Caroline Spelman Facts for Kids

Shadow Cabinet positions


Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
In office 19 January 2009 – 12 May 2010
Leader	David Cameron
Preceded by	Eric Pickles
Succeeded by	John Denham
In office 15 March 2004 – 2 July 2007
Leader	Michael Howard David Cameron
Preceded by	David Curry (Local and Devolved Government Affairs)
Succeeded by	Eric Pickles
Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment
In office 10 November 2003 – 15 March 2004
Leader	Michael Howard
Preceded by	David Lidington (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Succeeded by	Richard Ottaway
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development
In office 18 September 2001 – 10 November 2003
Leader	Iain Duncan Smith
Preceded by	Gary Streeter
Succeeded by	John Bercow
Shadow Minister for Women
In office 14 September 2001 – 15 March 2004
Leader	Iain Duncan Smith Michael Howard
Preceded by	Theresa May
Succeeded by	Eleanor Laing

Member of Parliament
for Meriden

In office
1 May 1997 – 6 November 2019

Preceded by

Iain Mills

Succeeded by

Saqib Bhatti

Personal details

Born

Caroline Alice Cormack

4 May 1958 (age 67)
Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England

Political party

Conservative

Spouse

Mark Spelman

(m. 1987)

Children

Residences

London, England
Algarve, Portugal

Alma mater

Queen Mary College, University of London

Dame Caroline Spelman (born 4 May 1958) is a British politician. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Meriden from 1997 to 2019. She was also a government minister, serving as the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2010 to 2012.

Early Life and Education
Working Before Parliament
Becoming an MP
Personal Life

Early Life and Education

Caroline Alice Cormack was born in Bishop's Stortford, England. She went to The Hertfordshire and Essex High School. Later, she studied European Studies at Queen Mary College, University of London. She earned a top degree there.

Working Before Parliament

Before becoming an MP, Caroline Spelman worked in agriculture.

From 1981 to 1984, she was a secretary for the National Farmers' Union. This group helps farmers.
She then worked in Paris for a European beet growers' group.
From 1989 to 1993, she was a research fellow at the Centre for European Agricultural Studies.
She also co-owns a company with her husband. This company helps businesses in the food and biotechnology industries.

Becoming an MP

Caroline Spelman first tried to become an MP in 1992 but was not elected. In 1997, she was elected as the MP for Meriden.

Roles in the Conservative Party

As an MP, she held several important roles within the Conservative Party:

From 2001, she was a "Shadow Secretary of State." This means she was the main spokesperson for her party on a topic when they were not in power. She focused on International Development.
She later became a spokesperson for Environmental Affairs.
In 2004, she became the Shadow Secretary of State for Local and Devolved Government Affairs.
From 2007 to 2009, she was the Conservative Party Chairman. This is a very important role in the party.
In 2009, she became the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Working in Government

When the Conservative Party formed a government in 2010, Caroline Spelman became a government minister.

From 2010 to 2012, she was the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This job meant she was in charge of things like farming, protecting nature, and food safety for the whole country.
During this time, she helped create important international agreements. These included a UN agreement on protecting different kinds of plants and animals (biodiversity) and the Sustainable Development Goals agreement.
She also helped create a plan for the UK's environment up to 2060. She saw this as one of her biggest achievements.

Later Parliamentary Work

After 2012, Caroline Spelman continued to be an MP.

From 2015 to 2019, she served as the Second Church Estates Commissioner. This role helps manage the Church of England's property and finances.
She was against Brexit, which was the UK leaving the European Union.
In 2019, she helped pass an important vote in Parliament. This vote aimed to stop the UK from leaving the EU without a deal.
In September 2019, she announced she would not stand for re-election. She made this decision after receiving threats related to Brexit.

Personal Life

Caroline Spelman is married to Mark Spelman. They have three children. In 1997, she was the only Conservative MP with school-aged children. She found it challenging to balance her political work with family life.

She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2016. This is a special honour given for great service to the country.

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Caroline Spelman facts for kids

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