Sarah Dines

Sarah Dines was born on 27 May 1965 in Billericay, and raised in Basildon.{{Cite web|title=Sarah Dines MP|url=https://www.derbyshiredalesconservatives.org.uk/sarah-dines-mp|access-date=12 March 2021|website=Derbyshire Dales|language=en}} Her parents, Elizabeth (née Dale) and Tony Dines, were tenant farmers until their tenancy was ended and their farm was taken from them to form part of what then became Basildon new town. Her mother served as a Conservative councillor on Basildon District Council and subsequently on Maldon Town Council, Maldon District Council and Essex County Council.{{Cite web|title=About Sarah Dines|url=https://www.sarahdines.org.uk/about-sarah-dines|access-date=12 March 2021|website=Sarah Dines|language=en}}

Dines attended Chalvedon comprehensive school and completed her A Levels at Basildon College. She studied at Brunel University from 1983 to 1987, and at the Inns of Court School of Law between 1987 and 1988. She is a member of Lincoln's Inn and was called to the Bar in July 1988.{{Cite web|title=Sarah Dines MP, A Family Law Barrister|url=https://www.3pb.co.uk/barristers/sarah-dines/|access-date=12 March 2021|website=www.3pb.co.uk|language=en-GB}}{{Cite web|title=Barrister Details – Miss Sarah Elizabeth Dines|url=https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/barristers-register/FCA145FEFE2DB9D7F527D0D2BF61885A.html|access-date=12 March 2021|website=www.barstandardsboard.org.uk}}

She worked as a family law practitioner, latterly at 3 Paper Buildings, dealing with divorce, including financial and business assets, care, adoption, international child law and child abduction and related issues. She is a member of the Family Law Bar Association and the British Academy of Forensic Sciences.{{Cite web |date=25 February 2020 |title=Class of 2019: Meet the new MPs |url=https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/class-of-2019-meet-the-new-mps |access-date=12 March 2021 |website=Politics Home |language=en}}

Dines stood as the Northern Ireland Conservatives candidate in Belfast East at the 1997 general election, coming fourth with 2.4% of the vote behind the incumbent DUP MP Peter Robinson, the UUP candidate Reg Empey, and the Alliance candidate Jim Hendron.{{Cite news|date=22 October 2011|title=Election '97: English Tory finds no meanness on the streets of Belfast|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/election-97-english-tory-finds-no-meanness-on-the-streets-of-belfast-1269960.html|access-date=12 March 2021|work=The Independent|language=en}}{{cite web |title=Election Data 1997 |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_1997.txt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015054424/http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/electdata_1997.txt |archive-date=15 October 2011 |access-date=18 October 2015 |publisher=Electoral Calculus}}

Dines was elected as Member of Parliament for Derbyshire Dales at the 2019 general election with 58.7% of the vote and a majority of 17,381.{{Cite web |title=Archived copy |url=https://www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/images/documents/E/ELECTION_OF_A_MEMBER_OF_PARLIAMENT_002.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115181052/https://www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/images/documents/E/ELECTION_OF_A_MEMBER_OF_PARLIAMENT_002.pdf |archive-date=2019-11-15 |access-date=2019-11-15}}{{cite web |date=28 January 2020 |title=Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis |url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8749/CBP-8749.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118043715/https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8749/CBP-8749.pdf |archive-date=18 November 2021 |access-date=19 January 2022 |publisher=House of Commons Library |location=London}} During the 2019 general election campaign she said that her priorities were to "get Brexit done",{{Cite news |date=13 December 2020 |title=Sarah Dines, Tory MP with six homes, billed the taxpayer for stays in four‑star hotel |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/sarah-dines-tory-mp-with-six-homes-billed-the-taxpayer-for-stays-in-four-star-hotel-qf7nkhh97 |access-date=3 January 2021 |work=Sunday Times}} preserving the environment and better digital connectivity within the constituency. She declared herself to be "passionately committed to the countryside and the environment". She stated that "people need to vote blue to be green".{{Cite news |date=3 December 2019 |title=Derbyshire Dales General Elections 2019 candidates respond to big questions |url=https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/derbyshire-dales-general-elections-2019-3602332 |access-date=12 March 2021 |work=DerbyshireLive |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}

On 20 December 2019, she signed the Early Day Motion calling for Big Ben to chime on the day of Brexit.{{Cite web |title=Sarah Dines |url=https://www.parallelparliament.co.uk/mp/miss-sarah-dines |access-date=12 March 2021 |website=www.parallelparliament.co.uk}} Dines is a member of the 'Vote Blue, Go Green' movement within the Conservative Party.{{Cite web |title=Boris' Boys and Girls: The Conservative Commons Intake of 2019 |url=https://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2020/01/boris-boys-and-girls-the-conservative-commons-intake-of-2019.html |access-date=12 March 2021 |website=Conservative Home |date=21 January 2020 |language=en-US}}

In February 2020, Dines raised the issue of funding for Ashbourne's long-awaited A515 bypass, stating: "For over 100 years, in one form or another, the Ashbourne bypass in Derbyshire Dales has been endlessly discussed, debated, consulted on and promised".{{Cite news |date=14 February 2020 |title=MP makes funding bid for major bypass around Derbyshire town |url=https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/mp-asks-for-bypass-cash-3846874 |access-date=12 March 2021 |work=DerbyshireLive |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}{{Citation |title=Dines, Sarah, MP (C) Derbyshire Dales, since 2019 |date=1 December 2020 |work=Who's Who |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u293985 |access-date=12 March 2021 |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u293985 |isbn=978-0-19-954088-4|url-access=subscription }}

In March 2020, Dines was elected as a member of the Justice Select Committee.{{Cite web |title=Sarah Dines MP, Derbyshire Dales |url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/25877/sarah_dines/derbyshire_dales |access-date=12 March 2021 |website=TheyWorkForYou |language=en}} In June 2021, she was also appointed to serve on the Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Bill.{{Cite web |title=Sarah Dines |url=https://www.parallelparliament.co.uk/mp/miss-sarah-dines |access-date=2022-05-12 |website=www.parallelparliament.co.uk}}

Dines spoke out in November 2020 on the "truly despicable online abuse" to which parliamentarians have been subjected, stating that "attacks on physical appearance, seems to be predominantly aimed at women MPs".{{cite web |date=18 Nov 2020 |title=We need to make the internet a friendlier place for all |url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/ashbourne-news-telegraph/20201118/281848646141542 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131031224/https://www.pressreader.com/uk/ashbourne-news-telegraph/20201118/281848646141542 |archive-date=Jan 31, 2023 |access-date=13 June 2023 |publisher=Ashbourne News Telegraph |language=en |via=PressReader}}

In December 2020, the Sunday Times published an article reporting that Dines had been claiming expenses for hotel accommodation located near to her parliamentary office despite owning six properties in total, worth approximately £5 million. The newspaper accused Dines of "charging the taxpayer thousands of pounds for regular stays at a four-star hotel". A spokesman for Dines responded, stating: "Sarah has conformed to all the necessary processes for declaring her interests. Any expense claims she has made have been in line with the instructions set out by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. Sarah is a reluctant user of hotels and only stays in hotels in London when her parliamentary and departmental responsibilities have kept her working late at Westminster".{{cite web |last1=Butterfield |first1=Gareth |date=23 Dec 2020 |title=MP provides a robust defence to London property claims in Sunday newspaper |url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/derby-telegraph/20201223/281857236142455 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130052106/https://www.pressreader.com/uk/derby-telegraph/20201223/281857236142455 |archive-date=Jan 30, 2023 |access-date=13 June 2023 |publisher=Derby Telegraph |language=en |via=PressReader}}

In March 2021, she was appointed to the ad hoc Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill.{{Cite web |title=Armed Forces Bill – Monday 1 March 2021 – Hansard – UK Parliament |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2021-03-01/debates/EF9EC847-3CEC-4848-AEBD-9C9821CCFF5F/ArmedForcesBill |access-date=12 March 2021 |website=hansard.parliament.uk |language=en}}

Also in March 2021, Dines was one of the Conservative MPs calling for the BBC to reconsider its decision not to play "Rule, Britannia!" and "Land of Hope and Glory" at the Last Night of the Proms, a decision that was ultimately reversed. She said: "I am proud to be British, as are my constituents. Anthems of our nation are poignant and mean so much more today, than a reference to the historical time they were written in. We should be proud of history and recognise and learn from any mistakes of the past".{{Cite web |title=Sarah Dines MP delighted that Rule Britannia! will be sung at the Proms this year. |url=https://www.sarahdines.org.uk/news/sarah-dines-mp-delighted-rule-britannia-will-be-sung-proms-year |access-date=12 March 2021 |website=Sarah Dines |date=2 September 2020 |language=en}}

On 17 September 2021, Dines was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, alongside Andrew Griffith, in the second cabinet reshuffle of the second Johnson ministry.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-september-2021|title=Ministerial appointments: September 2021|date=16 September 2021}} Her appointment was described by a senior Conservative Party MP as an 'absolutely disgraceful decision'.{{Cite news |last1=Savage |first1=Michael |last2=Editor |first2=Michael Savage Policy |date=2022-07-10 |title=Anger over new ministerial job for MP accused of asking if alleged Pincher victim was gay |language=en-GB |work=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/10/anger-over-new-minister-job-for-mp-accused-of-asking-if-alleged-pincher-victim-was-gay-sarah-dines |access-date=2023-08-07 |issn=0029-7712}}

In the February 2022 reshuffle, she was appointed as an Assistant Government Whip.{{Cite web |title=Ministerial Appointments: February 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointments-february-2022 |access-date=2022-05-12 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}

In April 2022, she repeatedly pressed Derbyshire Dales District Council to fulfil its statutory obligation to provide a traveller site within Derbyshire Dales: "To not have a permanent site, we are not only failing residents, but also the traveller community".{{Cite news |date=2022-04-13 |title=Travellers spark upset by camping on Derbyshire showground |url=https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/travellers-spark-upset-camping-derbyshire-6946784 |access-date=2022-05-12 |work=DerbyshireLive |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}{{Cite web |title=Plan for permanent Derbyshire Traveller site looks set to be scrapped |url=https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/plan-for-permanent-derbyshire-traveller-site-looks-set-to-be-scrapped-3669525 |access-date=2022-05-12 |website=www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk |date=26 April 2022 |language=en}}

In May 2022, Dines said that some of the abuse she had received had to be dealt with by the police, and that in one case an online abuser admitted the crime of harassment and had accepted a police caution. She said: "There is a false belief that things that are said on social media, that people would never dream of saying to another in person are somehow different to real life harassment and abuse – it isn't. Harassment on social media and in real life are the same, they are awful, in some cases unlawful, and have no place in our society."{{Cite news |date=18 May 2022 |title=Internet fantastic resource – but can be place of cruelty |url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/ashbourne-news-telegraph/20220518/textview |access-date=18 May 2022 |work=Ashbourne News Telegraph}}

In July 2022, Dines was criticised for her handling of allegations involving the then Deputy Chief Whip, Chris Pincher. Dines, in her capacity as Assistant Government Whip, asked a man, who claimed Pincher groped him, if he was gay; when the alleged victim replied that he was gay, Dines was said to have replied "Well that doesn't make it straightforward".{{Cite news |last1=Penna |first1=Dominic |last2=Turner |first2=Camilla |date=2022-07-03 |title=Tory whip criticised for asking alleged Chris Pincher victim if he is gay |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/07/03/tory-whip-criticised-asking-alleged-chris-pincher-victim-gay/ |access-date=2022-07-06 |issn=0307-1235}}{{Cite news |last1=Savage |first1=Michael |last2=Editor |first2=Michael Savage Policy |date=2022-07-10 |title=Anger over new ministerial job for MP accused of asking if alleged Pincher victim was gay |language=en-GB |work=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/10/anger-over-new-minister-job-for-mp-accused-of-asking-if-alleged-pincher-victim-was-gay-sarah-dines |access-date=2023-08-07 |issn=0029-7712}} Responding to these claims, Dines said these press reports were inaccurate, and that: "The conversation I had with the subject of the alleged sexual harassment on the night was aimed at securing the full facts of what had transpired and was part of a much wider discussion which led to immediate action following the events of that evening".{{Cite web |date=27 July 2022 |title=Derbyshire MP breaks silence on incident that led to PM Boris Johnson's resignation. |url=https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/politics/derbyshire-mp-breaks-silence-on-incident-that-led-to-pm-boris-johnsons-resignation-3784221 |website=Derbyshire Times}}

In June 2023 Dines complained unsuccessfully to the press regulator IPSO about claims made in Matthew Parris's Notebook column in January 2023 that Boris Johnson wanted to stand for election in her own constituency of Derbyshire Dales.{{Cite web |last=Tobitt |first=Charlotte |date=2023-06-13 |title=IPSO: Times OK to report 'wild rumours' of Boris Johnson Derbyshire election bid |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/the-wire/newspaper-corrections-media-mistakes-errors-legal/sarah-dines-boris-johnson-ipso-complaint-times/ |access-date=2023-08-07 |website=Press Gazette |language=en-US}}

On 7 August 2023, Dines appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme speaking about the migrant crisis. She said that for "operational reasons" she could not give specific details about when the first asylum seekers would be boarding the refitted accommodation barge Bibby Stockholm but that it would be "pretty soon". Questioned further by Mishal Husain on whether Ascension Island was a potential alternative to Rwanda she said "You wouldn't expect me to go through those discussions, they're individual cases". Dines also said that those coming into Britain by unauthorised means "can't expect to stay in a four-star hotel".{{Cite web |date=2023-08-07 |title=Tory Minister Leaves People Bewildered After 'Robotic' Today Programme Interview |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/tory-minister-sarah-dines-bewildered-today-programme-migrant-crisis_uk_64d0a42ae4b0560dda040743 |access-date=2023-08-07 |website=HuffPost UK |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-08-07 |title=First asylum seekers expected 'imminently' on Bibby Stockholm barge |url=https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news/national/23705142.first-asylum-seekers-expected-imminently-bibby-stockholm-barge/ |access-date=2023-08-07 |website=Lowestoft Journal |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-08-07 |title=First asylum seekers expected 'imminently' on Bibby Stockholm barge |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/government-home-office-dorset-rishi-sunak-channel-b2388751.html |access-date=2023-08-07 |website=The Independent |language=en}} Dines appearance on Radio 4's Today programme was described as 'word salad nonsense' by Gavin Esler and Kevin Maguire said that Dines's answers suggested that 'she was scraped from the bottom of a barrel by Sunak".

Dines is a member of numerous All-Party Parliamentary Groups, including Policing and Security, Environment, Pacific Islands and Norfolk Island, Sovereign Defence Manufacturing Capability, Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Farming, Peak District, Trade and Export Promotion, Rural Business, Small and Micro Business, Caribbean, Commonwealth, Ireland and the Irish in Britain, Social Media, Women in Parliament and Endometriosis. She is a member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly.{{Cite web|title=British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly {{!}} British Members and Associates|url=http://www.britishirish.org/british-members-and-associates|access-date=12 March 2021|website=www.britishirish.org}}

Dines has a particular interest in the Armed Forces and veterans and is a member of the Armed Forces, Armed Forces Covenant and Veterans All-Party Parliamentary Groups.

Dines is on the right of the Conservative Party and supported Liz Truss's election as leader. She is a supporter of the Blue Collar Conservatism group in Parliament,{{Cite web |title=TEAM |url=https://www.bluecollarconservatism.co.uk/team |access-date=12 March 2021 |website=BCC |language=en}} which exists to "champion working people".{{Cite web |title=Championing working people {{!}} Blue Collar Conservatism |url=https://www.bluecollarconservatism.co.uk/ |access-date=12 March 2021 |website=BCC |language=en}}

Dines has four adult sons. Her husband is David Hoile, a public relations adviser.{{cite news |last1=Pogrund |first1=Gabriel |last2=Midolo |first2=Emanuele |title=Sarah Dines, Tory MP with six homes, billed the taxpayer for stays in four‑star hotel |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/sarah-dines-tory-mp-with-six-homes-billed-the-taxpayer-for-stays-in-four-star-hotel-qf7nkhh97 |access-date=1 March 2021 |work=The Times |date=13 December 2020}} She owns six properties, including one in Whitechapel, London, and land, altogether worth an estimated £5 million, according to The Times.

Dines was taken ill with coronavirus in March 2020. She said: "I have to say, there were a lot of people worse off than me. I had it moderately, and it was very, very unpleasant and quite frightening."{{Cite news|date=6 May 2020|title=Derbyshire MP describes 'horrible' battle with coronavirus|language=en-GB|work=DerbyshireLive|url=https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/in-your-area/sarah-dines-brush-with-coronavirus-4108575|access-date=12 March 2021|issn=0307-1235}}

{{UK MP links |parliament=4816 |publicwhip=Sarah_Dines |theywork=sarah_dines}}

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Category:Living people

Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies

Category:Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies

Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Derbyshire

Category:UK MPs 2019–2024

Category:21st-century British women politicians

Category:Alumni of Brunel University London

Category:English barristers

Category:21st-century English women lawyers

Category:21st-century English lawyers

Category:21st-century English women

Category:21st-century English politicians

Category:Parliamentary private secretaries to the prime minister

Category:1965 births