Esther McVey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable Esther McVey MP
Official portrait, 2017
Member of Parliament for Tatton
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 June 2017
Preceded by	George Osborne
Majority	1,136 (2.1%)
Minister of State without Portfolio
In office 13 November 2023 – 5 July 2024
Prime Minister	Rishi Sunak
Preceded by	Gavin Williamson
Succeeded by	Nick Thomas-Symonds
Minister of State for Housing and Planning
In office 24 July 2019 – 13 February 2020
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Kit Malthouse
Succeeded by	Chris Pincher
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
In office 8 January 2018 – 15 November 2018
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	David Gauke
Succeeded by	Amber Rudd
Government Deputy Chief Whip Treasurer of the Household
In office 2 November 2017 – 8 January 2018
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Julian Smith
Succeeded by	Chris Pincher
Minister of State for Employment
In office 7 October 2013 – 8 May 2015
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Mark Hoban
Succeeded by	Priti Patel
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Disabled People
In office 4 September 2012 – 7 October 2013
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Maria Miller
Succeeded by	Mike Penning
Member of Parliament for Wirral West
In office 6 May 2010 – 30 March 2015
Preceded by	Stephen Hesford
Succeeded by	Margaret Greenwood
Chair of the British Transport Police Authority
In office 19 November 2015 – 2 May 2017
Preceded by	Millie Banerjee
Succeeded by	Ron Barclay-Smith
Personal details
Born	Esther Louise McVey (1967-10-24) 24 October 1967 (age 57) Liverpool, Lancashire, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Philip Davies ​ (m. 2020)​
Residences	West Kirby, Wirral Peninsula, England
Alma mater	Queen Mary, University of London City, University of London Liverpool John Moores University

Esther McVey (born 24 October 1967) is a British politician and former television presenter. She has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Tatton since 2017. Before that, she was the MP for Wirral West from 2010 to 2015.

As a member of the Conservative Party, she has held several important roles in the government. These include Minister of State for Employment (2013–2015), Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2018), Minister of State for Housing and Planning (2019–2020), and Minister of State without Portfolio (2023–2024).

Esther McVey was born in Liverpool. She spent her first two years in foster care before being raised by her biological family. She studied at Queen Mary University of London and City, University of London. Before becoming a politician, she worked in her family's construction business and later became a television presenter, co-hosting shows like GMTV.

Early Life and Education

Esther McVey was born in Liverpool on 24 October 1967. Her family has Irish Catholic roots. For her first two years, she was cared for by a foster family through Barnardo's.

She attended The Belvedere School, which was a private school at the time. After school, she studied law at Queen Mary University of London, earning a law degree. She then went on to get a master's degree in radio journalism from City, University of London. In 2009, she also earned a master's degree in corporate governance from Liverpool John Moores University.

From 2000 to 2006, McVey was a director in her family's construction business in Liverpool. The company focused on demolition, clearing land, and helping to rebuild areas.

Media Career

After finishing her university studies, Esther McVey began a career in media. She worked as both a presenter and a producer for various television shows.

In 1991, she co-presented a summer holiday show for Children's BBC called But First This. She also co-hosted GMTV and presented BBC1's science show How Do They Do That?. Other shows she worked on include 5's Company, The Heaven and Earth Show, Shopping City, and Channel 4's legal series Nothing But The Truth. She also performed in the play ... Monologues in Liverpool.

Later, McVey started her own business in Liverpool called Making It (UK) Ltd. This company helped small and medium-sized businesses by offering training and office space for new startup businesses. This led her to create Winning Women, which received support from the North West Regional Development Agency.

In 2021, McVey joined GB News to host a weekly show with her husband, called Saturday Morning with Esther and Phillip. In 2022, they also started presenting another show on Fridays, called Friday Morning with Esther and Phillip.

Political Journey

Esther McVey first tried to become an MP in the 2005 general election for Wirral West. She came in second place.

First Term as MP (2010–2015)

In the 2010 general election, Esther McVey was elected as the MP for Wirral West. She won with a majority of 2,436 votes.

In November 2010, she became a Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Employment Minister. From 2012 to 2013, she served as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Work and Pensions.

In October 2013, David Cameron appointed McVey as Minister of State for Employment in the Department for Work and Pensions. She became a member of the Privy Council in February 2014.

At the 2015 general election, McVey lost her seat in Wirral West to the Labour candidate, Margaret Greenwood.

Out of Parliament (2015–2017)

After losing her seat, McVey became the chair of the British Transport Police Authority in November 2015. She held this role until May 2017, when she resigned to run for Parliament again. During this time, she also worked part-time for a lobbying firm and an investment group.

Second Term as MP (2017–2019)

In April 2017, McVey was chosen to be the Conservative candidate for the Tatton seat, taking over from George Osborne. She was elected as the MP for Tatton in the 2017 general election with a large majority.

After this election, she was appointed Deputy Chief Government Whip.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2018)

On 8 January 2018, Esther McVey became the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. She held this important role until November 2018.

In July 2018, she apologized to the House of Commons. This was because she had mistakenly said that a report from the National Audit Office supported speeding up the Universal Credit scheme, when the report actually suggested pausing it.

McVey resigned from her ministerial role on 15 November 2018. This was due to her disagreement with Theresa May's proposed Brexit withdrawal agreement. Amber Rudd took over her position.

Conservative Party Leadership Campaign (2019)

In May 2019, McVey announced she would run to become the leader of the Conservative Party after Theresa May resigned. She also launched a group called Blue Collar Conservatives as part of her campaign.

However, McVey was eliminated in the first round of voting for the Conservative Party leadership election.

Minister of State for Housing and Planning (2019–2020)

After Boris Johnson became Prime Minister in July 2019, McVey returned to the government. She was appointed Minister of State for Housing and Planning.

Third Term as MP (2019–2024)

In the 2019 general election, McVey was re-elected as the MP for Tatton. Her vote share was slightly lower, but her majority increased.

In February 2020, McVey was removed from her government role during Boris Johnson's first Cabinet reshuffle.

Backbencher (2020–2023)

After leaving the government, McVey returned to being a regular MP, known as a backbencher. She expressed concerns about the lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic and voted against some restrictions. She also suggested stopping the HS2 high-speed rail project due to its high cost.

In May 2023, McVey and six other Conservative MPs wrote a letter. They warned against giving new powers to the World Health Organization.

Return to the Cabinet: Minister of State without Portfolio (2023–2024)

In November 2023, Rishi Sunak appointed McVey as Minister of State without Portfolio in the Cabinet Office. Her role was reported to be about "leading the government's anti-woke agenda," sometimes called a "minister for common sense."

In May 2024, McVey spoke about wanting to challenge certain "politically correct" ideas in the public sector. She suggested that civil servants might be prevented from wearing rainbow lanyards. New guidance for civil servants was later published, but it did not explicitly ban rainbow lanyards.

Fourth Term as MP (2024–Present)

In the 2024 general election, Esther McVey was re-elected as the MP for Tatton. Her vote share decreased, and her majority was smaller than before. After this election, she returned to being a backbench MP.

Elections Contested

Personal Life

Esther McVey has been in relationships with BBC producer Mal Young and former Conservative politician Ed Vaizey.

She married fellow MP Philip Davies on 19 September 2020. Their wedding took place in a private ceremony at Westminster.

See also

In Spanish: Esther McVey para niños