British politician
Jessica Katherine Lee[1] (born 7 April 1976)[2] is a British former Conservative Party politician. She was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Erewash in Derbyshire in 2010.[1] She served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Attorney General, Dominic Grieve, before stepping down for the 2015 general election.
Early life
Lee was born in Nottingham on 7 April 1976,[2] educated at Loughborough High School and Royal Holloway, University of London, where she graduated with a degree in History & Politics in 1997[3] and served as Chair of the college's Conservative Students Society. She was the first person from her family to go to university.[4]
Lee went on to study at the College of Law. She was called to the Bar by the Middle Temple in 2000, and practised as a barrister specialising in family law.[4]
At the 2005 general election, Lee stood as a parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party in Camberwell and Peckham, finishing third with 9.8% of the vote in a constituency won by the incumbent Labour Party MP Harriet Harman.[5]
Parliamentary career
Lee was elected to the House of Commons as MP for Erewash in the 2010 general election with a majority of 2,501.[6] After her victory was confirmed, she said: "I feel privileged, honoured, slightly overwhelmed. I mean it when I say I will do my best to serve everyone in Erewash, whether they voted for me or not".[7] Lee campaigned enthusiastically for the opening of a railway station in Ilkeston, and raised the issue in the House of Commons.[8]
Following the formation of the Cameron Ministry in May 2010, Lee was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Attorney General, Dominic Grieve.[9]
In January 2014, Lee announced her intention to step down at the 2015 general election.[10]
