Who We Are

Jenny Willott MP – Assistant Government Whip

Assistant Government Whip

About Me

Education:	Durham University, London School of Economics

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 before being appointed Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

After the 2010 General Election Jenny was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. She was also appointed Co- Chair of the Parliamentary Party Committee for Work and Pensions.

In February 2012 she was appointed Assistant Government Whip

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

Experience

Various charitable organisations, including Project Manager for OXFAM

Parliamentary Experience

2012 - Assistant Government Whip, 2010 to 2012 - Co-Chairs, Parliamentary Party Committee for Work and Pensions, 2010 - PPS to Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, 2009 to 2012 - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 2008-2009 Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, 2006- Deputy whip and Youth Affairs spokesperson, 2005 to 2010 - Work and Pensions Select Committee, 2005 to 2010 - Public Administration Select Committee.