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Dame Caroline Spelman
Official portrait of Dame Caroline Spelman crop 2.jpg
Official portrait, 2017
Second Church Estates Commissioner
In office
21 May 2015 – 12 December 2019
Prime Minister David Cameron
Theresa May
Boris Johnson
Preceded by Tony Baldry
Succeeded by Andrew Selous
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In office
12 May 2010 – 4 September 2012
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by Hilary Benn
Succeeded by Owen Paterson
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In office
2 July 2007 – 19 January 2009
Leader David Cameron
Preceded by Francis Maude
Succeeded by Eric Pickles
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

(1958-05-04) 4 May 1958 (age 67)
Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England
Political party Conservative
Spouse
Mark Spelman
(m. 1987)
Children 3
Residences London, England
Algarve, Portugal
Alma mater Queen Mary College, University of London

Dame Caroline Alice Spelman, born Caroline Cormack on May 4, 1958, is a British politician. She was a member of the Conservative Party. She served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Meriden in the West Midlands. She held this position from 1997 until 2019.

From May 2010 to September 2012, she was the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This was part of David Cameron's government. She became a Privy Counsellor on May 13, 2010.

Early Life and Education

Caroline Spelman was born in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England. She attended The Hertfordshire and Essex High School. Later, she studied at Queen Mary College, University of London. She earned a First Class Bachelor's degree in European Studies.

Career Before Parliament

Before becoming an MP, Caroline Spelman worked in agriculture.

  • From 1981 to 1984, she was a secretary for sugar beet at the National Farmers' Union.
  • She then worked in Paris for the International Confederation of European Beet Growers. This was from 1984 to 1989.
  • From 1989 to 1993, she was a research fellow. She worked at the Centre for European Agricultural Studies.
  • She also co-owns a company with her husband. This company works with the food and biotechnology industries.

Time as a Member of Parliament

Caroline Spelman first tried to become an MP in 1992. She ran in the Bassetlaw area but was not elected. She successfully became an MP for Meriden in 1997.

Key Roles in Opposition

When the Conservative Party was not in power, she held several important roles:

  • In 2001, she became the Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. This role involves looking at how the UK helps other countries.
  • Later, she worked as a spokeswoman on Environmental Affairs.
  • In 2004, she joined the Shadow Cabinet again. She became the Shadow Secretary of State for Local and Devolved Government Affairs.
  • In 2007, she was promoted to Conservative Party Chairman. This is a very important role within the party.
  • In 2009, she became the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Government Minister Role

From 2010 to 2012, Caroline Spelman served as the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs. In this job, she worked on important environmental issues.

  • She helped achieve a United Nations agreement on biodiversity in Nagoya. Biodiversity means the variety of life on Earth.
  • She also helped with the Sustainable Development Goals agreement in Rio. These goals aim to make the world a better place for everyone.
  • She considered her Nature Environment White Paper a major achievement. This paper set out the government's plans for the environment until 2060.

Later Parliamentary Work

After 2012, Caroline Spelman returned to being a regular MP. She continued to represent her constituents.

  • 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 before the 2016 vote.
  • In January 2019, she proposed an amendment in Parliament. This amendment aimed to prevent the UK from leaving the European Union without a deal. It was approved by MPs.
  • In September 2019, she announced she would not run for re-election. She decided this after facing difficult experiences related to Brexit.

Personal Life

Caroline Spelman married Mark Spelman on April 25, 1987. They have two sons and one daughter. Her husband also ran for election in 2009.

When she first became an MP in 1997, she was the only Conservative MP with school-aged children. The party asked her to have her children educated in her local area. This meant she did not see her children as often, which she found challenging.

She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2016. This honor was given for her public service.

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