Jane Ellison
{{Short description|British Conservative Party politician|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{About|the British politician|the Borden spokesperson and cookbook author|Jane Ellison (Borden)}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Jane Ellison
| image = Jane Ellison MP.jpg
| office = Financial Secretary to the Treasury
| primeminister = Theresa May
| term_start = 15 July 2016
| term_end = 8 June 2017
| predecessor = David Gauke
| successor = Mel Stride
| office1 = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health
| primeminister1 = David Cameron
| term_start1 = 7 October 2013
| term_end1 = 15 July 2016
| predecessor1 = Anna Soubry
| successor1 = David Mowat
| office2 = Member of Parliament
for Battersea
| term_start2 = 7 May 2010
| term_end2 = 3 May 2017
| predecessor2 = Martin Linton
| successor2 = Marsha de Cordova
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|8|15|df=y}}
| birth_place = Bradford, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Conservative
| alma_mater = St Hilda's College, Oxford
| website = {{url|janeellison.net|Official website}}
| caption = Ellison in 2015
}}
Jane Elizabeth Ellison{{London Gazette |issue=61230 |date=18 May 2015 |page=9117}} (born 15 August 1964){{cite web |url=http://www.election.demon.co.uk/by1997.html |title=By-elections 1997–2000 Results and Candidates' Biographies (see Tottenham) |work=UK Election Results |accessdate=25 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712062432/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/by1997.html |archive-date=12 July 2010 |url-status=live }} is a British United Nations official and former politician. A member of the Conservative Party, she was first elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Battersea. On 7 May 2015, she was re-elected with an increased margin of 3.4%. She lost the seat to Marsha de Cordova of the Labour Party at the 2017 snap general election. In November 2017 she joined the senior leadership team{{cite web |title=New WHO leadership team announced |url=https://www.who.int/news/item/03-10-2017-new-who-leadership-team-announced |access-date=3 April 2023 |website=www.who.int }} of the World Health Organization serving until November 2022.
Early life and career
Ellison was born in Bradford, attending St. Joseph's Catholic College, Bradford, then a girls' grammar school. She studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics{{cite web|last1=Yearbook|first1=Parliamentary|title=Ellison, Jane|url=http://parliamentaryyearbook.co.uk/mp-member/ellison-jane.html|accessdate=16 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814091203/http://parliamentaryyearbook.co.uk/mp-member/ellison-jane.html|archive-date=14 August 2016|url-status=live}} at St Hilda's College, Oxford. After university, she worked at the John Lewis Partnership, where she held many positions up until her election to the House of Commons some 23 years later.{{cite web |url=http://www.conservatives.com/People/Members_of_Parliament/Ellison_Jane.aspx |title=The Conservative Party | People | Members of Parliament | Jane Ellison MP |access-date=16 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511073112/http://www.conservatives.com/People/Members_of_Parliament/Ellison_Jane.aspx |archive-date=11 May 2010 |url-status=dead }}
A former Barnet London Borough Councillor, she contested the 1996 Barnsley East by-election and the 2000 Tottenham by-election, in both cases finishing in third place, and contested Barnsley East and Mexborough in 1997 and Pendle in the 2005 general election.{{cite web|url=http://www.janeellison.net/about-jane|title=About Jane - Jane Ellison - Parliamentary Candidate for Battersea|website=www.janeellison.net|access-date=11 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812205202/http://www.janeellison.net/about-jane|archive-date=12 August 2014|url-status=dead}} Labour retained the seat, although she almost halved the majority of sitting MP Gordon Prentice from 4,275 to 2,180.
She was selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Battersea in September 2006,{{cite web|url=http://conservativehome.blogs.com/goldlist/2009/04/where-are-the-original-alisters-now-the-27-who-have-been-selected-for-target-seats.html|title=ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog: Where are the original A-Listers now? The 27 who have been selected for target seats|website=conservativehome.blogs.com|access-date=6 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102152141/http://conservativehome.blogs.com/goldlist/2009/04/where-are-the-original-alisters-now-the-27-who-have-been-selected-for-target-seats.html|archive-date=2 November 2011|url-status=live}} following an open primary held at the Battersea Arts Centre.
Parliamentary career
Ellison was elected at the 2010 general election, with a majority of 5,977.{{cite web|title=Jane Ellison MP|url=http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/jane-ellison/3918|website=UK Parliament|accessdate=24 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316113615/http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/jane-ellison/3918|archive-date=16 March 2015|url-status=live}} In Parliament, she served on the Backbench Business Committee and Work and Pensions Committee. In 2011 she founded the first All Party Parliamentary Group on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM),{{cite web |last=Davies |first=Madlen |date=7 October 2013 |title=Jane Ellison appointed health minister |url=https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/uncategorised/jane-ellison-appointed-health-minister/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |website=Pulse Today }} speaking regularly on the issue in Parliament.
File:The Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council 2015 (23384010901).jpg meeting in London on 1 December 2015.]]
Ellison was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health in October 2013. She continued her interest in FGM, bringing forward a number of measures aimed at ending the practise during her time as a Minister.{{cite web |title=New government measures to end FGM |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-government-measures-to-end-fgm |access-date=3 April 2023 |website=GOV.UK }}{{cite web |title=Female genital mutilation prevention week of action |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/female-genital-mutilation-prevention-week-of-action |access-date=3 April 2023 |website=GOV.UK |date=12 February 2016 }} She described providing political direction to the National Health Service (NHS) as "a bit like being on a high wire without a net at times, it can be quite exciting" in a meeting with the Tory Reform Group in 2014.{{cite news|last1=Helm|first1=Toby|title=NHS is out of control, says Tory health minister|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/21/nhs-control-given-away-tory-minister|accessdate=24 March 2015|publisher=Observer|date=21 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402123915/http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/21/nhs-control-given-away-tory-minister|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=live}}
According to The Observer, she also said: "I don't know how much any of you realise that with the Lansley act we pretty much gave away control of the NHS… we have some important strategic mechanisms but we don't really have day-to-day control", which was seized upon by critics as evidence that the government's NHS reforms had not succeeded.
In January 2015, Ellison announced the government was proposing introducing a ban on advertising on cigarette packaging before the next election, and the standardised packaging of cigarettes legislation passed the House of Commons in March 2015.{{cite news |date=11 March 2015 |title=MPs back standardised cigarette packaging |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/health-31839859 |access-date=3 April 2023}} After a Parliamentary debate in February 2015,{{cite news |date=3 February 2015 |title=MPs say yes to three-person babies |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/health-31069173 |access-date=3 April 2023}} Ellison signed the Mitochondrial Donation Regulations on 4 March making the UK the first country in the world to legislate for the procedure.{{cite web |title=Mitochondrial Donation - The Lily Foundation |url=http://www.thelilyfoundation.org.uk/get-informed/mitochondrial-donation/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |website=www.thelilyfoundation.org.uk }}
Following the EU Referendum in which she campaigned for Remain {{cite web |title=Wandsworth's three MPs back Britain to remain in EU as referendum draws near |url=https://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/news/14572971.wandsworths-three-mps-rosena-allin-khan-jane-ellison-and-justine-greening-back-britain-to-remain-in-eu-as-referendum-draws-near/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |website=Wandsworth Times |date=22 June 2016 }} Ellison was appointed Financial Secretary to the Treasury in July 2016{{cite web |title=Jane Ellison |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/jane-ellison |access-date=3 April 2023 |website=GOV.UK }} and in August 2016 she announced that the Government would be proceeding with the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, also known as the sugar tax.{{cite news |date=17 August 2016 |title=Britain launches soft drinks sugar tax to fight obesity |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-obesity-tax-idUSKCN10S2GR |access-date=3 April 2023}}
After politics
In October 2017 Ellison was appointed as Deputy Director-General for Corporate Operations at the World Health Organization under the leadership of Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. On 6 March 2019 as part of a wider programme of reorganization she became the Executive Director for External Relations and Governance at WHO.{{cite web |title=WHO unveils sweeping reforms in drive towards "triple billion" targets |url=https://www.who.int/news/item/06-03-2019-who-unveils-sweeping-reforms-in-drive-towards-triple-billion-targets |access-date=3 April 2023 |website=www.who.int }} She left the WHO in November 2022 when there were a number of changes in the senior leadership team.Jenny Lei Ravelo (22 November 2022), [https://www.devex.com/news/exclusive-here-s-everyone-who-is-leaving-who-leadership-104514 Exclusive: Here's everyone who is leaving WHO leadership] Devex.
Other activities
Personal life
Ellison lives in Balham with her partner John, and enjoys music and walking.
References
{{Reflist|40em}}
External links
{{Commons category|Jane Ellison}}
- [http://www.janeellison.net Jane Ellison MP] official constituency website
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100511073112/http://www.conservatives.com/People/Members_of_Parliament/Ellison_Jane.aspx Jane Ellison MP] Conservative Party profile
- [http://www.wandsworthconservatives.com/ Wandsworth Conservatives] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408084748/http://www.wandsworthconservatives.com/ |date=8 April 2010 }}
- {{UK MP links | parliament = jane-ellison/3918 | guardian = 9329/jane-ellison | publicwhip = Jane_Ellison | theywork = jane_ellison | record = Jane-Ellison/Battersea/801 | bbc = 35418.stm | journalisted = }}
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{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef|before=Martin Linton}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament
for Battersea|years=2010–2017}}
{{s-aft|after={{nowrap|Marsha de Cordova}}}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellison, Jane Elizabeth}}
Category:21st-century British women politicians
Category:Alumni of St Hilda's College, Oxford
Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Category:Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
Category:Politicians from Bradford
Category:21st-century English women
Category:21st-century English politicians
Category:People educated at St. Joseph's Catholic College, Bradford