Charlotte Cane

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix =

| name = Charlotte Cane

| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|MP}}

| image = Official portrait of Charlotte Cane MP crop 2.jpg

| caption = Official portrait, 2024

| parliament = United Kingdom

| constituency_MP = Ely and East Cambridgeshire

| term_start = 4 July 2024

| term_end =

| predecessor = Constituency established

| successor =

| majority = 495 (0.9%)

| birth_name = Charlotte Kathryn Bourne Hilton

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1958|6}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Liberal Democrats

| spouse =

| children = 2

| alma_mater = University of Birmingham

}}

Charlotte Kathryn Bourne Cane (née Hilton; born June 1958) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Ely and East Cambridgeshire since 2024.

Early life and education

Charlotte Kathryn Bourne Hilton was born in June 1958 and moved around growing up as her father was in the army, while her mother was a teacher.{{Cite web |url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=WHqAOU5pS4s0FlC6iqJDwA&scan=1 |title=Charlotte Kathryn Bourne Hilton birth record |access-date=2025-03-02 |work=FreeBMD |publisher=ONS}}{{cite web |title=Charlotte Kathryn Bourne CANE |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/0e8wXm8WwiaVm8hfD18QNtBEH-A/appointments |publisher=Companies House |access-date=2025-03-02}}

She was privately educated at St Helen's School,https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-cane-01539313/details/education/ before studying ancient history and archaeology at the University of Birmingham, where she met her husband. The couple worked together as field archaeologists, but due to financial circumstances, Cane retrained as a chartered accountant.{{Cite web|url=https://www.libdemvoice.org/our-new-mps-1-75517.html?__cf_chl_tk=Su4RL76KH71tkQTSl81YA3E2N1OxyYTEs.TkxpRcqg0-1720327711-0.0.1.1-3966|title=Our new MPs – Marie Goldman, Charlotte Cane, Victoria Collins, Steffan Aquarone, Pippa Heylings|website=Liberal Democrat Voice|date=6 July 2024|access-date=2024-07-07}}

At the time of the general election campaign, Cane had retired from her finance positions which had latterly been in the third sector.{{Cite web | title=C Cane LinkedIn profile |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-cane-01539313/details/experience/}}

Political career

=Local council=

Cane was elected unopposed to East Cambridgeshire District Council in 1999 representing The Swaffhams.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/sites/default/files/elections_voting/results_for_1999_election_27511.pdf|title=East Cambs District Council election results 1999}} retaining her seat four years later.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Result%202003%20DC.pdf|title=East Cambs District election results 2003}} The following year she resigned her seat and the by-election resulted in a gain by the Conservatives.{{Cite web|url=https://www.andrewteale.me.uk/leap/ward/6213/#2004-05-06|title=Local Elections Archive Project — The Swaffhams Ward|website=www.andrewteale.me.uk}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.swaffham-crier.co.uk/Issues/2004/28-6/3%20By-Election%20Result/|title=The Swaffham Crier Online}}

By 2011, Cane had returned to Cambridgeshire politics, standing unsuccessfully for East Cambridgeshire District Council in The Swaffhams and coming second to the incumbent Conservative. She stood again in 2015, also coming second. This ward was abolished in 2019 and Cane stood successfully in Bottisham ward topping the poll in a two-member seat.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/elections-voting/district-council-elections-results-2nd-may-2019|title=District Council Elections Results – 2nd May 2019|date=8 April 2019|website=East Cambridgeshire District Council}} She successfully defended her council seat in 2023.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/elections-voting/elections-results-4-may-2023|title=Elections Results: 4 May 2023|date=27 January 2023|website=East Cambridgeshire District Council}}

Cane continues to represent Bottisham ward on East Cambridgeshire District Council claiming an allowance of £650 per month which is declared in the register of interests where she states this is for 40 hours of work a month.{{Cite web|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/5182/registeredinterests|title=MP's register of interest for C Cane}}

Cane twice stood unsuccessfully for Cambridgeshire County Council in Burwell ward in 2017{{Cite web|url=https://www.andrewteale.me.uk/leap/results/2017/373/|title=Local Elections Archive Project – 2017 – Cambridgeshire|website=www.andrewteale.me.uk}} and 2021,{{Cite web|url=https://www.andrewteale.me.uk/leap/results/2021/373/|title=Local Elections Archive Project – 2021 – Cambridgeshire|website=www.andrewteale.me.uk}} coming second on each occasion.

In November 2014, Cane joined Reach, Cambridgeshire Parish Council.{{Cite web|url=http://www.reach-village.co.uk/Minutes/2014/Minutes%2011%202014.pdf|title=Minutes of Reach Parish Council Nov 2014}} She stood down from this during the summer of 2024.{{cite web|title = Minutes of Reach Parish Council 3 Sept 24 | url =https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/j7ov75jn4t86kv4lc3i3o/AAUJhO-LeZ7oNEFQzDngnT0/MInutes/2024?dl=0&preview=Minutes+09+2024.pdf&rlkey=bh8rvbr84f78zcorg03zmdvbu&subfolder_nav_tracking=1}}

=Parliamentary candidate=

Cane first stood for election to Parliament in the 1987 general election as the Liberal candidate in Birmingham Selly Oak (UK Parliament constituency) where she came third with 15.4% of the vote.{{Cite web|url=https://webtest.parliament.uk/uk-general-elections/elections/21880|title=UK Parliament Birmingham Selly Oak 1987}} She stood again in the 2019 general election, as the Liberal Democrat candidate in Harlow coming in third with 5.5% of the vote, enough to save the election deposit.{{Cite web |author=Staff Reporter |date=24 October 2019 |title=Harlow's Lib-Dem candidate for next General Election announced |url=https://www.yourharlow.com/2019/10/24/harlows-lib-dem-candidate-for-next-general-election-announced/ |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=Your Harlow}}{{Cite news |title=Harlow parliamentary constituency – Election 2019 – BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000729 |access-date=2024-07-14 |language=en-GB}} She was elected as the member of Parliament for Ely and East Cambridgeshire in the 2024 general election. Cane narrowly defeated the Conservative candidate Lucy Frazer, who was MP for South East Cambridgeshire, which covered much of the same area, from 2015 to 2024.{{cite news |title=Ely and East Cambridgeshire General Election 2024 |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001224 |access-date=2024-06-26}}

= Parliamentary career =

On 28 October 2024, Cane became a member of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee.{{cite web | title = House of Commons directory of MPs |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/5182/career}}

As of 6 November 2024, more than four months since her election, she became the 319th out of 332 new MPs to make a maiden speech and last of the Liberal Democrat intake.{{cite web | title = Maiden Speeches in the House of Commons since 1918| url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn04588/}}{{cite web |title = spoken contributions for Charlotte Cane MP | url = https://members.parliament.uk/member/5182/contributions}}{{cite web|title = MPs Maiden Speeches | url =https://x.com/MaidenSpeeches/status/1854429739940765848}} She opened her speech with a reference to the former Liberal MP Clement Freud and closed it with thanks to her family, her agent, and porridge.{{cite web |title = C Cane Maiden Speech | url = https://www.facebook.com/charlottecanelibdem/posts/pfbid0gQTp9x3eU1KVTxTzjvqXA8foFZGXBV99GHqds1Gbgkk4aTTnVRwF46ZfWFRKTDANl}}

On 29 November 2024, Cane voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.{{Cite web |title=Voting record for Charlotte Cane – MPs and Lords – UK Parliament |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/5182/voting |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=members.parliament.uk |language=en}}