Helen Grant was first elected as the Conservative MP for Maidstone & The Weald in 2010, being reelected in 2019 with a majority of 21,772.
The constituency of Maidstone and the Weald in Kent, spreads south from the county town of Maidstone to include the smaller town of Cranbrook with its windmill. The local economy is relatively mixed containing fruit growing, light industry, and some London bound commuters. The leading independent Benenden girl’s school, attended by Princess Anne is found in this seat. Although Labour and the Liberal Democrats retain a base of support in this constituency, notably in Maidstone itself, the split in the Opposition ensures that this has long remained safe Conservative territory. For many years it was represented in Parliament by the prominent Conservative, Ann Widdecombe.
Helen Grant served as a junior Minister in the David Cameron government, first as Under Secretary of State for Courts, and Under Secretary for Equalities and Minister of State for Sport and Tourism. She was Vice Chair of the Conservative Party between 2018 and 2019.
Grant is currently the government’s trade envoy to Nigeria. She is also the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Girls Education. She was awarded an OBE in the 2023 New Year Honours List.
Born in 1961, Grant was brought up on the Raffles council estate in Carlisle. She obtained a law degree at the University of Hull, undertook solicitors’ finals at the College of Law in Guildford and qualified as a solicitor in 1988. Before being elected to Westminster, she founded her own legal firm which specialised in family law.
Grant was the first black Conservative woman MP. She was formerly a member of the Labour Party.
Grant backed Remain in the 2016 EU referendum. She supported Boris Johnson in the 2016 Conservative Party leadership election.
In 2021 Grant brought forward a Bill calling for an independent football regulator. She was involved in a group, including former England defender Gary Neville, retired Olympian Denise Lewis and ex-Football Association chairman David Bernstein, looking at the governance of football. The group issued a manifesto for change called ‘Saving Our Beautiful Game’.
In her youth Grant was an accomplished sports person and represented her county in Hockey, Tennis, Athletics, and Cross-Country. She later became under-16 Judo Champion in North of England and Southern Scotland .
She is married with two sons. She employs her husband, Simon Grant, as Senior Parliamentary Assistant.
In 2022 it was revealed that her son Ben Grant, a former Royal Marine Commando, was fighting in Ukraine. Kent Online reported how Mr Grant had helped drag one of his comrades out of danger as mortars and artillery were fired towards them in woods north of Kharkiv in May 2022.
Helen Grant is Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Channel 4; and Wine and Spirits. She is Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Creative Diversity; Sport and Physical Activity in the Criminal Justice System;
Email: helen.grant.mp@parliament.uk
Personal Website: www.helengrant.org
Twitter: twitter.com/HelenGrantMP
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Helen-Grant/136591316358607
