Esther McVey is a minister in the Cabinet Office. She is reported to be the government’s anti-“wokeness” tsar, having been appointed to the role in Rishi Sunak’s November 2023 reshuffle.
Esther McVey was first elected as Conservative MP for Wirral West in 2010, before losing the seat in 2015. She was then reelected to succeed George Osborne as the MP for Tatton in 2017. She was reelected in 2019 with a majority of 17,387.
The constituency of Tatton is a found to the north of Cheshire on the fringes of Greater Manchester, close to Manchester airport. Containing a high number of Manchester commuters, this is one of the most affluent seats in the north west of England and contains the towns of Knutsford and Wilsmslow, and villages such as Alderley Edge, Chelford and Handforth.
Tatton is usually one of the safest Conservative seats in the UK. However, in 1997 this area came to national attention when the TV journalist, Martin Bell, won the seat as an Independent from the then Conservative MP, Neill Hamilton, in the wake of the parliamentary ‘cash for questions’ affair. Between 2001 and 2017, this seat was represented by the Conservative Chancellor, George Osborne.
Esther McVey sat in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions between January and November 2018, before resigning in protest at Theresa May’s proposed Brexit deal.
She also served briefly in the government as the Minister of State for Housing (2019-2020), Deputy Chief Whip (2017-2018).
In the Cameron government prior to 2015, McVey was Minister of State for Employment, and the Under Secretary of State for Disabled People.
McVey is on the right of the Conservative Party and stood briefly in the 2019 Conservative leadership election.
Born in 1967, McVey spent some of her earlier life in foster care and has spoken of being a Barnados child. She attended Liverpool’s John Moores University before studying journalism at City University in London. She previously worked as a TV presenter including on Childrens’ BBC. She once worked on GMTV alongside Lorraine Kelly and the pair famously do not appear to get along.
McVey also one ran her own marketing business.
Esther McVey is Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Gaps in Support. She is an active member of the Blue Collar Group of Conservative MPs.
McVey is married to fellow Conservative MP, Phillip Davies.
Email – officeofesthermcveymp@parliament.uk
Personal Website: www.esthermcvey.com; www.wirralconservatives.co.uk/
Twitter: twitter.com/EstherMcVeyMP
