Amanda Jane Solloway (née Edghill, 6 June 1961) is a British politician serving as

Lord Commissioner of the Treasury In the United Kingdom there are at least six Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, serving as a commission for the ancient office of Treasurer of the Exchequer. The board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the ...

since September 2022. She served as

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities The minister for women and equalities is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom which leads the Government Equalities Office. This is an independent department within the wider Cabinet Office that has responsibility for addressing all fo ...

and

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding (also known as Minister for Safeguarding) is a junior role in the British Home Office. It is held by Sarah Dines MP from October 2022. Responsibilities The minister has the following r ...

from July to September 2022. A member of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

, she has been the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for Derby North since 2019, having previously served from 2015 to 2017.

Early life and education

Amanda Jane Edghill was born on 6 June 1961 in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

. She has a younger sister and brother. She was educated at

Bramcote Hills Grammar School Bramcote Hills Sports and Community College was a mixed state school in Nottinghamshire. It taught children from 11 to 18 (Years 7-13). It is located in Bramcote, Nottinghamshire. It was part of the White Hills Park Federation with Executive Hea ...

Bramcote Bramcote is a suburban village in the Broxtowe district of Nottinghamshire, England, between Stapleford and Beeston. It is in Broxtowe parliamentary constituency. The main Nottingham–Derby road today is the A52, Brian Clough Way. Nearby ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

, which became comprehensive in 1978. She started working at the age of 16 behind the counter of an off-licence before working as a management trainee at

Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company wa ...

supermarket where she stayed for 13 years. Amanda then went on to work in a regional training role at

Help the Aged Help the Aged was a United Kingdom based international charity founded in 1961 by Cecil Jackson-Cole and Hugh Faulkner to help disadvantaged older people who were affected by poverty, isolation and neglect. It merged with Age Concern in 2009 to f ...

before working for Baird Clothing company as head of training in 1998, and founded her own consultancy in 2008 (which is now dormant due to Parliamentary duties).

Parliamentary career

Solloway was first elected at the 2015 general election for the Derby North constituency, with a majority of 41 votes, unseating the Labour MP Chris Williamson, who had been the MP for the seat since 2010. She became a

parliamentary private secretary A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom who acts as an unpaid assistant to a minister or shadow minister. They are selected from backbench MPs as the 'eyes and ears' of the minister in the H ...

to the minister of state for the

Department of International Development , type = Department , logo = DfID.svg , logo_width = 180px , logo_caption = , picture = File:Admiralty Screen (411824276).jpg , picture_width = 180px , picture_caption = Department for International Development (London office) (far right ...

. Solloway has been a campaigner on

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

and

homelessness Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

issues in Derby North and in Parliament. Solloway lost her seat at the 2017 general election to Williamson, on a night where Labour made gains across the United Kingdom. She continued to be active in Derby North, including in the 2018 Derby City Council election and 2019 Derby City Council election, where the Conservatives made gains in the Derby North constituency wards. She regained Derby North for the Conservatives at the 2019 general election with a majority of 2,540, with Williamson (standing as an independent) in sixth place. On 14 February 2020, Solloway was appointed

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Science, Research and Innovation The Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation (also known as Science Minister) is a mid-level position in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in the British government. It was re-created by the Second Johnson ...

at the

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is a department of His Majesty's Government. The department was formed during a machinery of government change on 14 July 2016, following Theresa May's appointment as Prime ...

during the first cabinet reshuffle of the

second Johnson ministry The second Johnson ministry began on 16 December 2019, three days after Boris Johnson's audience with Queen Elizabeth II where she invited him to form a new administration following the 2019 general election, in which the Conservative Party w ...

. On 17 September 2021, Solloway was appointed a

lord commissioner of the Treasury In the United Kingdom there are at least six Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, serving as a commission for the ancient office of Treasurer of the Exchequer. The board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the ...

(

Government whip A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. This means ensuring that members of the party vote according to the party platform, rather than according to their own individual ideology o ...

) during the second cabinet reshuffle of the

Other work

Solloway spent 15 years in retail management with

J Sainsbury J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company ...

supermarket, a further 15 years within human resources in the

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

sector (

and

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

), and in the private sector (Baird Clothing Group) supporting manufacturing, warehousing and retail. From 2017 to 2021 Solloway was the sole director and sole shareholder of Amanda Solloway Limited, a management consultancy company, which entered voluntary liquidation in December 2020.

Personal life

Solloway lives in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

and was patron of the Friends Of The Baby Unit at

Royal Derby Hospital Royal Derby Hospital is one of two teaching hospitals in the city of Derby, the other being the London Road Community Hospital. It is managed by the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust. History The original hospital o ...

. She ran the

London Marathon The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held ...

, in 2016 and 2017, and, in doing so, raised money for the hospital's baby unit. She has also served as a School Governor for around 20 years and has been a keen campaigner for mental health issues.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Solloway, Amanda 21st-century British women politicians Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Living people Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Derbyshire People from the Borough of Erewash Politicians from Nottingham People from Derby Politics of Derby UK MPs 2015–2017 UK MPs 2019–present British charity and campaign group workers Mental health activists 1961 births 21st-century English women 21st-century English people