Vicky Ford
![]() | The neutrality of this article is disputed. (February 2021) |
Vicky Ford | |
---|---|
![]() Ford in 2020 | |
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families | |
Assumed office 14 February 2020 | |
Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
Preceded by | Kemi Badenoch |
Member of Parliament for Chelmsford | |
Assumed office 8 June 2017 | |
Preceded by | Simon Burns |
Majority | 17,621 (30.8%) |
Member of the European Parliament
for East of England | |
In office 4 June 2009 – 12 June 2017 | |
Preceded by | Christopher Beazley |
Succeeded by | John Flack |
Personal details | |
Born | Victoria Grace Pollock 21 September 1967 Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
Nationality | British |
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse(s) | Hugo Ford (m. 1996) |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
Website | www.vickyford.uk |
Victoria Grace Ford (née Pollock; born 21 September 1967) is a British politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chelmsford since 2017. A member of the Conservative Party, she is a former investment banker, district councillor, and Member of the European Parliament for the East of England (2009–2017). Since February 2020, Ford has been the Minister for Children.
Early life and career[]
Victoria Grace Pollock was born on 21 September 1967 in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland to Anthony and Deborah Marion Pollock. Her parents were both English doctors.[1][2][3] As a child, she joined her mother campaigning with the peace movement and her father stood in local elections for the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland.[citation needed]
She attended primary school and Omagh Academy[4] in Northern Ireland, but following her father's death, she went to schools in England. Ford was educated at independent St Paul's Girls' School, independent Marlborough College and then studied Maths and Economics at Trinity College, Cambridge.
Between 1989 and 2001, Ford worked for JPMorgan Chase. She was promoted to vice-president in their loan syndication department.[5] In 2001, she joined Bear Stearns as managing director for loan capital markets where she worked until 2003.[1]
Political career[]
Ford joined the Conservative Party in 1986. In 2006, Ford was elected as a local councillor, representing Balsham Ward at South Cambridgeshire District Council. She was a parliamentary candidate in the 2005 general election for Birmingham Northfield constituency, but lost to incumbent Labour Party MP Richard Burden.[6][7]
In 2007, she was a major contributor to the Conservative Party's review of UK taxation "The Tax Reform Commission".
Member of the European Parliament[]
Ford was elected as Conservative Party Member of the European Parliament for East of England in the 2009 European Parliament election.[8] She was a member of the Bureau of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group and a member of the Parliament's delegation for relations with China.[citation needed]
As an MEP, Ford was the rapporteur for the Parliament on reforms to firearms laws, offshore oil and gas safety and the fiscal framework directive which seeks to increase transparency and accountability of public spending. She was a lead negotiator on the Horizon 2020 fund for research and on bank capital requirements, deposit guarantee schemes and residential mortgages.[citation needed]
From 2009 to 2014 she was a member of the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the European Parliament Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.[citation needed]
From 2014 to 2017 she was Chair of the European Parliament Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection,[9] an economic committees of the Parliament, focusing on digital policy and unlocking trade opportunities for services and goods.[citation needed]
In 2016, Ford was ranked as one of the top ten most influential members of the European Parliament by Politico Europe, particularly for her work on digital policy.[10]
Member of Parliament[]
Ford was elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Chelmsford at the 2017 general election.[11] On 21 June 2017, Ford made her maiden speech in the Queen's speech debate, the first of the 2017 intake to do so.[12] In the 2017–19 parliament she served on the Science and Technology and the Women and Equalities select committees.
In August 2018 Ford was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministerial team. In August 2019, she became Parliamentary Private Secretary to Alok Sharma, the Secretary or State for International Development.[citation needed]
In the February 2020 cabinet reshuffle, Ford was appointed as the Minister for Children; a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Education, with responsibility for children and families.[13]
Personal life[]
Vicky married Hugo Ford in 1996. They have three children. The couple met at the University of Cambridge, where she was a student at Trinity College and he was a student at Magdalene College. He is an oncologist and is the director of cancer services at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.[14][15][16]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Vicky Ford interview: Europe's values". Agendani. 2 September 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ Ford, Victoria Grace. UK Who's Who. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U250798. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ "Vicky Ford". European Parliament. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ Hill, Henry. "May's Men and Women: The Conservative Commons intake of 2017". Conservative Home. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ Townsend, Piers (28 March 2001). "Bear Stearns Hires JP Morgan Loan Specialist". Financial News. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
- ^ "Vicky Ford". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
- ^ "Result: Birmingham Northfield". BBC News. 6 May 2005. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
- ^ "European Election 2009, UK Results, East of England". BBC News. 7 June 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ "Internal Market and Consumer Protection – Members". europarl.europa.eu. European Parliament. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ^ Heath, Ryan. "The 40 MEPs who actually matter". Politico. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
- ^ "Election 2017: Chelmsford parliamentary constituency". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2017.,
- ^ "Debate on the Address". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons. 21 June 2017. col. 137–139. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ "Ministerial appointments: February 2020". GOV.UK. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ "Vicky Ford MEP". secca.org.uk. South East Cambridgeshire Conservatives. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ "Vicky Ford MEP – My East Anglia". East Life. 14 November 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ "Dr Hugo Ford". Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
External links[]
- Living people
- 1967 births
- Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
- People from Omagh
- People from Chelmsford
- Conservative Party (UK) MEPs
- Councillors in Cambridgeshire
- MEPs for England 2009–2014
- MEPs for England 2014–2019
- People educated at St Paul's Girls' School
- People educated at Marlborough College
- UK MPs 2017–2019
- 21st-century women MEPs for England
- UK MPs 2019–present
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
- Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies