Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP

Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

Biography

Caroline was born in 1958. She was educated at Herts and Essex Girls' Grammar and London University. She is married to Mark, a management consultant and they have 3 children. She enjoys cooking, gardening and is a member of the Parliament Choir.

Caroline is a former commercial negotiator specialising in purchase contracts for the food and pharmaceutical industries and a broker of commercial disputes. She was Deputy Director of International Confederation of Sugar Producers (CIBE) from 1984-89 and Administrative Secretary to the Sugar Beet Committee of the NFU of England and Wales from 1980-84.

She was a Research Fellow of Wye College. She is a trustee of the Snowdon Award Scheme to assist disabled students and a trustee of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.

Working for Meriden

The Meriden constituency lies at the heart of England between Coventry and Birmingham and contains the NEC, Birmingham Airport and Birmingham International station. It is a mixed constituency of Green Belt including the vulnerable Meriden Gap and a built up urban area merging into the city of Birmingham. The Green Belt in particular is under threat from development, in particular the proposals to expand Birmingham Airport south, encroaching on designated Green Belt land.

Experience

Caroline contested Bassetlaw in the 1992 General Election. In May 1997, she was elected Member of Parliament for Meriden. In July 1997, she was appointed to the Science and Technology House of Commons Select Committee and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Conservative Parliamentary Committee.

In June 1998, she was appointed an Opposition Whip. In the reshuffle of June 1999 Caroline was promoted to Frontbench spokeswoman for Health. In September 2001, she was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for International Development and Shadow Minister for Women. From November 2003 to March 2004, she was Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, retaining her shadow ministerial responsibilities for women.

In March 2004, Caroline was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (which is responsible for local government and communities) and after the May 2010 General Election, she was appointed Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.

Contact Details

Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP
Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Tel: 0121 711 2955
Fax: 0121 711 2955
Web: http://www.carolinespelman.com
Email: caroline@carolinespelman.com

Record Last Updated: 15-May-2010