Kelly Tolhurst

Kelly Tolhurst
MP
Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility
Assumed office
19 July 2018
Prime Minister Theresa May
Sec. of State Greg Clark
Preceded by Andrew Griffiths
Assistant Government Whip
In office
9 January 2018 – 19 July 2018
Prime Minister Theresa May
Chief Whip Julian Smith
Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Business Secretary
In office
28 June 2017 – 9 January 2018
Prime Minister Theresa May
Preceded by Conor Burns
Succeeded by Alan Mak
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the International Development Secretary
In office
12 September 2016 – 28 June 2017
Prime Minister Theresa May
Preceded by Andrew Bingham
Succeeded by Wendy Morton
Member of Parliament
for Rochester and Strood
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded by Mark Reckless
Majority 9,850 (18.3%)
Personal details
Born Kelly Jane Tolhurst
(1978-08-23) 23 August 1978
Rochester, Kent, England, United Kingdom
Political party Conservative
Website Campaign website

Kelly Jane Tolhurst[1] (born 23 August 1978) is a British Conservative Party politician. She has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rochester and Strood since the May 2015 general election.[2] Tolhurst currently serves as Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State) at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. She is a former Councillor for the Rochester West ward on Medway Council. [3]

Early life

Tolhurst was born in Rochester as a daughter of a local boat builder, Morris Tolhurst. She was educated locally at Chapter High School.[4] From 2008, she ran a marine survey business, called Tolhurst Associates, with her father, with employment in marketing previous to this point.[5] [6]

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. In the by-election for the ward that followed in March 2018, the seat was taken by the Labour candidate Alex Paterson.[7] [8] She was selected to contest the 2014 Rochester and Strood by-election which was triggered by the defection of Mark Reckless to UKIP.[9] 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.[10] She was re-elected in 2017.

Tolhurst has served on the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, the European Scrutiny Committee and the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee.[11] She was made an assistant government whip during the reshuffle on 9 January 2018.[12]

Kelly Tolhurst campaigned to remain in the European Union prior to the 2016 referendum.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "No. 61961". The London Gazette. 19 June 2017. p. 11776.
  2. ↑ "Election 2015: Rochester & Strood parliamentary constituency". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  3. ↑ "MP resigns as local councillor". Kent Online. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
  4. ↑ "Personal website". MP. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  5. ↑ Holehouse, Matthew (14 October 2014). "Stay-at-home mother lined up to halt Ukip advance". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  6. ↑ Letts, Quentin (22 July 2015). "Stay-at-home mother lined up to halt Ukip advance". Tatler. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ Francis, Paul (23 October 2014). "Medway councillor Kelly Tolhurst beats Anna Firth to become the Conservative candidate for the Rochester and Strood by-election". Kentonline.co.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  9. ↑ Press Association (23 October 2014). "Rochester byelection: Tories select local businesswoman Kelly Tolhurst". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  10. ↑ Hartley-Parkinson, Richard (8 May 2015). "Tories get revenge on Mark Reckless by taking seat back from Ukip". Metro. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  11. ↑ "Parliamentary profile". GOV. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  12. ↑ correspondent, Peter Walker Political (2018-01-09). "Theresa May's junior ministerial reshuffle: who's in and who's out". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  13. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35616946
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Mark Reckless		 Member of Parliament
for Rochester and Strood
2015–present		 Incumbent


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