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 Some parts of this article may be out of date during this period. |
Selaine Saxby | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for North Devon | |
Assumed office 12 December 2019 | |
Preceded by | Peter Heaton-Jones |
Majority | 14,813 (26.7%) |
Personal details | |
Born | Selaine Rachel Saxby 25 November 1970 Coventry,England |
Political party | Conservative |
Alma mater | Magdalene College,Cambridge |
Website | selainesaxby |
Selaine Rachel Saxby (born 25 November 1970) [1] is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Devon since 2019. She was also a councillor on North Devon Council. [2]
Selaine Saxby was born on 25 November 1970 in Coventry to Kenneth and Pamela Saxby. Her father is a former headteacher. [3]
She attended Eastbourne Sixth Form College,before studying mathematics and management at Magdalene College,Cambridge,where she gained a BA First Class Honours degree in Maths and Management Studies in 1992. [2]
She founded the independent sports bra retailer Lessbounce Ltd. in 2000,and ran the business until 2016,when it went into liquidation. [4] [5] [6] [7] During this period,she was one of the signatories to a letter of support from small business owners endorsing the Conservatives at the 2015 general election. [5]
Saxby also founded Pink Aerobics,which organised aerobics events to raise money for breast cancer charities;it raised over £500,000. [8] [4] She was the chief of staff for Bath MP Ben Howlett between 2015 and 2017. [9] From 2017 to 2018,she was a Business Support Consultant. [2] [10] [11]
In May 2019,Saxby was elected to represent Instow ward on North Devon Council. [12] [13]
Saxby stood as the Conservative Party candidate in Llanelli at the 2015 general election,coming fourth with 14.3% of the vote behind the incumbent Labour MP Nia Griffith,the Plaid Cymru candidate,and the UKIP. [14] [15] [16]
In November 2019,Saxby was selected as the Conservative candidate for North Devon. [10] At the 2019 general election,she was elected to Parliament as MP for North Devon with 56.5% of the vote and a majority of 14,813. [17]
She has been a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee since March 2020. [18]
In October 2020,following a vote in Parliament against a Labour Party Opposition Day Motion to extend free school meals over holidays,Saxby was criticised for stating in a Facebook post that she hoped if local businesses were able to offer free food,then they would not be seeking further government help. She later deleted her Facebook post,stating her comments had been taken "out of context". [19] She said in a statement that she regretted any offence that "may have been caused", [20] [21] [22] and also criticised "a small but hostile element" on social media who she said had been "aggressive and personally abusive" towards her and her staff. [19]
On 13 June 2022,Saxby was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Simon Clarke,the chief secretary to the Treasury. [23] She resigned from the role on 6 July 2022,in connection with the resignations of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid over Prime Minister Boris Johnson's handling of the Chris Pincher scandal. [24]
In the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election,Saxby supported Rishi Sunak. [25]
In February 2023,Saxby was re-selected as the Conservative candidate for North Devon at the 2024 general election. [26] While campaigning in May 2024,she was bitten on the leg by a dog when doorknocking. [27]
North Devon is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Selaine Saxby of the Conservative Party.
Llanelli is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1918 to 1970 the official spelling of the constituency name was Llanelly. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. Since 2005,it is currently represented by Nia Griffith of the Labour Party.
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