Willott, Jenny

Ms Jenny Willott MP is a member of parliament for the constituency of Cardiff Central, she is a member of the Liberal Democrat Party and has been in office since 2005.

Biography

She was born and raised in Wimbledon (South West London) in 1974. She went to Wimbledon and Uppingham school before attending Durham University, where she studied Classics. After completing her degree, she studied for an MSc in Development Studies at the London School of Economics. During this time she developed a strong interest in issues like overseas development, human rights and social justice. Since leaving university, she have worked both in politics and for charities. In the Liberal Democrats, she worked both in the Welsh Assembly and Parliament, where she became the chief researcher to Lembit Opik MP. She have worked for Barnardo's, Unicef UK, and for a charity in Northern India. Before she got elected to Parliament, she was head of Victim Support South Wales. Her work within these various charities really spurred her on to want to change things. That is why she began to get even more involved in politics, until she got elected to Parliament. When she was 23, she was elected as a councillor in Merton. She is now committed to working hard to move Cardiff Central and Wales as a whole forward.

Political Career

She was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Cardiff Central at the 2005 General Election. Since July 2005, she has been a member of the Public Administration Committee and a member of the Work and Pensions Committee. Between 2006 and 2007, she was the Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Youth Affairs. She was a Whip and a Deputy Chief Whip between 2006 and 2008. In 2008, she was Shadow Minister for Justice and then became Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. From January 2009 to the 2010 General Election, she was Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, overseeing issues related to the Cabinet Office and also areas of policy for which there is no department with an appropriate portfolio. She was re-elected as the Member of Parliament for Cardiff Central at the 2010 General Election. From May 2010- December 2010 she was PPS to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. She resigned from this post in order to vote against the increase in tuition fees. She was also the Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee on Work and Pensions from the General Election until February 2012. in February she was appointed as a Deputy Government Whip.

Rules

Parliamentary career

• Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) (Employment relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs) (2013- )
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Culture, Media and Sport) (Women and Equalities) (jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) (2013- )
• Assistant Whip (HM Treasury) (2012- )
• Assistant Whip (HM Treasury) (2012-12)
• Shadow Secretary of State (2009-10)
• Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2008-09)
• Shadow Minister (Justice) (2008-08)
• Opposition Deputy Chief Whip (Commons) (2006-08)
• Shadow Minister (Education) (2006-07)

Select committees

• Work and Pensions Committee (2005-10))
• Public Administration Committee (2005-10)

External Links and References

• www.parliament.uk - MP
• Jenny Willott's Personal Website