblink">weblink 13 January 2017, NEWS,weblink Helen Whately elected chair of parliamentary group for mental health, Kent News, Pyman, Tom, 12 October 2016, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170419193724weblink">weblink 19 April 2017, NEWS,weblink 24 November 2017,weblink Horticulture Week, 4 November 2016, New parliamentary group hears fruit and veg growers' concerns, 1 April 2017, McEwan, Gavin, In February 2017, she voted to support the government's motion for the invoking of Article 50 to formally start the process of the UK's withdrawal from the EU. Whately explained her decision as honouring the result of the referendum.WEB,weblink Brexit: Let's use this opportunity to frame the country's future, Helen Whately, Whately, Helen, 2 February 2017, 3 December 2017, live,weblink 3 December 2017, NEWS, Article 50 Brexit vote: Full list of MPs who backed Theresa May starting official EU negotiations â€” and those who voted against,weblink The Independent, 1 February 2017, 3 December 2017, Batchelor, Tom, live,weblink 1 December 2017, Whately was re-elected as MP for Faversham and Mid Kent at the snap 2017 general election with an increased vote share of 61.1% and an increased majority of 17,413.WEB,weblink Faversham & Mid Kent, BBC News, 10 June 2017, 17 June 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170617084859weblink">weblink Following the election she became the PPS to the secretary of state for education and minister for women and equalities, Justine Greening.WEB,weblink Parliamentary Private Secretaries: full list, Conservative Home, 28 June 2017, 17 September 2017, live,weblink 9 October 2017, 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.WEB,weblink Health, UK Parliament, 22 October 2017, live,weblink 23 October 2017, WEB,weblink Personalised Medicine, 9 November 2017, UK Parliament, live,weblink 9 November 2017, WEB,weblink Register of All-Party Parliamentary Groups, 8 November 2017, 462, 504, 621, 677, live,weblink 12 November 2017, In July 2017, Whately was criticised for accepting several thousand pounds' worth of hospitality from the Saudi Arabian government before going on to defend its record in a parliamentary debate. The debate followed an urgent question by Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake over 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 opposition Labour Party MP as a "serial apologist for the regime".NEWS, Tory MPs push 'soft' policy on Saudi executions months after meeting king,weblink 14 October 2018, Middle East Eye, 18 July 2017,weblink 15 October 2018, live, NEWS, Saudi Arabia has paid for nearly a dozen Tory MPs to fly out and visit on 'fact-finding missions' this year,weblink The Independent, 14 October 2018, 20 April 2016,weblink 15 October 2018, live, In January 2018, she was appointed as PPS to Brandon Lewis, the minister without portfolio and Conservative Party chair.WEB,weblink Parliamentary Private Secretaries January 2018, GOV.UK, January 2018, 5 May 2018,weblink 7 May 2018, live, NEWS, Walker, Peter,weblink Brandon Lewis unveiled as Tory chairman in chaotic reshuffle, The Guardian, 8 January 2018, 8 January 2018, en-GB, 0261-3077,weblink 8 January 2018, live, Later in the year, she became Vice Chair of the Conservative Party for Women, after Maria Caulfield stood down in protest at the Government's approach to Brexit.NEWS, Tory vice-chairs quit over PM's Brexit plan,weblink BBC News, 10 July 2018, 23 April 2019,weblink 27 April 2019, live, NEWS,weblink Faversham and Mid Kent MP Helen Whately named Conservative's vice-chair for women, kentonline.co.uk, 27 July 2018, 25 June 2019, Pyman, Tom,weblink 27 June 2019, live, In April 2019, Whately voted for prime minister Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement. She also stated her opposition to a referendum on any Brexit withdrawal agreement.WEB,weblink Helen Whately, Whately, Helen, 3 April 2019, 13 September 2019, How I've voted on Brexit,weblink 5 April 2019, live, On 17 April, Whately was promoted to Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party.NEWS,weblink Tories braced for local election wipeout as deputy chairman warns of mounting anger on the doorstep, The Daily Telegraph, 28 April 2019, Yorke, Harry, 25 June 2019,weblink 12 May 2019, live, WEB,weblink The Public Whip, 25 June 2019, Voting Record — Helen Whately MP, Faversham and Mid Kent (25398), On 10 September, she was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourism by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.NEWS,weblink The Independent, 10 September 2019, Boris Johnson has cabinet reshuffle following Brexit-induced resignations, Austin, Henry, 10 September 2019,weblink 11 September 2019, live, Whately was again re-elected at the 2019 general election with an increased vote share of 63.2% and an increased majority of 21,976.WEB, 14 Nov 2019, Election of a Member of Parliament,weblink 14 July 2021, English, In February 2020, Whately joined the Department for Health and Social Care as the minister of state for social care.NEWS, Lydia, Catling,weblink Prime Minister Boris Johnson given MPs Helen Whately and Kelly Tolhurst new jobs in government, kentonline.co.uk, 14 February 2020, 1 March 2020, Whately was appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury in the 2021 cabinet reshuffle.NEWS, Reshuffle live: Dominic Raab to stand in at PMQs - amid new sacking as reshuffle resumes,weblink 16 September 2021, Sky News, 16 September 2021, She resigned on the morning of 7 July 2022 as part of a series of mass resignations against Prime Minister Boris Johnson.NEWS, Dugan, Emily, Government crisis: more ministers resign from cabinet,weblink 7 July 2022, The Guardian, 7 July 2022, en, On 23 February 2023, Whately was reselected as the Conservative candidate for Faversham and Mid Kent at the next general election.WEB, 2023-02-23, Helen Whately MP reselected as Tory election candidate,weblink 2023-03-01, Kent Online, en,

Campaigns

Whately campaigned with Kent County Council for two new schools to be opened in Maidstone, Kent, to relieve pressure on primary school places, as well as offering more places for children with special needs.NEWS,weblink MP Helen Whately plea for two new schools in Maidstone at Kent Medical Campus, kentonline.co.uk, 28 March 2017, 21 June 2017, McWethy, Claire, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170328171758weblink">weblink 28 March 2017, This resulted in the opening of Maidstone Primary Academy and the secondary special school, Bearsted Academy.WEB,weblink Two new schools for Maidstone!, Helen Whately, 12 April 2017, 21 June 2017, live,weblink 17 September 2017, WEB,weblink Bearsted to get its new primary school â€” full details, Downs Mail, 12 April 2017, 26 November 2017, 26 November 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171126024122weblink">weblink She campaigned against Maidstone's Local Plan (a policy document that defines the framework for development in the area until 2031)WEB,weblink What is the Local Plan?, Maidstone Borough Council, 30 November 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170626000120weblink">weblink 26 June 2017, dead, as she felt that it did not have enough funding for improvements in infrastructure and roads and could damage local landmarks such as Leeds Castle.NEWS,weblink MP's last minute bid to stop Maidstone's Local Plan, kentonline.co.uk, 11 September 2017, 30 November 2017, Smith, Alan, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170912131112weblink">weblink 12 September 2017, Both Whately and Maidstone and The Weald MP Helen Grant wrote to the then secretary of state for communities and local government Sajid Javid in September 2017 to intervene in the matter, but he declined as he felt that it was a decision that should be made locally.NEWS,weblink MP attempts halt on Local Plan for housing by appeal to Secretary of State, Downs Mail, 11 September 2017, 30 November 2017, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171130192631weblink">weblink 30 November 2017, NEWS,weblink Maidstone's Local Plan to be decided on after Sajid Javid decides not to intervene, kentonline.co.uk, 3 October 2017, 30 November 2017, McConnell, Ed, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171009132019weblink">weblink 9 October 2017, Maidstone Borough Council formally adopted the Local Plan in October.NEWS,weblink Maidstone's Local Plan has been adopted, kentonline.co.uk, 25 October 2017, 30 November 2017, Gazet, David, live,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171026001226weblink">weblink 26 October 2017,

Personal life

Whately lives in London and in a village near Faversham.WEB,weblink IPSA record, IPSA, 14 October 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20181015004428weblink">weblink 15 October 2018, live, NEWS,weblink Faversham MP Helen Whately forced to evacuate home after flood, kentonline.co.uk, 14 October 2018,weblink 15 October 2018, live, In 2005 she married Marcus Whately (whom she met at the University of Oxford),WEB,weblink Results for England & Wales Marriages 1837–2005, Findmypast, 28 October 2017, live,weblink 9 November 2017, the founder and co-chief executive officer of an energy company.WEB,weblink Q & A with Helen,weblink 3 December 2017, Helen Whately, 11 January 2017, WEB,weblink Team, Estover Energy Ltd, 11 January 2017, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170113121508weblink">weblink 13 January 2017, They have three children. She has one older brother. Since 2015, she has been a vice-president of the Maidstone branch of the learning disability charity Mencap.WEB,weblink 2, Annual Report 2015, maidstonemencap.org, 21 June 2017, live,weblink 9 November 2017, WEB,weblink Annual Report 2016, 2, maidstonemencap.org, 21 June 2017, live,weblink 9 November 2017, WEB,weblink Maidstone and the Weald Conservatives, 16 November 2015, 21 June 2017, Helen Grant visits Mencap with fellow MPs, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170828192638weblink">weblink 28 August 2017, 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.

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category}}

• {{URL|helenwhately.org.uk|Official website}}
• {{UK MP links |parliament=helen-whately/4527 |publicwhip=Helen_Whately |theywork=helen_whately}}
• {{C-SPAN|99905}}

{{Ministers at HM Treasury}}{{Exchequer Secretaries to the Treasury}}{{South East Conservative Party MPs}}{{Authority control}}