Theresa May
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Theresa Mary May (born in Eastbourne, Sussex, England, on October 1, 1956 as Theresa Mary Brasier) is a British politician, former chairman of the Conservative Party, and Member of Parliament for Maidenhead.
May studied at St Hugh's College, Oxford and obtained a Geography MA. From 1985 to 1997, she worked as a financial consultant, and was also a councillor in the London Borough of Merton from 1986 to 1994, where she was Chairman of Education (1988–1990) and Deputy Group Leader and Housing Spokesman (1992–1994). In the 1992 general election she stood (and lost) in the safe Labour seat of North West Durham and then unsuccessfully contested the 1994 Barking by-election. In the 1997 general election she was elected the Conservative MP for Maidenhead.
Having entered parliament she soon became a member of William Hague's front-bench team as Shadow Spokesman for Schools, Disabled People and Women (1998 – June 1999). May became the first of the 1997 MPs to enter the Shadow Cabinet when in 1999 she was appointed Shadow Education and Employment Secretary. After the 2001 election the new Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith retained her services in the Shadow Cabinet, moving her to the Transport portfolio. In this role she opposed then Transport Secretary Stephen Byers in the period leading up to his resignation.
May was appointed the first female chairman in July 2002. During her speech at the 2002 Conservative Party Conference while making a point about why her party must change, she controversially stated that the Conservatives were currently perceived as the "nasty party". After Michael Howard became Conservative leader in 2003 he made May Shadow Secretary of State for Transport and the Environment. However in June 2004 she was moved to the new position of Shadow Secretary of State for the Family. After the 2005 election her portfolio was expanded and she became Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whilst remaining Shadow Secretary of State for the Family. David Cameron appointed her Shadow Leader of the House in December 2005 after his accession to the leadership.
May is known for her love of shoes; in the register of members interests she declared that she had '[received a] discount card on the purchase of shoes from Russell and Bromley which has the potential to be of registrable value.' She is married to Philip May and lives in Sonning, Berkshire.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Theresa May MP official website
- Conservative Party — Theresa May MP
- ePolitix.com — Theresa May profile
- Guardian Unlimited Politics — Ask Aristotle: Theresa May MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com — Theresa May MP
- The Public Whip — Theresa May MP voting record
- BBC News — Theresa May profile 10 February, 2005
- Open Directory Project — Theresa May directory category
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by new constituency |
Member of Parliament for Maidenhead 1997 – present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by David Davis |
Chairman of the Conservative Party 2002–2003 |
Succeeded by Liam Fox |
Categories: 1956 births | Living people | Current British MPs | Members of the United Kingdom Parliament from English constituencies | Current Conservative MPs (UK) | Conservative MPs (UK) | Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom | Alumni of St Hugh's College, Oxford | British female MPs | Councillors in Greater London | People from Eastbourne | People from Maidenhead | People from Oxfordshire | UK MPs 1997-2001 | UK MPs 2001-2005 | UK MPs 2005-
