Caroline Nokes

Nokes was born at Lyndhurst Hospital in Lyndhurst, and raised in West Wellow, a village in Hampshire. The daughter of Roy Perry, a former Conservative Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Wight and Hampshire South constituency,[4] she was educated at The Romsey School, La Sagesse Convent in Romsey and then Peter Symonds' College, Winchester, before reading politics at the University of Sussex from 1991 to 1994.[7]

After her graduation Nokes became a policy adviser to her father, in his role as a Member of the European Parliament.[4] Prior to her election she was chief executive of the National Pony Society, an animal welfare charity promoting and supporting the traditional native breeds of ponies through education, training and competition.

Nokes was a member of Test Valley Borough Council from 1999 until 2010, representing the Romsey Extra Ward, and for some time was responsible for the Leisure Portfolio. She stood down as a councillor when she was elected to Parliament in May 2010.[8]

Nokes stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for the Southampton Itchen constituency at the 2001 general election; and Romsey constituency at the 2005 general election.[9]

Nokes was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the new constituency of Romsey and Southampton North, defeating former Liberal Democrat MP Sandra Gidley by 4,165 votes. The prior Romsey constituency, held by Gidley, had disappeared due to boundary changes.[10][11] Nokes made her maiden speech on 17 June 2010, on the subject of a high-skilled economy.[12]

In June 2014, Nokes was independently assessed as coming first among the UK's 650 MPs in responding to constituents, with her response rate at 100%. The data was analysed by think-tank mySociety, who commended Nokes as the most "responsive MP" in Parliament,[13] based on over 58,000 responses to 96,000 messages sent to MPs.[14]

In July 2014, Nokes became a Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Department for Work and Pensions, as an aide to the Minister with responsibility for disabled people.[5]

Nokes is a member of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme,[15] spoke in 37 separate debates in the twelve months to March 2013, and has an above-average voting record.[16] She lists her particular interests as international development, sport, the equine industry, the environment, energy, animal welfare, family law, local government and planning.[17] She has spoken in debates on planning policy, reforming the Child Support Agency Family Based Agreements,[18] Adoption,[19] and the closure of the Ford motor manufacturing plant in her constituency.[20] She has also introduced legislation on dangerous dogs,[21] and in January 2011, the Consumer Protection Bill.[22]

In April 2010, Fathers4Justice members backed Nokes as the Conservatives had supported their campaign for change to family law, promising legislation if they won the 2010 general election.[54] Following the formation of the coalition, government policy did not fully reflect the position of Fathers4Justice, and the group criticised the new government. In March 2013, when Nokes announced she would sit on the committee responsible for scrutinising the Bill, Fathers4Justice called upon her to resign.[55]

Following many abusive tweets directed at Nokes, Twitter shut down the accounts of Fathers4Justice and its leader Matt O'Connor, which F4J saw as "political censorship".[56] The local media reported the group had been engaged in a "witch hunt" against Nokes, who pointed out she had "repeatedly offered to help Fathers4Justice with the tabling of amendments for the Children and Families Bill, but none were forthcoming, just comments, which Twitter agreed constituted abuse and harassment. I am aware other political parties and individuals have also complained to Twitter and indeed to the police". She also stated "I remain committed to improvements to the family justice system, which the Children and Families Bill goes some way towards delivering, and it is a pity F4J chose not to engage constructively with the deliberations of the Bill Committee".[57]

Nokes' office said in 2013 that the harassment of the MP by Fathers4Justice was non-stop. Nokes herself was quoted in The Independent newspaper: "They ignored the warnings and carried on bullying, harassing and sending tweets indicating they were 'looking' for me at my home address at 10.30 at night". Matt O'Connor denied the accusation.[58]

In February 2014, Nokes criticised a House of Lords amendment to the Children and Families Bill which she said "watered down" the commitment to shared parenting,[59] and spoke against the amendment in the House of Commons, arguing that shared parenting arrangements were in the best interests of children.[60][61]

In October 2014, The Independent reported allegations that the group might have put a tracking device on Nokes' car, and a security consultant claimed he had been approached by Matt O'Connor's wife Nadine O'Connor about placing the MP under surveillance.[56] Police were said to regard the group as a "fixated threat" which led to security enhancements at Nokes' home. When O'Connor confronted the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner making allegations about Nokes, the Commissioner stated O'Connor had "made things up".[56] A person claiming to be a supporter of the group later sent Nokes a Facebook message which stated the wish that Nokes be "violently raped", and stated "there are a lot of people who wish you serious harm, torture and death. Watch your back".[62]

At the Central London County Court at the Royal Courts of Justice in October 2014, the judge refused to grant the injunction because of "a total absence of evidence", with the judge criticising the O'Connors for seeking to prejudice the court by making "generalised assertions" and concluding "there's no sufficient evidence before me to support a finding that there's even an arguable case for a claim for harassment." The O'Connors were ordered to pay costs.[63]

Nokes divorced in 2012; she and her former husband have a daughter.[64]

• Profile at the Conservative Party
• Romsey and Southampton North Conservatives
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou