Katherine Fletcher
Katherine Fletcher | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women | |
| In office 20 September 2022 – 27 October 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Liz Truss |
| Preceded by | The Baroness Stedman-Scott |
| Succeeded by | Maria Caulfield |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport | |
| In office 20 September 2022 – 27 October 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Liz Truss |
| Preceded by | Karl McCartney |
| Succeeded by | Richard Holden |
| Member of Parliament for South Ribble | |
| In office 12 December 2019 – 30 May 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Seema Kennedy |
| Succeeded by | Paul Foster |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Katherine Fletcher 18 February 1976[1] Wythenshawe, Manchester, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | University of Nottingham |
Katherine Fletcher (born 18 February 1976)[2] is a British Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Ribble in Lancashire, from 2019 to 2024.[3] She served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Transport and Minister for Women between September and October 2022.[4]
Early life and career
[edit]Katherine Fletcher was born on 18 February 1976 in Wythenshawe, living in Brooklands until she went to university in Nottingham.[5]
Fletcher attended, St Wilfreds Junior School, Sandilands Junior School in Wythenshawe and then the selective Altrincham Grammar School for Girls in Bowdon, Greater Manchester. She studied biology at University of Nottingham, during which time she worked as a nursing assistant in an elderly care home. Before her election, Fletcher worked in banking and assisted in the early setup of the Northern Powerhouse. At the time of the election, Fletcher was a small and medium enterprise (SME) business owner [5] and a town councillor on Knutsford Town Council.[6] Fletcher resigned from the Town Council in April 2020.[7]
Parliamentary career
[edit]Fletcher stood as the Conservative Party's candidate in Ellesmere Port and Neston at the 2015 general election. She came second in the election to the Labour MP Justin Madders. She was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Ribble at the 2019 general election.[8] Her predecessor was fellow Conservative Seema Kennedy, who retired. Fletcher has said the A&E department at the Chorley and South Ribble Hospital should be restored to a 24-hour service.[9]
As of March 2020, Fletcher holds Membership of two Parliamentary Committees: the Science and Technology Select Committee and the Petitions Committee.[10]
Fletcher lost her South Ribble seat at the 2024 General Election to the Labour party's Paul Foster with a 17.4 swing to the Labour Party.[11]
Personal life
[edit]Fletcher qualified as safari ranger (field guide) during a gap year in Mpumalanga in Limpopo province, South Africa, and Mozambique. Away from politics, she enjoys palaeontology and holds a season ticket at Manchester United.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Members' Names Data Platform query". UK Parliament. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ 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. 335. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
- ^ "South Ribble - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Ministerial Appointments: September 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ a b c "Katherine Fletcher". South Ribble Conservatives. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ "Knutsford Town Council Election Results May 2019". Knutsford Town Council. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ "Cllr Fletcher Steps Down". Knutsford Town Council. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
- ^ "South Ribble" (PDF). South Ribble District Council. Retrieved 13 December 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "REVEALED: The suggested shortlist of options for Chorley A&E". www.lep.co.uk. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ^ "Parliamentary career for Katherine Fletcher - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ "2024 South Ribble Election result". lep.co.uk. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
External links
[edit]
- 1976 births
- Living people
- UK MPs 2019–2024
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
- Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
- 21st-century British women politicians
- People from Knutsford
- People from Wythenshawe
- Politicians from Manchester
- Alumni of the University of Nottingham
- Conservative Party (UK) councillors
- Councillors in Cheshire
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Lancashire
- 21st-century English women
- 21st-century English politicians
- Women councillors in England
- Women's ministers of the United Kingdom