Dame Caroline Dinenage | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Chair of theCulture, Media and Sport Committee | |
| Assumed office 17 May 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Damian Green (acting) |
| Minister of State for Digital and Culture | |
| In office 13 February 2020 – 15 September 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Nigel Adams |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay |
| Minister of State for Social Care | |
| In office 9 January 2018 – 13 February 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | David Mowat |
| Succeeded by | Helen Whately |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance | |
| In office 14 June 2017 – 9 January 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May |
| Preceded by | Caroline Nokes |
| Succeeded by | Kit Malthouse |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women, Equalities and Early Years | |
| In office 8 May 2015 – 14 June 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron Theresa May |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Member of Parliament forGosport | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Viggers |
| Majority | 6,066 (13.7%)[1] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Caroline Julia Dinenage (1971-10-28)28 October 1971 (age 54) Portsmouth,Hampshire, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
|
| Alma mater | Swansea University |
| Website | caroline4gosport |
Caroline Julia Dinenage (born 28 October 1971)[2][3] is a BritishConservative politician who has been theMember of Parliament (MP) forGosport since2010.[4]
Dinenage was appointedDame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the2022 Political Honours.[5]
Caroline Dinenage was born on 28 October 1971 inPortsmouth,[6] the daughter of television presenterFred Dinenage and Beverley Summers.[7]
She attendedWykeham House School, aprivate school for girls inFareham, thenOaklands RC Comprehensive School,Waterlooville, before studying Politics and English atSwansea University.[8]
Dinenage established her first manufacturing company at the age of 19, and was a director/company secretary of Dinenages Ltd for 20 years.[9][citation needed]
In May 1998 she was elected as the youngest member inWinchester District Council.[10]
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Dinenage stood as theConservative candidate inPortsmouth South at the2005 general election, coming second with 33.5% of the vote behind the incumbentLiberal Democrat MPMike Hancock.[11]
At the2010 general election, Dinenage was elected to Parliament as MP forGosport with 51.8% of the vote and a majority of 14,413.[12][13]
Dinenage worked with local partners to secureEnterprise Zone status for the Daedalus disused military airfield atLee-on-the-Solent in August 2011.[14]
Dinenage sat on theBusiness, Innovation and Skills Select Committee 2012–2015.[15]
Dinenage successfully campaigned for amedal for the veterans of theArctic convoys of World War II. She served as the vice-chair (Royal Navy) of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Armed Forces 2010–2014, and was a UK delegate to theNATOParliamentary Assembly and vice-chair of the NATO Science and Technology Sub-Committee.[16]
Dinenage has campaigned for local road improvements in 2013,[17][18] helping in May 2019 to secure £25.7m Government funding for the Stubbington Bypass, which has now been completed.[19]
At the2015 general election, Dinenage was re-elected as MP for Gosport with an increased vote share of 55.3% and an increased majority of 17,098.[20][21]
In August 2016, Campaign group Action 4 Ashes praised Dinenage for her swift action as Justice Minister in introducing important changes to cremation regulation.[22]
Dinenage was again re-elected at the snap2017 general election with an increased vote share of 61.9% and an increased majority of 17,211.[23]
In January 2018, Dinenage was appointed as Minister of State for Care at the Department for Health & Social Care. Dinenage was the first minister sinceAlistair Burt to hold the social care portfolio at Minister of State level, after Theresa May handed the portfolio to a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State underDavid Mowat andJackie Doyle-Price.[24] Dinenage's appointment was welcomed bylearning disabilities charityHft, who had campaigned for the restoration of the Minister of State role.[25][26]
In June 2018, Dinenage launched the Carers Action Plan to support unpaid carers in England.[27]
Following her campaign against proposals which would have seen the closure of the Royal Navy School of Engineering atHMS Sultan, in February 2019 the government indefinitely delayed the closure of the site.[28]
In November 2019, she introduced plans for making learning disability and autism training mandatory for all Health and Social Care professionals.[29]
At the2019 general election, Dinenage was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 66.5% and an increased majority of 23,278.[30]
In August 2020, Dinenage launched a consultation on Changing Places toilets:[31] the resulting building regulation changes would ensure larger accessible toilets were added to more than 150 major buildings a year.[32]
Dinenage had ministerial responsibility for theOnline Safety Bill,[33] which was published in draft form in November 2021.[33]
As Education Minister, in November 2021 she delivered the government's manifesto commitment of 30 hours' free childcare for 3- and 4-year-olds.[34]
On 7 August 2023, the Guardian reported that Dinenage, chair of the select committee that scrutinises the British television industry, had recently hosted a drinks event in parliament for the news channelGB News.[35]
On 20 September 2023, after allegations of sexual misconduct had been made againstRussell Brand,[36] Dinenage wrote to the social media platformRumble on a House of Commons letterhead, expressing her committee's concern that "he [Brand] may be able to profit from his content on the platform", and enquiring "whether Rumble intends to join YouTube in suspending Mr Brand's ability to earn money on the platform".[37] Rumble issued a response onX, expressing their support for "a free internet" and rejecting what they saw as "the UK Parliament's demands", adding that it was "deeply inappropriate and dangerous that the UK Parliament would attempt to control who is allowed to speak on our platform or to earn a living from doing so".[38]
Dinenage was again re-elected at the2024 general election, with a decreased vote share of 40.3% and a decreased majority of 6,066.[39][40] In November 2024, Dinenage voted for theTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.[41]
Dinenage had two children with her first husband Carlos Garreta, aRoyal Navy officer. In February 2014, she marriedMark Lancaster, Baron Lancaster of Kimbolton, a former MP and now member of the House of Lords, giving Dinenage the title Lady Lancaster, although she does not use this professionally.[42]
She has made a parachute jump and abseiled off Portsmouth'sSpinnaker Tower[43] to raise funds for theMS Society. A patron of Conservatives against Fox Hunting,[44] she was named one ofQueen guitarist and animal welfare campaignerBrian May's Heroes of 2010.[45]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forGosport 2010–present | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Position established | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women, Equalities and Early Years 2015–2017 | Position abolished |
| Preceded by | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance 2017–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Social Care 2018–2020 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Digital and Culture 2020–2021 | Succeeded by |
