Angela Richardson

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Angela Richardson

| honorific-suffix =

| image = Official portrait of Angela Richardson MP crop 2.jpg

| caption = Official portrait, 2019

| office = Deputy Chairwoman of the Conservative Party

| leader = Rishi Sunak

| parliament =

| predecessor =

| successor =

| term_start = 26 March 2024

| term_end = 5 July 2024

| birth_name = Angela Joy Richardson{{cite web|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2019-12-18/debates/2E37F0BD-4DF0-40A6-B9F9-0607212DBFB1/MembersSworn|title=Members Sworn|website=Hansard|publisher=UK Parliament|date=18 December 2019|access-date=28 January 2020}}

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1974|10|21}}

| birth_place = Auckland, New Zealand

| residence = Guildford, Surrey, England

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality =

| spouse = Jeremy Bruce Richardson

| party = Conservative

| relations =

| children = 3

| alma_mater =

| occupation =

| profession = Investment banking operations

| signature =

| website = {{URL|angelarichardson.uk}}

| footnotes =

| office2 = Member of Parliament
for Guildford

| termstart2 = 12 December 2019

| termend2 = 30 May 2024

| predecessor2 = Anne Milton

| successor2 = Zöe Franklin

}}

Angela Joy Richardson (born 21 October 1974){{cite book |title=The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election |date=2020 |location=Glasgow |isbn=978-0-00-839258-1|page=214|last1=Brunskill |first1=Ian }} is a British Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Guildford from 2019 until 2024. She served as a Deputy Chairwoman of the Conservative Party until she lost her seat in the 2024 general election.{{Cite news |date=2024-03-26 |title=Ministers Robert Halfon and James Heappey quit government in mini-reshuffle |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68669507 |access-date=2024-03-26 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}

Political career

In May 2019, Richardson stood for election to Waverley Borough Council in the ward of Cranleigh East, but failed to win a seat after she was pushed into fifth place by three Liberal Democrats and a Conservative candidate.{{Cite web|title=Election results for Cranleigh East, Waverley Borough Council election - Thursday 2 May 2019|url=https://modgov.waverley.gov.uk/mgElectionAreaResults.aspx?XXR=0&ID=334&RPID=14449517|date=2 May 2019}} She was elected to Cranleigh Parish Council later the same month.{{Cite web|title=Election results for Cranleigh - East, 2 May 2019 - Waverley Borough Council|url=https://modgov.waverley.gov.uk/mgElectionAreaResults.aspx?ID=271&RPID=14328279|access-date=2021-08-21|website=modgov.waverley.gov.uk}}

At the 2019 general election, Richardson was elected to Parliament as MP for Guildford with 44.9% of the vote and a majority of 3,337.{{cite news |title=Guildford Parliamentary constituency |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000719 |access-date=27 November 2019 |website=BBC News |publisher=BBC}} She was sworn into the House of Commons on 18 December 2019.{{cite web|url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2019-12-18/debates/2E37F0BD-4DF0-40A6-B9F9-0607212DBFB1/MembersSworn|title=Members Sworn|website=Hansard|publisher=UK Parliament|date=18 December 2019|access-date=28 January 2020}}

Upon her election to Parliament, she was also elected as a vice-chair of the APPG for Australia and New Zealand.{{Cite web|title=House of Commons - Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups as at 20 May 2020: Australia and New Zealand|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/200520/australia-and-new-zealand.htm|access-date=2020-05-30|website=publications.parliament.uk}}

Richardson served as a Parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the ministerial team at the Department for Education,{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-parliamentary-private-secretaries-pps-april-2020|title=List of Parliamentary Private Secretaries - October 2020|date=1 October 2020}} and following this, to Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove.{{cite web|date=4 November 2021|title=Tory MP loses her job after abstaining on Owen Paterson vote|url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/tory-mp-loses-job-paterson/|work=LBC|access-date=4 November 2021|last=Morris|first=James}} On 3 November 2021, she was fired from her PPS role after abstaining on a government-backed amendment to overhaul the Commons' disciplinary process in response to the proposed suspension of Owen Paterson. She was reinstated to her PPS role the following day.{{cite news |last1=Cowburn |first1=Ashley |title=Tory MP reappointed as Gove aide less than 24 hours after losing job for defying government |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/angela-richardson-owen-paterson-vote-b1951429.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/angela-richardson-owen-paterson-vote-b1951429.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=7 November 2021 |work=The Independent |date=5 November 2021}}{{cbignore}} She ultimately resigned as PPS in January 2022, with her resignation made public following the publication on 31 January of Sue Gray's report on breaches of lockdown restrictions in Downing Street.{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/angela-richardson-quits-government_uk_61f82868e4b0061af26284b8|title=Tory MP Quits Government With Swipe At Boris Johnson Over Partygate Response|work=HuffPost UK|last=Demianyk|first=Graeme|date=31 January 2022|access-date=31 January 2022}}

In February 2024, Richardson was reselected as the Conservative candidate for Guildford at the 2024 general election.{{Cite web |title=Angela Richardson readopted as Conservative candidate |date=17 February 2023 |url=https://www.angelarichardson.uk/news/angela-richardson-readopted-conservative-candidate |access-date=17 February 2024 |publisher=Angela Richardson}}

On 26 March 2024, she was appointed as a Deputy Chairwoman of the Conservative Party, to replace Luke Hall who had been appointed Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education.

On 4 July 2024 she was defeated in the general election by the Liberal Democratic Party candidate; Zöe Franklin who won with 22,937 votes (47.5%) against 14,508.https://election.news.sky.com/elections/general-election-2024/guildford-280

Personal life

Angela Richardson was born on 21 October 1974 in West Auckland, New Zealand. She previously worked in the City of London in investment banking operations.{{cite web |title=LinkedIn |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-richardson-mp-373a77166/details/experience/ |accessdate=4 May 2022}}

She is married to Jeremy Richardson, and has three children.{{cite web|title=Angela Richardson|url=https://www.guildfordconservatives.com/people/angela-richardson|work=Guildford Conservatives|accessdate=13 December 2019}} Richardson lives in Guildford

{{cite web|date= 25 February 2023|url=https://guildford-dragon.com/angela-richardson-reselected-as-guildfords-next-tory-candidate-in-reshaped-constituency/|work=Guildford Dragon|title=Angela Richardson Reselected as Guildford's Next Tory Candidate in Reshaped Constituency}}