Therese Coffey
Encyclopedia
Therese Anne Coffey, Ph.D, (born 18 November 1971) is an English Conservative Party
politician. She is the Member of Parliament
(MP) for the Suffolk Coastal constituency
, having won the seat at the general election in May 2010.
, and grew up in Liverpool
. Therese attended St. Mary's College in Rhos-on-Sea, North Wales. She studied at Somerville College, Oxford
, followed by University College London
where she earned a PhD in Chemistry
On graduation in 1997 she joined Mars, Incorporated
in Hampshire
as a chemist, later training as a Chartered Management Accountant, rising to hold the position of Finance director for Mars Drinks UK. As her political career progressed, she moved her work base to London
, holding the position of Property Finance manager at the BBC
in 2009.
for the Wrexham constituency
, in Wales. She came third with 6,079 votes (20% of the vote).
In European Parliament elections in June 2004, she failed to be elected to the European Parliament
for the South East region
of England. The Conservative party won 35.2% of the vote giving them 4 seats, but Coffey was 7th on the list in this proportional representation
system.
At the next European elections, in 2009
then living in Andover, Hampshire
, she missed out by one place on being elected to the European Parliament for the South East region. The Conservative Party won 34.79% of the vote giving them 4 seats, but Coffey was fifth on the party list.
In October 2009, she failed to become the Conservative candidate for South West Norfolk constituency. The candidacy was taken by Elizabeth Truss
. In January 2010, she unsuccessfully attempted to become the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Spelthorne
, in Surrey. She did not live in Spelthorne but promised to move to the area if selected. She was not selected as candidate, losing to Kwasi Kwarteng
.
After being selected on 6 February 2010 to as Conservative candidate in Suffolk Coastal, Coffey moved from Hampshire to Westleton
. Rev David Miller, the vice-chairman of the local Liberal Democrats
raised questions over the status of her residency in the county claiming that "The address at which Ms Coffey currently resides is a holiday let" with reference to her Westleton property. She owns a flat and partly owns a house, both in Hampshire
, and has a tenancy on a house in Westleton.
At the general election on 6 May 2010 she won the Suffolk Coastal seat, becoming the constituency's first female member of parliament
. Coffey received 25,475 votes (46.4% of the vote) an increase of 1.8% on John Gummer
's 2005 campaign.
On 6 July 2011, Ms Coffey defended Rebekah Brooks in the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. Therese Coffey said a "witch hunt" is developing against Brooks. She said that simply to say she was editor at the time is not enough evidence against her. There were loud groans in the Commons as she said Mrs Brooks's own phone is thought to have been tapped and Ms Coffey says the problems are not "unique to one news group".
, signing the Early Day Motion
set down by Labour Liverpool Walton MP Steve Rotheram
, requesting a knighthood for Kenny Dalglish
. She also enjoys watching England at the new Wembley stadium
.
Coffey, a member of CAMRA, enjoys pub quizs, Sudoko and Scrabble
. She also enjoys music, and claims that Muse
are her favourite band. She is also a speaker for the charity Water Aid.
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician. She is the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for the Suffolk Coastal constituency
Suffolk Coastal (UK Parliament constituency)
Suffolk Coastal is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.This East Anglian constituency was created in 1983....
, having won the seat at the general election in May 2010.
Early life and career
Therese Coffey was born near WiganWigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
, and grew up in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. Therese attended St. Mary's College in Rhos-on-Sea, North Wales. She studied at Somerville College, Oxford
Somerville College, Oxford
Somerville College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and was one of the first women's colleges to be founded there...
, followed by University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
where she earned a PhD in Chemistry
On graduation in 1997 she joined Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is a worldwide manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products with US$30 billion in annual sales in 2010, and is ranked as the 5th largest privately held company in the United States by Forbes. Headquartered in McLean, unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia,...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
as a chemist, later training as a Chartered Management Accountant, rising to hold the position of Finance director for Mars Drinks UK. As her political career progressed, she moved her work base to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, holding the position of Property Finance manager at the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 2009.
Political career
Coffey stood as Conservative candidate for the 2005 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
for the Wrexham constituency
Wrexham (UK Parliament constituency)
Wrexham is a parliamentary constituency in North Wales which is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, in Wales. She came third with 6,079 votes (20% of the vote).
In European Parliament elections in June 2004, she failed to be elected to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
for the South East region
South East England (European Parliament constituency)
South East England is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 10 Members of the European Parliament using the D'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
of England. The Conservative party won 35.2% of the vote giving them 4 seats, but Coffey was 7th on the list in this proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
system.
At the next European elections, in 2009
European Parliament election, 2009 (United Kingdom)
The European Parliament election was the United Kingdom's component of the 2009 European Parliament election, the voting for which was held on Thursday 4 June 2009, coinciding with the 2009 local elections in England. Most of the results of the election were announced on Sunday 7 June, after...
then living in Andover, Hampshire
Andover, Hampshire
Andover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
, she missed out by one place on being elected to the European Parliament for the South East region. The Conservative Party won 34.79% of the vote giving them 4 seats, but Coffey was fifth on the party list.
In October 2009, she failed to become the Conservative candidate for South West Norfolk constituency. The candidacy was taken by Elizabeth Truss
Elizabeth Truss
Elizabeth Mary Truss , also known as Liz Truss, is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk since the 2010 general election.-Early life:...
. In January 2010, she unsuccessfully attempted to become the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Spelthorne
Spelthorne (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-Elections in the 1980s:-Elections in the 1970s:-Elections in the 1960s:...
, in Surrey. She did not live in Spelthorne but promised to move to the area if selected. She was not selected as candidate, losing to Kwasi Kwarteng
Kwasi Kwarteng
Dr Kwasi Alfred Addo Kwarteng is a British Conservative Party politician. After the retirement of Conservative MP David Wilshire, Kwarteng was elected as Member of Parliament for Spelthorne in Surrey in the 2010 general election, winning the seat with 22,261 votes and a majority of 10,019.-Early...
.
After being selected on 6 February 2010 to as Conservative candidate in Suffolk Coastal, Coffey moved from Hampshire to Westleton
Westleton
Westleton is a village in the English county of Suffolk. It is located north of Leiston and miles north-east of Saxmundham near the North Sea coast. The village is on the edge of the Suffolk Sandlings, an area of lowland heathland...
. Rev David Miller, the vice-chairman of the local Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
raised questions over the status of her residency in the county claiming that "The address at which Ms Coffey currently resides is a holiday let" with reference to her Westleton property. She owns a flat and partly owns a house, both in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, and has a tenancy on a house in Westleton.
At the general election on 6 May 2010 she won the Suffolk Coastal seat, becoming the constituency's first female member of parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. Coffey received 25,475 votes (46.4% of the vote) an increase of 1.8% on John Gummer
John Gummer
John Selwyn Gummer, Baron Deben, PC is a British Conservative Party politician, formerly Member of Parliament for Suffolk Coastal, now a member of the House of Lords. He is Chairman of the environmental consultancy company Sancroft International and Chairman of Veolia Water...
's 2005 campaign.
On 6 July 2011, Ms Coffey defended Rebekah Brooks in the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. Therese Coffey said a "witch hunt" is developing against Brooks. She said that simply to say she was editor at the time is not enough evidence against her. There were loud groans in the Commons as she said Mrs Brooks's own phone is thought to have been tapped and Ms Coffey says the problems are not "unique to one news group".
Personal life
An avid football fan, she supports Liverpool F.C.Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, signing the Early Day Motion
Early day motion
An Early Day Motion , in the Westminster system, is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by Members of Parliament for debate "on an early day" . Controversial EDMs are not signed by Government Ministers, PPS or the Speaker of the House of Commons and very few are debated on the floor...
set down by Labour Liverpool Walton MP Steve Rotheram
Steve Rotheram
Steven Philip "Steve" Rotheram is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Liverpool Walton since the 2010 general election....
, requesting a knighthood for Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
. She also enjoys watching England at the new Wembley stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
.
Coffey, a member of CAMRA, enjoys pub quizs, Sudoko and Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
. She also enjoys music, and claims that Muse
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
are her favourite band. She is also a speaker for the charity Water Aid.
External links
- ThereseCoffeyMP.com constituency website
- ThereseCoffey.com political blog