BETTER GOVERNMENT COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY COMMUNITIES EDUCATION AND SKILLS
ENVIRONMENT HEALTH INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS JUSTICE AND CRIME
PENSIONS AND BENEFITS RURAL COMMUNITIES THE ECONOMY TRANSPORT
The Party   >  People

WHO'S WHO

Jenny Willott MP

A picture of Jenny Willott
Click here to download
a high resolution image.

Lib Dem majority: 5,593  (15%)


Constituency: Cardiff Central

Region: Wales

PA Number: 125

Address:
99 Woodville Road
Cathays
Cardiff
CF24 4DY

Tel: 02920 668 558

Email: jenny@jennywillott.com

Web: http://www.jennywillott.com/

Date of Birth: 29.05.1974

Education: Wimbledon High School, Uppingham School, Durham University, London School of Economics

Experience: Various charitable organisations, including Project Manager for OXFAM, Chief Researcher for Lembit Opik MP

Council Experience: London Borough of Merton councillor 1998-2000

Parliamentary Experience: 2008- Ministry of Justice Spokesperson, 2006- deputy whip and Youth Affairs spokesperson, 2005- Work and Pensions Select Committee, 2005- Public Administration Select Committee, Previously candidate here in 2001

Interests: Music, reading, acting and travelling

RESULTS  2005 Election

Seat:

Cardiff Central

Liberal Democrats

17,991 (50%)
Liberal Democrats
50%
Conservatives
9%
Labour
34%
National
4%
Other
3%

Turnout:

36,132 (59%)

Conservative

3,339 (9%)

Swing

8.7% Lab to Lib Dem

Labour

12,398 (34%)

Nationalist

1,271 (4%)

Other

1,133 (3%)

BIOGRAPHY

Jenny Willott gained this seat in the general election in 2005.

Jenny was educated at Wimbledon High School before winning a scholarship to Uppingham School.  She studied Classics at Durham University and then, following her MSc in Development Studies at the London School of Economics, she became Head of Office for Welsh Liberal Democrat MP, Lembit Opik.  Whilst working for Lembit she was elected in 1998 as the youngest councillor on Merton Council, where she sat on the Environment Committee.

Before getting elected in 2005 as the first woman ever to represent central Cardiff, and the first Liberal since the 1920s, she worked for a number of charities.  She worked for the children's charity Barnardo's in their Welsh fostering and adoption project, and she was Head of Advocacy for UNICEF UK, part of the UN Children’s Fund.

She has also worked overseas, spending part of her gap year living in Switzerland, and later working for a women's organisation in Bihar in Northern India.  Immediately before being elected as an MP, she worked as head of Victim Support South Wales, based in Cardiff.

As an MP her work on local issues includes: campaigning against the Council Tax and tuition fees; and for fair pensions for former Allied Steel and Wire workers.  She has also campaigned hard for the Government to invest more in improved energy efficiency and renewable sources of energy. 

In Parliament, she has been a member of the Work and Pensions Select Committee and the Public Administration Select Committee, as well as being a Deputy Chief Whip and Ministry of Justice spokesperson. In 2007 she chaired the Liberal Democrat Welsh Assembly election campaign. In June 2008 Jenny became Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Jenny's particular interests include crime, human rights, social justice, environmental and international development issues.




 
Liberal Democrat Green Tax Switch campaignLibdems on IraqLiberal Democrats: We Can Cut CrimeStand with us
Visit the Lib Dems in:Scotland  Wales

Published and promoted by and on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, 4 Cowley Street, London, SW1P 3NB.

Hosted (printed) by NetBenefit, 241 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1GA, www.netbenefit.com who are not responsible for any of the contents of the site.