Julie Marson (born 23 March 1965)[1] is the former Member of Parliament for Hertford and Stortford. She served as an Assistant Government Whip from October 2022 to November 2023,[2] having previously held the office from July to September 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she also served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment between July 2022 and September 2022.[3] She was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hertford and Stortford in the 2019 general election.[4] She was defeated at the 2024 United Kingdom general election, with Labour candidate Josh Dean elected as the new MP.
Julie Marson | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Assistant Government Whip | |
| In office 27 October 2022 – 13 November 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak |
| In office 8 July 2022 – 20 September 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Andrea Jenkyns |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment | |
| In office 8 July 2022 – 20 September 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Mims Davies |
| Succeeded by | Victoria Prentis |
| Member of Parliament for Hertford and Stortford | |
| In office 12 December 2019 – 30 May 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Mark Prisk |
| Succeeded by | Josh Dean |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 March 1965 |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Residence(s) | Kent, England |
Early life and career
editMarson was born in Barking, London and previously worked in finance.[5][6] She was educated at Woodford County High School for Girls and Downing College, Cambridge.[7] Prior to becoming an MP, she worked in corporate banking for NatWest.[8]
Political career
editMarson was previously a councillor on Thanet District Council in Kent, representing the Viking ward from 2011 to 2015.[9] She has also served as a magistrate.[8]
She contested the Labour-held East London seat of Dagenham and Rainham at the 2015 general election, finishing in third place. She stood again two years later, at the 2017 snap election, this time finishing in second place and increasing her vote share by 16%.
On 24 October 2019, the Hertford and Stortford Conservative Association chose Marson to succeed the incumbent MP Mark Prisk as their candidate in what has generally been considered a safe seat for the Conservative Party.[10] At the general election on 12 December 2019, Marson was elected as the MP for Hertford and Stortford, with a majority of over 19,000.
After the 2022 government crisis, she was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment. She answered her first questions as a minister in the House of Commons on 11 July.[11]
In April 2023, she failed to be automatically reselected for the 2024 general election by her local party executive following a vote.[12] After a ballot of party members she was reselected.[13]
Political positions
editMarson supported Leave in the 2016 referendum on EU membership.[8]
On 8 June 2020, she called for a global ban on wet markets.[14]
Later that month, Marson called for LGBT+ conversion therapy to be banned, labelling it "morally and medically wrong."[15]
Marson has supported the Turn on the Subtitles campaign, raising it at Prime Minister's Questions.[16]
On 21 October 2020, she voted against an Opposition Day Motion to extend free school meals in England until Easter 2021.[17]
Marson has been criticised for helping to vote down Labour bills to stop sewage dumping in the River Stort and River Lea across the county.
Marson has supported initiatives promoting women in STEM and businesses.[18]
Personal life
editMarson lives in Kent and is married with a son. She also has a blonde cockapoo dog named Boris.[8]
References
edit- ^ Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. HarperCollins Publishers Limited. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
- ^ "Ministerial Appointments commencing: 25 October 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ "Ministerial appointments: July 2022". GOV.UK. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "Hertford & Stortford parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". www.bbc.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ "About Julie Marson". www.juliemarson.org.uk/about-julie-marson. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
- ^ "The Hertford and Stortford candidate selection: a shortlist, a controversy and a cautionary tale". Conservative Home. 24 October 2019. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ "General Election 2019: Julie Marson holds Hertford and Stortford for Conservatives". The Bishop's Stortford Independent. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Marson, Julie". Politics.co.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Viking Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
- ^ Corr, Sinead (25 October 2019). "Julie Marson selected to replace MP Mark Prisk as Conservative candidate for Hertford and Stortford in General Election". Bishop's Stortford Independent. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ "Marson faces first question by blasting Labour's employment record". Politics.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
- ^ "Stortford Tory MP appeals to party members after shock reselection decision". Bishop's Stortford Independent. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ "Bishop's Stortford MP Julie Marson survives selection vote". Bishop's Stortford Independent. 21 April 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ Edwards, Julie Marson, Ruth. "Ending wet markets around the world must be our priority". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "LGBT+ Conversion Therapy". Julie Marson. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020.
- ^ "Julie Marson MP Asks the Prime Minister to Turn on the Subtitles". Julie Marson. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ "Free school meals extension: Rebel Rob says it's a 'no brainer' but Marson says no". Bishop's Stortford Independent. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "Stortford MP backs next generation of female entrepreneurs". Bishop's Stortford Independent. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
External links
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