Kelly Tolhurst
{{Short description|British politician (born 1978)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable
| name = Kelly Tolhurst
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Official portrait of Kelly Tolhurst crop 2.jpg
| office = Minister of State for Schools and Childhood
| primeminister = Liz Truss
| term_start = 7 September 2022
| term_end = 28 October 2022
| predecessor = Brendan Clarke-Smith
| office2 = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Rough Sleeping and Housing
| primeminister2 = Boris Johnson
| term_start2 = 8 September 2020
| term_end2 = 16 January 2021
| predecessor2 = Luke Hall
| successor2 = Eddie Hughes
| office3 = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Aviation and Maritime
| primeminister3 = Boris Johnson
| term_start3 = 13 February 2020
| term_end3 = 8 September 2020
| predecessor3 = Nus Ghani
| successor3 = Robert Courts
| office4 = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility
| primeminister4 = Theresa May
Boris Johnson
| term_start4 = 19 July 2018
| term_end4 = 13 February 2020
| predecessor4 = Andrew Griffiths
| successor4 = Paul Scully
| office5 = Member of Parliament
for Rochester and Strood
| term_start5 = 7 May 2015
| term_end5 = 30 May 2024
| predecessor5 = Mark Reckless
| successor5 = Lauren Edwards
| office6 = Member of Medway Council
for Rochester West Ward
| term_start6 = 5 May 2011
| term_end6 = 12 January 2018
| predecessor6 = Mark Reckless
| successor6 = Alex Paterson
| birth_name = Kelly Jane Tolhurst
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|8|23|df=y}}
| birth_place = Rochester, Kent, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Conservative
| website = {{url|kelly4rochesterandstrood.com|Campaign website}}
| caption = Official portrait, 2017
| office1 = Government Deputy Chief Whip
Treasurer of the Household
| termstart1 = 1 July 2022
| termend1 = 7 September 2022
| predecessor1 = Chris Pincher
| primeminister1 = Boris Johnson
| successor1 = Craig Whittaker
| successor = Claire Coutinho
}}
Kelly Jane Tolhurst{{London Gazette |issue=61961 |date=19 June 2017 |page=11776}} (born 23 August 1978) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rochester and Strood from 2015 to 2024.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000898 |title= Election 2015: Rochester & Strood parliamentary constituency | work =BBC News |date=9 June 2017 |access-date=9 June 2017}} A member of the Conservative Party, she served as Minister of State for Schools and Childhood from September to October 2022.{{Cite web |title=Ministerial Appointments: September 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-september-2022 |access-date=2022-09-08 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Minister of State (Minister for Schools and Childhood) – GOV.UK |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state-minister-for-schools-and-childhood |access-date=2022-09-27 |website=www.gov.uk |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Kelly Tolhurst MP |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/kelly-tolhurst |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}
Tolhurst previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Rough Sleeping and Housing from 2020 to 2021, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Aviation and Maritime in 2020 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility from 2018 to 2020 and was briefly Deputy Chief Whip in 2022. She is a former councillor for the Rochester West ward on Medway Council.{{Cite news|url=http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/mp-resigns-as-local-councillor-158438/|title=MP resigns as local councillor|work=Kent Online|access-date=13 January 2018}}
Early life
Tolhurst was born in Rochester, where her father Morris Tolhurst was a boat builder. She attended Wainscott Primary School in Rochester and Chapter School in Strood, a non-selective state school for girls aged 11 to 18.{{cite web|url=https://www.kelly4rochesterandstrood.com/about-me|title=Personal website|publisher=MP |access-date=13 April 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/06/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/887_4076.stm|title=Chapter School|date=11 January 2007|work=BBC}} From 2008, she ran a marine survey business, called Tolhurst Associates, with her father, with employment in marketing previous to this point.{{cite news| last = Holehouse | first = Matthew |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/11163114/Stay-at-home-mother-lined-up-to-halt-Ukip-advance.html|title=Stay-at-home mother lined up to halt Ukip advance|work=The Daily Telegraph| date = 14 October 2014|access-date=9 May 2015}}{{cite news| last = Letts | first = Quentin |url=http://www.tatler.com/article/quentin-letts-sketchbook-kelly-tolhurst|title=Stay-at-home mother lined up to halt Ukip advance|work=Tatler|date = 22 July 2015|access-date=13 April 2018}}
Political career
Tolhurst was elected to the Rochester West ward on Medway Council in 2011 and served as a councillor until 2018 when she resigned after being appointed as an assistant whip.{{cite web|url=https://www.medwayelects.co.uk/?page=elections&id=20110505&ward=2003.rochesterwest|title=Rochester West|date=5 May 2011|work=Medway Elects}} In the by-election for the ward that followed in March 2018, the seat was taken by the Labour candidate Alex Paterson.{{cite web|url=https://www.medwayelects.co.uk/?page=elections&id=20180308&ward=2003.rochesterwest|title=Rochester West By-election|date=8 March 2018|work=Medway Elects}} Tolhurst was selected to contest the 2014 Rochester and Strood by-election which was triggered by the defection of Mark Reckless to UKIP.{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/oct/23/rochester-byelection-tories-select-local-businesswoman-kelly-tolhurst|title=Rochester byelection: Tories select local businesswoman Kelly Tolhurst|work=The Guardian | date = 23 October 2014 |access-date=9 May 2015}} Tolhurst lost the by-election, held on 20 November 2014, but regained the seat for the Conservatives at the 2015 general election six months later, securing a majority of over 7,000.{{cite news | last = Hartley-Parkinson | first = Richard |url= http://metro.co.uk/2015/05/08/tories-get-revenge-on-mark-reckless-by-taking-seat-back-from-ukip-5187285/|title=Tories get revenge on Mark Reckless by taking seat back from Ukip|work=Metro | date = 8 May 2015 |access-date=9 May 2015}} She was re-elected in 2017.
Tolhurst served on the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, the European Scrutiny Committee and the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee.{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/kelly-tolhurst/4487|title=Parliamentary profile|publisher=GOV |access-date=13 April 2018}} She was made an assistant government whip during the reshuffle on 9 January 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jan/09/theresa-may-junior-ministerial-reshuffle-whos-in-whos-out|title=Theresa May's junior ministerial reshuffle: who's in and who's out|last=Walker|first=Peter|date=9 January 2018|work=The Guardian|access-date=9 January 2018|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}
Tolhurst was appointed the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 19 July 2018.{{cite web |title=Kelly Tolhurst MP |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/kelly-tolhurst |website=GOV.UK |access-date=20 January 2019}}
In February 2020, Tolhurst was appointed as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport at the Department for Transport, succeeding Nus Ghani who had been relieved of ministerial responsibilities.
Tolhurst campaigned to remain in the European Union prior to the 2016 referendum.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35616946|title=EU vote: Where the cabinet and other MPs stand|date=22 June 2016|work=BBC News}}
Tolhurst was appointed as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government and Homelessness at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in September 2020, replacing Luke Hall, who had in turn replaced Simon Clarke in a different position in the same department. She resigned from this position in January 2021 after receiving "devastating family news".{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/01/16/conservative-mp-kelly-tolhurst-resigns-housing-minister-following/|title=Conservative MP Kelly Tolhurst resigns as Housing Minister following 'devastating' family news|work=The Telegraph|last=Carpani|first=Jessica|date=16 January 2021|access-date=16 January 2021}}
On 1 July 2022, Tolhurst was appointed Government Deputy Chief Whip and Treasurer of the Household by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, following the resignation of Chris Pincher.{{Cite web |date=2 July 2022 |title=Kent MP becomes deputy chief whip |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/kent-mp-becomes-deputy-chief-whip-269632/ |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=Kent Online |language=en}}
On 7 September 2022, she was appointed Minister of State in the Department for Education.{{Cite web |title=Ministerial Appointments: September 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-september-2022 |access-date=2022-09-07 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}
On 8 March 2023, she was appointed as a member of the Privy Council.{{cite web|url=https://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-03-08-List-of-Business.pdf|publisher=Privy Council Office|title=Orders for 8 March 2023|access-date=9 March 2023}}
In the 2024 United Kingdom general election, she was unseated by Lauren Edwards from the Labour Party.{{Cite news |title=Rochester and Strood – General election results 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001447 |access-date=2024-07-05 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{Official website|http://www.kelly4rochesterandstrood.com/}}
- {{UK MP links |parliament=kelly-tolhurst/4487 |publicwhip=Kelly_Tolhurst |theywork=kelly_tolhurst}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolhurst, Kelly}}
Category:Conservative Party (UK) councillors
Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Category:Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
Category:People from Rochester, Kent
Category:UK councillors 2011–2015
Category:UK councillors 2015–2019
Category:21st-century British women politicians
Category:21st-century English women
Category:21st-century English politicians