The Home Office tax-trained minister who got Modern Slavery on the books, the Culture Secretary who referred the Fox bid for Sky to the CMA, the Northern Ireland Secretary who told The House magazine she had not realised "people who are nationalists don''t vote for unionist parties and vice versa". The July 2024 majority was 1,175 over Labour with Reform third on 23.2%, the seat held only because the right split.

Born 1970; Imperial College London BSc Mathematics. Deloitte tax manager from 1991, KPMG senior tax manager from the late 1990s, seconded by KPMG to advise Michael Howard''s Shadow Treasury team in 2002. Stood and lost in Manchester Withington in 2005. Elected in 2010 for Staffordshire Moorlands on a 6,689 majority that grew to 16,428 by 2019 and collapsed to 1,175 in July 2024.

Assistant Whip at the Treasury from September 2012, Lord Commissioner from October 2013, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Home Office from February 2014 to July 2016 as Minister for Modern Slavery and Organised Crime. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 was the piece of legislation she took through Parliament for Theresa May; the supply chain transparency clause she secured is the cleanest single legislative credit on her record.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from 14 July 2016 to 8 January 2018. The Fox bid for 21st Century Sky was the brief that defined the tenure. On 14 September 2017 she announced she was "minded to" refer on media plurality grounds, and on 20 September 2017 made the formal referral to the Competition and Markets Authority. The Channel 4 board appointments row of late 2016, when she blocked Althea Efunshile while approving four white male candidates, drew a cross party complaint and her successor ratified Efunshile in December 2017.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 8 January 2018 to 24 July 2019. The House magazine interview of 7 September 2018 produced the verbatim line "I didn''t understand things like when elections are fought, for example, in Northern Ireland, people who are nationalists don''t vote for unionist parties and vice versa". On 6 March 2019 she told the Commons that the fewer than 10% of Troubles killings at the hands of the military and police were "not crimes" because the perpetrators were "acting under orders and under instruction and fulfilling their duties in a dignified and appropriate way". Sinn Féin called it a resignation matter; she returned to the chamber to "clarify" the same day and apologised the next. The Stella Creasy amendment on Northern Ireland abortion law passed the Commons on 9 July 2019 with cross party support, placing the implementation duty on her successor.

Backbencher from July 2019. Chair of the Procedure Committee from 29 January 2020 to May 2024. Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee from 11 September 2024. Chair of the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union since 2020. DBE in the 2024 New Year Honours for public and political service.

Voted Remain in 2016 and Aye on May''s Withdrawal Agreement at all three meaningful votes. Voted Aye on the Rwanda Bill throughout. Voted No on the Leadbeater assisted dying bill at second reading on 29 November 2024. Did not stand in the 2024 leadership and endorsed Tom Tugendhat early. Outside earnings strikingly modest: an Advisory Board seat at The House magazine at £150 per meeting, no directorships, the unpaid IPU and British Irish Parliamentary Assembly roles. A workmanlike committee chair whose ministerial career was defined by two textbook own goals in Northern Ireland and a Sky bid referral that bought News Corp time.