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==Early life==
==Education==
Born in [[Bishop's Stortford]], Hertfordshire, Spelman attended Herts and Essex High School for Girls (now called [[The Hertfordshire and Essex High School]]), in Warwick Road, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, and received a [[Bachelor's degree#Honours Degrees and academic distinctions|BA First Class]] in European Studies from [[Queen Mary, University of London|Queen Mary College]], [[University of London]].
Born in [[Bishop's Stortford]], Hertfordshire, Spelman attended Herts and Essex High School for Girls (now called [[The Hertfordshire and Essex High School]]), in Warwick Road, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, and received a [[Bachelor's degree#Honours Degrees and academic distinctions|BA First Class]] in European Studies from [[Queen Mary, University of London|Queen Mary College]], [[University of London]].


==Early career==
She was [[Sugar Beet]] commodity secretary for the [[National Farmers Union (England and Wales)|National Farmer's Union]] from 1981 to 1984. She was deputy director of the [[International Confederation of European Beet Growers]] (officially known as ''La Confédération Internationale des Betteraviers Européens'' – CIBE) in Paris from 1984–9, then a research fellow for the Centre for European Agricultural Studies (part of the [[University of Kent]] and since 2000 known as the Centre for European Agri-Environmental Economics) from 1989 to 1993. She co-owns Spelman, Cormack & Associates, a lobbying firm for the food and biotechnology industry, with her husband.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2009/10/oxford-universitywealth-school|title=
She was [[Sugar Beet]] commodity secretary for the [[National Farmers Union (England and Wales)|National Farmer's Union]] from 1981 to 1984. She was deputy director of the [[International Confederation of European Beet Growers]] (officially known as ''La Confédération Internationale des Betteraviers Européens'' – CIBE) in Paris from 1984–9, then a research fellow for the Centre for European Agricultural Studies (part of the [[University of Kent]] and since 2000 known as the Centre for European Agri-Environmental Economics) from 1989 to 1993. She co-owns Spelman, Cormack & Associates, a lobbying firm for the food and biotechnology industry, with her husband.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2009/10/oxford-universitywealth-school|title=
The new ruling class|publisher=[[NewStatesman]]|accessdate=11 October 2009}}</ref> Based in [[Dorridge]] (her constituency is in the [[Metropolitan Borough of Solihull|borough of Solihull]]).
The new ruling class|publisher=[[NewStatesman]]|accessdate=11 October 2009}}</ref> Based in [[Dorridge]] (her constituency is in the [[Metropolitan Borough of Solihull|borough of Solihull]]).

Revision as of 16:12, 17 June 2011

The Right Honourable
Caroline Spelman

MP
Spelman during the 2009 Conservative Party Conference.
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 May 2010
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byHilary Benn
Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
In office
19 January 2009 – 12 May 2010
LeaderDavid Cameron
Preceded byEric Pickles
Succeeded byJohn Denham
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In office
2 July 2007 – 19 January 2009
LeaderDavid Cameron
Preceded byFrancis Maude
Succeeded byEric Pickles
Shadow Secretary of State for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister/Communities and Local Government
In office
13 December 2005 – 2 July 2007
LeaderDavid Cameron
Preceded byherself (Local Government Affairs and Communities)
Succeeded byEric Pickles
Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government Affairs and Communities
In office
20 May 2005 – 13 December 2005
LeaderMichael Howard
Preceded byherself (Local and Devolved Government Affairs)
Succeeded byherself (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister)
Shadow Secretary of State for Local and Devolved Government Affairs
In office
15 March 2004 – 20 May 2005
LeaderMichael Howard
Preceded byDavid Curry
Succeeded byherself (Local Government Affairs and Communities)
Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment
In office
13 November 2003 – 15 March 2004
LeaderMichael Howard
Preceded byDavid Lidington (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Succeeded byRichard Ottaway
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development
In office
18 September 2001 – 13 November 2003
LeaderIain Duncan Smith
Preceded byGary Streeter
Succeeded byJohn Bercow
Member of Parliament
for Meriden
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 May 1997
Preceded byIain Mills
Majority16,253 (31.2%)
Personal details
Born (1958-05-04) 4 May 1958 (age 66)
Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England
Political partyConservative
SpouseMark Spelman
Alma materQueen Mary College, University of London.

Caroline Alice Spelman (née Cormack; born 4 May 1958) is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Meriden in the West Midlands since 1997. In May 2010 she became Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in David Cameron's coalition cabinet, and was sworn as a Privy Counsellor on 13 May 2010.[2]

Education

Born in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, Spelman attended Herts and Essex High School for Girls (now called The Hertfordshire and Essex High School), in Warwick Road, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, and received a BA First Class in European Studies from Queen Mary College, University of London.

Early career

She was Sugar Beet commodity secretary for the National Farmer's Union from 1981 to 1984. She was deputy director of the International Confederation of European Beet Growers (officially known as La Confédération Internationale des Betteraviers Européens – CIBE) in Paris from 1984–9, then a research fellow for the Centre for European Agricultural Studies (part of the University of Kent and since 2000 known as the Centre for European Agri-Environmental Economics) from 1989 to 1993. She co-owns Spelman, Cormack & Associates, a lobbying firm for the food and biotechnology industry, with her husband.[3] Based in Dorridge (her constituency is in the borough of Solihull).

Parliamentary career

Before entering Parliament in 1997, she stood unsuccessfully in the Bassetlaw constituency in Nottinghamshire at the 1992 general election.

In 2001, Iain Duncan Smith appointed Spelman Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, a post she maintained until Duncan Smith's departure as Conservative Party leader. Duncan Smith's successor, Michael Howard, opted for a streamlined Shadow Cabinet and omitted Spelman; however, he later appointed her as a front bench spokeswoman on Environmental Affairs working for Theresa May. In March 2004, Spelman re-entered the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Local and Devolved Government Affairs, succeeding David Curry. Under David Cameron's leadership of the Conservative Party, in 2007 she was promoted further to become Conservative Party Chairman. In 2009 she was moved in another reshuffle to the role of Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, replacing Eric Pickles.

Expenses

In 2009, during the expenses crisis it was reported that Spelman had received £40,000 for cleaning and bills for her constituency home, this was despite her husband claiming it was their main home, and in 2008 she reportedly over-claimed hundreds of pounds towards her council tax.[4]

"Nannygate" controversy

On 6 June 2008, Spelman was the subject of controversy when it was suggested that for around twelve months from May 1997 she paid her child's nanny, Tina Haynes, from her parliamentary staffing allowance, contrary to the rule governing such allowances and fears of the misuse of them. Spelman claims that her nanny also acted as her constituency secretary and was paid from the public taxpayers' purse for this aspect of her further employment. Haynes confirms that occasionally she would answer phone calls and post documents but initially she denied such happenings when interviewed on BBC Two's Newsnight via telephone. The accusations came at a time when Conservative Party leader David Cameron had tasked Spelman with reviewing the use of parliamentary allowances by Conservative MPs and MEPs in the wake of the Derek Conway affair.[5] The allegation against Spelman came shortly after two Conservative MEPs, Giles Chichester (Leader of the Conservatives in the EU Parliament) and Den Dover (Conservative Chief Whip in the EU Parliament), were forced to resign amid claims they misused their parliamentary allowances. However, Spelman was not urged to resign by party leader, David Cameron. She referred the matter pertaining to herself, her nanny and parliamentary funds to John Lyon, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.[6] Senior Conservative colleagues including former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis stated their support for Spelman.[7]

New revelations were exposed on the BBC's Newsnight programme that nine years previously Mrs Spelman's secretary, Sally Hammond, complained to the Conservative Party leadership that she was using Parliamentary allowances to pay her nanny and that the arrangement with the nanny was over a two year period and not one. [8]

In March 2009, the Commons Standards and Privileges Committee ruled Mrs Spelman had misused her allowances to pay for nannying work in 1997 and 1998.

Personal life

She married Mark Spelman, a senior partner at Accenture, on 25 April 1987 in south-east Kent. They have two sons and a daughter. Her husband stood as a Conservative candidate in the 2009 European elections for the West Midlands region.

The couple own a constituency home, a London townhouse and a villa in Algarve, Portugal,[9] Her wealth is estimated as £1.5m.[10]

She is a trustee of the Conservative Christian Fellowship.

References

  1. ^ The Committee Office, House of Commons. "House of Commons - Mrs Caroline Spelman - Standards and Privileges Committee". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
  2. ^ "Privy Council appointments, 13 May 2010". Privy Council. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  3. ^ "The new ruling class". NewStatesman. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  4. ^ "The new ruling class". NewStatesman. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  5. ^ Tory MP paid nanny from expenses, BBC
  6. ^ Tory chairman Caroline Spelman to meet standards commissioner over nanny expenses, Daily Telegraph 7 June 2008
  7. ^ Tories rally round Spelman Yahoo! News 8 June 2008
  8. ^ "MPs call for Spelman to be sacked". BBC News. 26 June 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  9. ^ Worden, Tom (15 March 2009). ""Nannygate" Tory Caroline Spelman's properties worth nearly £5million". Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
  10. ^ Glen Owen The coalition of millionaires: 23 of the 29 member of the new cabinet are worth more than £1m... and the Lib Dems are just as wealthy as the Tories Mail on Sunday 23 May 2010
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Meriden
1997–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
2004–2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
2009–2010 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
2010–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Chairman of the Conservative Party
2007–2009 		Succeeded by

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