Early life
Dorries was born Nadine Vanessa Bargery inEarly career
From 1978 to 1981, Dorries was a nurse in Warrington and Liverpool according to a 2009 report. Her CV when she was a parliamentary candidate in 2001 stated Liverpool and London as places where she worked as a nurse. She left the Liverpool area after she married mining engineer Paul Dorries. In 1982, Dorries became a medical representative to Ethicla Ltd for a year, before spending a year inParliamentary career (2005–present)
Dorries won the Conservative candidacy for the safe seat of Mid Bedfordshire in 2005 on the retirement through ill health after a series of scandals ofThree weeks before the 2005 general election I, a council estate Scouser, was selected as the Conservative candidate to represent a southern rural constituency. Because the vacancy occurred so quickly and so close to D-day, the party provided my association with a shortlist of seventeen candidates, of which about five were women. Following a long day of interviews in hot sunny rooms, the list was whittled down to a shortlist of three ... I was informed that I had been selected outright on the first ballot ... That pride, that sense of achievement, the knowledge that I was selected on the basis of my performance and merit above all other candidates on that day is what enables me to hold my head up high in this place.Dorries' account of her own selection appears to contradict a news report which ''
Mrs Dorries, who has three teenage children, easily beat her 11 rivals and won the plum safe seat on the first ballot at the selection this weekend. Party officials were thrilled that the seat has gone to a woman. Previously, only two women had been selected in the 17 safe seats where sitting MPs have retired. Senior party figures had made clear to local dignitaries that they would like the seat to go to a woman and presented the constituency with a shortlist of seven women and five men to underline the point.Rosemary Bennett and Helen Rumbelow "Tory joy as ex-nurse is picked for safe seat", ''The Times'', 4 April 2005. This passage is reproduced by 'Unity':Dorries was elected to the
Damian McBride email affair
In April 2009, Dorries stated that she had commenced legal action following the leaked publication of emails sent byExpenses claims
In May 2009, ''Blog
A complaint from theVisit to Equatorial Guinea with other MPs
In August 2011, Dorries led the first delegation of Members of Parliament toReality TV and temporary suspension
Early in November 2012, it was announced that Dorries had agreed to appear in '' I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here''. Other Conservatives objected to her decision and her constituents were "overwhelmingly negative" on local radio. Neither the Conservative chief whip,Brexit
In the June 2016Minister for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health (2019–2021)
WhenSecretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (2021–2022)
On 15 September 2021, Dorries was promoted asReturn to the backbenches 2022–present
On 5 September 2022, in anticipation of the appointment ofAuthor
It became public knowledge in September 2013 that Dorries had signed a three-book deal for a six-figure advance; her first book was published the following April. Her first novel, ''The Four Streets'', which draws on her Liverpool Catholic background, became a No.1 best-selling e-book with 100,000 copies sold in the format by July 2014, although print sales in hardback and paperback were significantly lower with, respectively, 2,735 and 637 sales by then. Dorries' work of fiction gained mostly negative reviews. Sarah Ditum in the ''Political views
Dorries, described as "a right-wing, working-class Conservative", is a member of the socially conservativeAbortion time limits and counselling
Dorries says she witnessed "botched" abortions on two occasions, an experience that influenced her campaign to lower the point during a pregnancy at which an abortion can be performed. On 31 October 2006, Dorries introduced aWhat goes on in here would have no structure whatsover, no sense of achievement if it wasn't for people like Andrea on the outside. You know, the Lawyers Christian Fellowhsip, the Medical Christian Fellowship on this particular issue are absolutely vital because they give us the informationDorries' amendment was defeated by 332 votes to 190, with a separate 22-week limit opposed by 304 votes to 233. A majority of MPs continued to support the 24-week limit. She said of her tactics on this issue in 2007: "If I were to argue that all abortions should be banned, the ethical discussions would go round in circles ... My view is that the only way forward is to argue for a reduction in the time limit ... it's every baby's right to have a life." Dorries proposed amendments to the
Abstinence advocacy for girls in sex education
On 4 May 2011, Dorries proposed a Bill to require that sex education in schools should include content promoting abstinence to girls aged 13–16, which was presented as teaching them "how to say no". While sex education already mentions the option of abstinence, the bill would have required active promotion of abstinence to girls, with no such requirement in the education provided to boys. Owing to Dorries' claims about practices used in teaching about sex,Same-sex marriage
Dorries opposed the government's successful legislation to introduceBurka ban
In August 2018, Boris Johnson was criticised for a column that he had written in the ''Speaker John Bercow
Prior toCameron, Clegg and Osborne
On 6 March 2012, Dorries criticised Cameron andAll-women shortlists
In a debate on ''High heels at work
In late 2009, Dorries campaigned against what she called "a proposal to ban the wearing of high heels in the office" which was to be debated at the 2009Benefit claimants
In October 2010, Dorries suggested that benefit claimants who made more than 35,000 postings onPersonal life
Dorries married mining engineer Paul Dorries in 1984. They had three daughters before separating in 2007 and subsequently divorcing; he suffered fromHonours
Dorries was sworn in as a member ofAwards
In 2008, Dorries won ''Books
* The Four Streets Saga series ** ''The Four Streets'' (volume 1), Head of Zeus, April 2014, ** ''Hide Her Name'' (volume 2), Head of Zeus, December 2014, ** ''The Ballymara Road'' (volume 3), Head of Zeus, June 2015, ** ''Coming Home to the Four Streets'' (volume 4), Head of Zeus, 2021, * ''Run to Him'' (short story), Head of Zeus, November 2014, * ''A Girl Called Eilinora'' (short story), Head of Zeus, September 2015, * ''Ruby Flynn'', Head of Zeus, November 2015, * The Lovely Lane series ** ''The Angels of Lovely Lane'' (volume 1), Head of Zeus, June 2016, ** ''The Children of Lovely Lane'' (volume 2), Head of Zeus, December 2016, ** ''The Mothers of Lovely Lane'' (volume 3), Head of Zeus, June 2017, ** ''Christmas Angels'' (volume 4), Head of Zeus, November 2017, ** ''An Angel Sings'' (short story), Head of Zeus, November 2018, ** ''Snow Angels'' (volume 5), Head of Zeus, October 2019, * The Tarabeg series ** ''Shadows in Heaven'' (volume 1), Head of Zeus, July 2018, ** ''Mary Kate'' (volume 2), Head of Zeus, January 2019, ** ''The Velvet Ribbon'' (volume 3), Head of Zeus, January 2020, * The Bellfont Legacy series (6 volumes announced) ** ''A Wicked Woman'' (volume 1), Head of Zeus, announced March 2024,Notes
References
External links