Theresa Villiers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Theresa Villiers
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Official portrait, 2020
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| Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 24 July 2019 – 13 February 2020 |
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| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Michael Gove | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | George Eustice | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 4 September 2012 – 14 July 2016 |
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| Prime Minister | David Cameron | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Owen Paterson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | James Brokenshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister of State for Rail and Aviation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 13 May 2010 – 4 September 2012 |
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| Prime Minister | David Cameron | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Sadiq Khan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Simon Burns | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet |
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| In office 5 May 2005 – 30 May 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Sydney Chapman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Dan Tomlinson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the European Parliament | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 15 July 1999 – 5 May 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Syed Kamall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | London | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Theresa Anne Villiers
5 March 1968 Hunstanton, Norfolk, England |
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| Political party | Conservative | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Sid Wilken (divorced) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Villiers family | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Bristol (LLB) Jesus College, Oxford (BCL) City Law School |
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Theresa Anne Villiers (born 5 March 1968) is a British politician. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Chipping Barnet from 2005 to 2024. Before that, she was a Member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005.
As a member of the Conservative Party, Villiers held several important government jobs. She was a Minister for Rail and Aviation from 2010 to 2012. Later, she became the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2012 to 2016. Her last big role was Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2019 to 2020.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Theresa Villiers was born in Hunstanton, Norfolk, England, in 1968. She was the third child in her family. Her father's side of the family has a long history, even connecting back to King Edward II.
She grew up in North London and went to an independent school called Francis Holland School. Villiers studied law at the University of Bristol, earning a degree in 1990. She then continued her studies at Jesus College, Oxford. After university, she became a barrister. She also worked as a lecturer at King's College London from 1994 to 1999.
Member of the European Parliament
In 1999, Villiers was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the London area. She was re-elected in 2004. As an MEP, she represented the UK in the European Union's parliament.
She was also a Deputy Leader for the Conservatives in the European Parliament from 2001 to 2002. She left her role as an MEP in 2005 when she was elected as a Member of Parliament in the UK.
Member of Parliament
In 2003, Theresa Villiers was chosen to be the Conservative candidate for Chipping Barnet. This area was considered a safe seat for the Conservative Party. She won the election in 2005 with a good number of votes.
She continued to win elections in Chipping Barnet in 2010, 2015, 2017, and 2019. In 2005, when she became an MP, she left her European Parliament seat. Villiers lives in Arkley, which is in her constituency.
In 2024, Villiers lost her seat in the general election. The Labour Party candidate, Dan Tomlinson, became the new MP for Chipping Barnet.
Shadow Cabinet Roles
In December 2005, after David Cameron became the leader of the Conservative Party, Villiers joined the Shadow Cabinet. This is a group of senior politicians from the main opposition party. They act as a "shadow" government, watching over the real government's departments.
She first became the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Then, in July 2007, she was promoted to Shadow Secretary of State for Transport.
Government Positions
After the 2010 election, the Conservatives formed a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats. Villiers became a Minister of State at the Department for Transport. This meant she helped manage transport policies, especially for rail and aviation.
In September 2012, Villiers was appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. This is a very important job, overseeing the government's work in Northern Ireland. During her time, she spoke about the history of conflicts in Northern Ireland.
Villiers was one of the government ministers who supported Brexit. This was the decision for the UK to leave the European Union. She believed that leaving the EU would not harm Northern Ireland. In April 2016, she said that worries about Brexit's impact were "scaremongering."
After the Brexit vote in 2016, Theresa May became the new Prime Minister. Villiers resigned from her role as Northern Ireland Secretary. She said she was offered a different job but felt she could not take it.
In July 2019, Boris Johnson became Prime Minister. He appointed Villiers as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In this role, she was in charge of policies related to the environment, farming, and food. She left this government role in February 2020.
Political Views and Actions
Theresa Villiers has strong opinions on various topics. She is a member and Vice-Chair of Conservative Friends of Israel. This group supports Israel and works to strengthen ties between the UK and Israel.
She has spoken out against Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party regarding concerns about antisemitism. She has also supported Iranian resistance groups who protest against human rights issues in Iran.
Villiers has focused a lot on aviation policy. She has been against building a third runway at Heathrow airport. She also opposes new airports in the Thames Estuary or expansions at Gatwick and Stansted airports. Instead, she thinks airlines should use regional airports more. She supports building a high-speed rail link to connect London with cities like Birmingham and Manchester.
In 2017, Villiers stated her support for the ban on hunting wild animals with dogs. However, she also suggested that the law could be improved. In 2019, she announced plans to stop live animal exports. She also wanted to ban keeping primates as pets and make it a rule for cats to be microchipped.
More recently, in 2022, Villiers opposed plans to set targets for building new homes. She argued that building too many dense apartment buildings would not be good for the environment or communities. Some people have called her the "nimby queen" for her views. NIMBY stands for "Not In My Backyard," meaning someone who doesn't want new developments near their home. Villiers says this term is used to avoid a proper discussion about how to build homes sustainably.
Personal Life
Theresa Villiers married Sean Wilken, who is also a barrister, in 1997. They wrote a book together about law. They divorced in 2006.
See also
In Spanish: Theresa Villiers para niños
