The Right Honourable
Dame Amanda Milling
DBE, MP
Official portrait, 2020
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
Assumed office
13 November 2023
Prime MinisterRishi Sunak
Minister of State for Asia and the Middle East[a]
In office
16 September 2021 – 7 September 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byNigel Adams
Succeeded byZac Goldsmith[b]
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In office
13 February 2020 – 15 September 2021
Serving with Ben Elliot
LeaderBoris Johnson
Preceded byJames Cleverly
Succeeded byOliver Dowden
Minister without Portfolio
In office
13 February 2020 – 15 September 2021
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byJames Cleverly
Succeeded byOliver Dowden
Government Deputy Chief Whip
Treasurer of the Household
In office
28 July 2019 – 13 February 2020
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byChris Pincher
Succeeded byStuart Andrew
Member of Parliament
for Cannock Chase
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded byAidan Burley
Majority19,879 (42.9%)
Personal details
Born (1975-03-12) 12 March 1975 (age 48)
Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England
Political partyConservative
Alma materUniversity College London
Websitewww.amandamilling.com Edit this at Wikidata

Dame Amanda Anne Milling[1] DBE (born 12 March 1975) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Cannock Chase since the 2015 general election. She served as Minister without Portfolio in the UK cabinet and, alongside Ben Elliot, as Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party from February 2020 to September 2021. She also served as Minister of State for Asia and the Middle East from September 2021 to September 2022. She previously worked in market research.

Early life and career

Milling was born on 12 March 1975 in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England.[2] She attended Moreton Hall School, an independent day school in Shropshire.[3][4] Milling then studied economics and statistics at University College London, graduating in 1997. Milling joined the Conservative Party while at university.[5] Following university, Milling joined market research firm SW1 Research. She left the company in 1999 to join Quaestor where she eventually became a director.[5] Milling then worked as head of clients for Optimisa Research between 2010 and 2014.[2][5]

Political career

Milling was elected as a Conservative councillor for the Helmshore ward on the Rossendale Borough Council in Lancashire in 2009. Three years later she was promoted to deputy group leader on the council. She resigned her seat in 2014 after her selection as the Conservative candidate for the Cannock Chase constituency in Staffordshire.[6] The incumbent Conservative MP Aidan Burley had previously announced that he would be standing down at the next election.[7][8]

In the 2015 general election, she was elected with a majority of 4,923 (10.5%).[9] The following year, Milling was one of a number of MPs investigated by the Electoral Commission and the police for allegedly breaching spending regulations in the election.[10] The Commission fined the Conservative Party £70,000 in March 2017 for "significant failures" in its reporting of campaign spending.[11] After completing their investigation, the police referred the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service who concluded that, although there was evidence of inaccuracy in the reporting of spending, they would not take further action as it was not clear that candidates or agents had knowingly acted dishonestly.[12][13]

During the 2015–2017 parliament, Milling served on the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, Education, Skills and the Economy Sub-Committee.[14] Parliamentary enquiries that she was part of include the collapse of BHS,[15] and the working practices at Sports Direct.[16] She also served on Bill Committees including for the Welfare Reform and Work Bill[17] and Policing and Crime Bill.[18]

Milling supported the UK remaining within the European Union in the 2016 UK EU membership referendum.[19] After the referendum, she helped to organise Boris Johnson's 2016 Conservative leadership campaign.[20] In the 2017 general election, she was re-elected with an increased majority of 8,391 (17.6%).[9] She was made an assistant government whip during the reshuffle on 9 January 2018.[21] Milling voted for then Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement in early 2019.[22]

After the election of Johnson as prime minister in July 2019, she was appointed as Deputy Chief Whip and Treasurer of the Household in his ministry.[23] She voted for Johnson's Brexit withdrawal agreement in October 2019.[24] In the 2019 general election, she was re-elected with an increased majority of 19,879 (42.9%).[9] As part of the 2020 cabinet reshuffle, Milling was promoted to Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio.[25]

At the 2021 British cabinet reshuffle, Milling was made the new Minister of State for Asia and the Middle East, making her the only cabinet minister to leave the cabinet whilst remaining part of the government.[26] In May 2022, she visited the British Virgin Islands (BVI), an overseas territory, following the arrest by the Drug Enforcement Administration of former premier, Andrew Fahie, for alleged drug trafficking and smuggling in Miami, Florida.[27][28] The following month, the government decided not to impose direct rule which had been recommended by the BVI's governor John Rankin as part of an inquiry into governance in the territory in April 2022 but instead allow time for reform by the local government overseen by Rankin.[29]

Milling endorsed Nadhim Zahawi during the July 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.[30] She was succeeded as Minister of State for Asia by Zac Goldsmith and as Minister of State for the Middle East by Tariq Ahmad, Baron Ahmad of Wimbledon in September 2022.[31][32]

In the November 2023 British cabinet reshuffle, Milling was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury.[33]

Honours

Milling became a Privy Counsellor in February 2020, entitling her to the honorific The Right Honourable for life.[34]

She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) on 9 June 2023 as part of the 2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours.[35][36]

Notes

  1. ^ Minister of State for Asia until February 2022.
  2. ^ As Minister of State for Asia, Energy, Climate and Environment. The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon assumed responsibility for the Middle East.

References

  1. ^ "Members Sworn". parliament.uk. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b Dale, Iain; Smith, Jacqui (14 November 2019). The Honourable Ladies: Volume II: Profiles of Women MPs 1997–2019. Biteback Publishing. p. 664. ISBN 978-1-78590-447-9.
  3. ^ "Moreton Hall". Tatler. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  4. ^ Tominey, Camilla (18 September 2020). "Amanda Milling: 'The PM still has support of Red Wall despite locking down the North'". The Telegraph.(subscription required)
  5. ^ a b c Carr, Tim (18 May 2015). The Politicos Guide to the New House of Commons 2015: Profiles of the New MPs and Analysis of the 2015 General Election Results. Biteback Publishing. p. 335. ISBN 978-1-84954-924-0.
  6. ^ Dan O'Donoghue (1 September 2014). "By-election due to be held after councillor steps down". Rossendale Free Press. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  7. ^ Watt, Nicholas; Willsher, Kim (22 January 2014). "Tory MP Aidan Burley ruled 'stupid' but not antisemitic for Nazi stag party". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Nazi stag-do Tory MP Aidan Burley to step down". BBC News. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  9. ^ a b c "Cannock Chase". BBC News. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Election Expenses Exposed". Channel 4 News. 23 June 2016. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  11. ^ Elgot, Jessica; Mason, Rowena (16 March 2017). "Conservatives fined record £70,000 for campaign spending failures". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  12. ^ "No charges over 2015 Conservative battle bus cases". BBC News. 10 May 2017. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  13. ^ Sparrow, Andrew (10 May 2017). "Corbyn says he is 'surprised' by CPS decision not to prosecute over Tory election expenses – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Parliamentary career for Amanda Milling". parliament.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  15. ^ "BHS Inquiry Committee – membership". parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  16. ^ "House of Commons – Employment practices at Sports Direct – Business, Innovation and Skills Committee". parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  17. ^ "House of Commons Public Bill Committee on the Welfare Reform and Work Bill 2015–16 — UK Parliament". parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  18. ^ "House of Commons Public Bill Committee : Policing and Crime Bill (15 March 2016)". parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  19. ^ "EU vote: Where the cabinet and other MPs stand". BBC News. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  20. ^ Murphy, Joe; Watts, Joseph (29 June 2016). "Tory leadership election: Boris Johnson's transformation into a Prime Minister in waiting". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  21. ^ correspondent, Peter Walker Political (9 January 2018). "Theresa May's junior ministerial reshuffle: who's in and who's out". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  22. ^ "How MPs voted on May's withdrawal deal defeat". Financial Times. 29 March 2019. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019.
  23. ^ "Amanda Milling MP – gov.uk". www.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  24. ^ "Brexit deal: How did my MP vote on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill?". BBC News. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  25. ^ Proctor, Kate; Walker, Peter (13 February 2020). "Boris Johnson's reshuffle: who's in, who's out, at a glance". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  26. ^ "Amanda Milling sacked as Co-Chairman of Conservative Party in cabinet reshuffle". Denbighshire Free Press. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  27. ^ "Plan for direct UK rule of British Virgin Islands opposed by acting premier". The Guardian. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  28. ^ "British Virgin Islands: UK minister dispatched for governance talks". BBC News. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  29. ^ "The potential for direct rule in the British Virgin Islands". UK Parliament. 16 August 2023.
  30. ^ Madeley, Peter (12 July 2022). "Tory leadership race: Early favourite among region's MPs as nominations deadline looms". Express & Star. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  31. ^ "Lord Goldsmith". gov.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  32. ^ "Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon". gov.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  33. ^ "Ministerial appointments: November 2023". GOV.UK. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  34. ^ "Orders for 19 February 2020" (PDF). Privy Council Office. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  35. ^ "Resignation Honours 2023" (PDF). GOV.UK. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  36. ^ "No. 64120". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 July 2023. p. 14503.

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Parliament of the United Kingdom Preceded byAidan Burley Member of Parliamentfor Cannock Chase 2015–present Incumbent Political offices Preceded byChristopher Pincher Treasurer of the Household 2019–2020 Succeeded byStuart Andrew Preceded byJames Cleverly Minister without Portfolio 2020–2021 Succeeded byOliver Dowden Preceded byNigel Adams Minister of State for Asia 2021–2022 Succeeded byTBD Party political offices Preceded byChristopher Pincher Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons 2019–2020 Succeeded byStuart Andrew Preceded byJames CleverlyBen Elliot Chairman of the Conservative PartyServing with Ben Elliot 2020–2021 Succeeded byOliver Dowden
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