The subject of this article is standing for re-election to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom on 4 July, and has not been an incumbent MP since Parliament was dissolved on 30 May. Some parts of this article may be out of date during this period. |
Helen Morgan | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for North Shropshire | |
Assumed office 16 December 2021 | |
Preceded by | Owen Paterson |
Majority | 5,925 (15.6%) |
Liberal Democrat portfolios | |
2022– | Levelling Up, Housing and Communities |
Personal details | |
Born | Nottingham, England | 9 April 1975
Political party | Liberal Democrats |
Children | 1 |
Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
Signature | |
Website | www |
Helen Margaret Lillian Morgan [1] (born 9 April 1975) is a British Liberal Democrat politician and chartered accountant who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Shropshire since 2021. [2]
Helen Morgan was born on 9 April 1975 in Nottingham, and grew up in Stone, Staffordshire. [2] [3] [4] She attended Alleyne's High School in Stone, before reading history at Trinity College, Cambridge, [5] graduating in 1996. [6]
Morgan is a chartered accountant, and, prior to being elected to parliament, was working as financial controller for a real estate business based in North Shropshire. Her previous experience had included posts of head of margin forecasting at British Gas, head of financial reporting at Centrica and as an audit manager at KPMG. [7]
At the 2019 general election, Morgan stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate in North Shropshire, coming third with 10% of the vote behind the incumbent Conservative MP Owen Paterson and the Labour Party candidate. [8]
She began her career in politics as a parish councillor. On 6 May 2021, Morgan was a Liberal Democrat candidate in the 2021 Shropshire Council election for the unitary division of The Meres, narrowly losing to the Conservative candidate by 23 votes. [9]
Morgan was selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the 2021 North Shropshire by-election on 16 November 2021. [10] The by-election was triggered after its incumbent MP Owen Paterson announced on 4 November that he would be stepping down after Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated he would no longer prevent his suspension from parliament after being found by a watchdog to have breached rules on lobbying. The government had earlier issued a three line whip to Conservative MPs to support an amendment to prevent Paterson's sanction and overhaul the watchdog but the following day reversed its position. [11] [12] Paterson had repeatedly lobbied on behalf of healthcare company Randox and food company Lynn's Country Foods. For the former, he worked as a paid consultant for at least £100,000 per year, and lobbied to secure government COVID-19 contracts worth nearly £600 million without competitive bidding. [13] [14] [15]
At the by-election, Morgan was elected to Parliament as MP for North Shropshire with 47.2% of the vote and a majority of 5,925. [16] In her victory speech, Morgan attacked Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the government as being "run on lies and bluster", highlighting the Westminster Christmas parties controversy and the Downing Street refurbishment controversy as examples of this, and stated that her priorities would be on improving healthcare locally and supporting the farming community in the constituency. [17]
One of her first actions as an MP was writing to Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, asking for a review into ambulance waiting times in Shropshire. [18] Local ambulance services had featured as a prominent issue during the by-election campaign. [19] In response to the letter, Minister of State for Health Edward Argar stated that there had been no impact assessment on the closures of ambulance stations in the area. [20] [21]
Morgan was appointed Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Levelling up, Housing and Communities and Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Local Government on 11 July 2022. [22]
She is a supporter of reopening Baschurch railway station, which was closed in the 1960s due to the Beeching cuts. [23]
In March 2024, Morgan was re-selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for North Shropshire at the 2024 general election. [24]
Morgan has run half-marathons to raise money for numerous charities and has volunteered as a trustee for a local nursery. [25] She married Robert Morgan in 2003, and the couple have a son. [2] The family live in Harmer Hill, [26] having moved to North Shropshire in 2014. [5] She lists her recreations as "walking, running, gardening, reading, family". [2]
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She was born and raised in Stone, Staffordshire, before moving to Buckinghamshire.