Heather Wheeler

Heather Wheeler MP
Member of Parliament for South Derbyshire
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2010
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Mark Todd
Majority	11,471 (22.6%)
Personal details
Born	14 May 1959[1] Norwich, Norfolk, England[2]
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservatives
Spouse(s)	Bob
Children	Harriet
Website	www.heatherwheeler.org.uk

Heather Kay Wheeler^[3] (born 14 May 1959) is a British Conservative Party politician, who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Derbyshire, taking the seat from the Labour Party after 13 years.^[4]

Early Life

Wheeler was brought up in Wandsworth and elected Conservative Councillor on Wandsworth Council at the age of 22. After serving a full council term she married her husband Bob, moving in 1986 to Bretby, south Derbyshire.

After working in the City of London for 10 years, she qualified as an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Wheeler was elected to South Derbyshire District Council in 1995 and was leader of the Conservative group on the council until standing aside following her election as an MP. Following her election to parliament, she continued briefly as district councillor for Repton but did not seek re-election when her term ended in 2011. Wheeler had previously unsuccessfully fought the general elections of 2001 and 2005 in Coventry South, although a swing to the Conservatives was recorded on both occasions.

Wheeler's husband Bob is the current leader of South Derbyshire District Council. Their daughter Harriet was a council candidate in the 2011 local elections but was unsuccessful.

Parliamentary Career

Wheeler was a member of the Conservative Party's A-List.^[5] prior to successfully contesting the South Derbyshire seat. She won a majority of 7128 with a 9.8% swing to the Conservatives

In Parliament she sat on the Standards and Privileges Committee and the Communities and Local Government Committee^[6]

She was also a member of the Public Bill Committee for the Defence Reform Act 2014^[7]

Wheeler was one of 79 Conservative MPs who supported a 2011 rebel motion calling for a referendum on the EU^[8] She also joined a 2013 rebel amendment expressing regret at not including the referendum in the government's plans^[9]She subsequently backed the government's plans to hold a referendum in 2017 and opposed a proposal to hold it in 2014^[10]

Funding and Expenses

In the 25 Nov 13 edition of the Register of Members Financial Interests, Wheeler is shown as having carried out a number of surveys for opinion research companies, with the payment being donated to her constituency association. She is also shown as being sponsored to undertake trips to Ethiopia, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo for research purposes.^[11]

References

1. "Heather Wheeler MP". BBC Democracy Live. BBC. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
2. "Who's Who 2015: WHEELER, Heather". ukwhoswho.com. Who's Who (UK).
3. The London Gazette: no. 59418. pp. 8740–8740. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
4. "Election 2010: South Derbyshire". thisisderbyshire.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
5. "Seats and candidates: Where are the original A-Listers now? The 27 who have been selected for target seats". conservativehome.blogs.com. ConservativeHome.
6. "Heather Wheeler". Parliament UK. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
7. "House of Commons Public Bill Committee on the Defence Reform Bill 2013-14". Parliament.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
8. "Rebel MPs: the full list". New Statesman (Progressive Media International). 25 October 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
9. "The 114 Tory rebels in EU protest vote". The Daily Telegraph (London: Telegraph Media Group). 15 May 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
10. "Craig Whittaker: Referendum on the UK's membership of the EU". Public Whip. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
11. "The Register of Members' Financial Interests". Retrieved 3 December 2013.

External links

• Official Website
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou