The Baroness Coffey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 September 2022 – 25 October 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Prime Minister | Liz Truss | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Dominic Raab | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Dominic Raab | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 21 January 2025 Life peerage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of Parliament forSuffolk Coastal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 May 2010 – 30 May 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | John Gummer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jenny Riddell-Carpenter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Thérèse Anne Coffey[b] (1971-11-18)18 November 1971 (age 54) Wigan, Lancashire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Conservative | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater |
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| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | theresecoffey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scientific career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fields | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thesis | Structural and Reactivity Studies of Bis(imido) Complexes of Molybdenum (1998) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Doctoral advisor | Graeme Hogarth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thérèse Anne Coffey, Baroness Coffey,[b] (born 18 November 1971), is a British politician who served asDeputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from September to October 2022 underLiz Truss.[4]
A member of theConservative Party, she was the first femaledeputy prime minister inBritish history. Coffey previously served asEnvironment Secretary,Health Secretary, andWork and Pensions Secretary while serving as themember of Parliament (MP) forSuffolk Coastal from 2010 to 2024. Since 2025, she has been a Member of theHouse of Lords as alife peer.
Coffey served under Prime MinisterTheresa May as aparliamentary under-secretary of state at theDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2016 to 2019, before serving under Prime MinisterBoris Johnson as aminister of state at the same department from July to September 2019. In September 2019, afterAmber Rudd resigned from Johnson'scabinet, Coffey was appointed as secretary of state for work and pensions.
After Johnson resigned in 2022, Coffey supportedLiz Truss's bid to become Conservative leader. Following Truss's appointment as prime minister in September 2022, Coffey was appointed deputy prime minister and secretary of state for health and social care. After Truss resigned in October 2022, Coffey was appointed byRishi Sunak as secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs. Afterresigning in November 2023, Coffey lost her seat in Parliament at the2024 general election[5] but was appointed theHouse of Lords later that year.
Thérèse Coffey was born on 18 November 1971[6] inBillinge Hospital inWigan,Lancashire, to Tom Coffey and Alice George and grew up in Liverpool. She went toSt Mary's College, Crosby,[7][8] andSt Edward's College,Liverpool.[6] Coffey then briefly attended theUniversity of Oxford as an undergraduate student ofSomerville College, Oxford in 1989 to study chemistry.[9][10] However, in 1991 she was asked to withdraw having obtained poor college examination results twice allegedly due to spending too much time on extracurricular activities including rowing and politics.[11]
Coffey then attendedUniversity College London, where she obtained aBachelor of Science degree (withupper second class honours) in chemistry in 1993[12] and later aPhD in chemistry in 1998.[13][11][14]
After graduating Coffey worked in a number of roles forMars Incorporated, including as finance director forMars Drinks UK. She then worked for theBBC as a property finance manager.[15][16]
In theEuropean Parliament elections in June 2004, Coffey stood for election to theEuropean Parliament forSouth East England.[17] The Conservative Party won 35.2% of the vote, giving it four seats, but Coffey was seventh on the list in thisproportional representation system, and was not elected.[18][19]
Coffey stood as theConservative Party candidate forWrexham at the2005 general election, coming third with 20% of the vote.[20][21][22][23]
At the2009 European Parliament elections, Coffey missed out by one place on being elected to the European Parliament for South East England.[24][25] The Conservative Party won 34.79% of the vote, giving it four seats, and placing her fifth on the party list.[26]
At the2010 general election, Coffey was elected as MP forSuffolk Coastal with 46.4% of the vote and a majority of 9,128.[27][28] She is a supporter of the Free Enterprise Group.[29]
On 6 July 2011, Coffey defendedRebekah Brooks over theNews of the World's involvement in thenews media phone hacking scandal. She said a "witch hunt" was developing against Brooks, and that simply to say Brooks was editor of the newspaper at the time was not enough evidence against her. Coffey became a member of theCulture, Media and Sport Select Committee inquiry into the hacking scandal in 2012. In that committee, she declined to support any motions critical ofRupert andJames Murdoch.[30][31] However, she later joined the majority of her party in voting forexemplary damages to be a default consequence to deter press misbehaviour.[32]
After serving as a member of theCulture, Media and Sport Committee from July 2010 to October 2012, Coffey was appointedParliamentary Private Secretary toMichael Fallon, Minister for Business and Energy.[33]
Coffey faced criticism in 2011 from some Suffolk residents over her support for the government's proposal to sell off forestry and woodland in public ownership. Protesters argued that "experience shows us that when private landowners come in they close car parks and make access as difficult as possible".[34] The government later dropped the proposal in January 2013.[35]
Coffey's decision to write a paper for the Free Enterprise Group recommending pensioners should payNational Insurance contributions on earnings provoked criticism among some older constituents, who claimed that in an already tough economic environment, it was wrong to tax pensioners further. Coffey said that she had "no regrets writing about National Insurance" and that it was "a policy proposal – it is by no means, at this stage, anymore than that".[36]
In February 2013, Coffey voted against the legalisation ofsame-sex marriage, stating: "I shall be voting against the Bill because my perspective on what marriage is really about is different from that of some other Members... for me it is fundamentally still about family, the bedrock of society."[37] She again voted against same-sex marriage in 2019 when Parliament considered the same question for Northern Ireland.[38][39]
In July 2014, she was appointed anassistant government whip.[40]
At the2015 general election, Coffey was re-elected as MP for Suffolk Coastal with an increased vote share of 51.9% and an increased majority of 18,842.[41][42] After the election, she was appointedDeputy Leader of the House of Commons on 11 May 2015.[43]
In October 2016, Coffey was criticised by the thenLiberal Democrat leaderTim Farron for accepting hospitality worth £890 fromLadbrokes after supporting the gambling industry in parliament as part of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee; she denied that she had been "influenced in her considerations on matters of related policy by any hospitality received".[44]
Coffey voted in favour of aUK referendum on EU membership and consistently voted to proceed with theBrexit process,[45] although she backed the Remain campaign during the referendum.[46]
At the snap2017 general election, Coffey was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 58.1% and a decreased majority of 16,012.[47]
In theHouse of Commons she sat on theEnvironmental Audit Committee from September 2017 to November 2019, ex-officio due to her ministerial role.[48]
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Following the resignation ofAmber Rudd in September 2019, Coffey joined the Cabinet asSecretary of State for Work and Pensions. She retained her position Prime MinisterBoris Johnson'sFebruary 2020 cabinet reshuffle.[49][50]
Coffey was again re-elected at the2019 general election, with a decreased vote share of 56.5% and an increased majority of 20,533.[51]
In June 2020, Coffey responded toMarcus Rashford's campaign for free school meals for children during theCOVID-19 pandemic, which included a tweet from Rashford urging the government to remember Britain's poorest families. One of his tweets read, in part: "When you wake up this morning and run your shower, take a second to think about parents who have had their water turned off during lockdown." Coffey's response to his campaign was, "Water cannot be disconnected though", which he considered dismissive.[52]
In September 2021, Coffey was accused by opponents of miscalculating the amount of work aUniversal Credit claimant would need to do in order to make up for the proposed end of the £20-a-week increase in benefits, brought in to assist people during theCOVID-19 pandemic. Speaking toBBC Breakfast, Coffey said: "We're conscious that £20 a week is about two hours' extra work every week – we will be seeing what we can do to help people perhaps secure those extra hours, but ideally also to make sure they're also in a place to get better paid jobs, as well."[53] However, given Universal Credit's "taper rate" of 63%,[54] a Universal Credit claimant sees their credit reduced by 63p for every pound they generate from work.
In January 2022, Coffey tweeted support for Boris Johnson in regard toPartygate allegations, stating that she considered his apology to be sincere.[55]
In June 2022, Coffey said that, as a practising Catholic, she opposed abortion but did not condemn those who have an abortion.[56] She had previously tabled amotion in 2010 calling for mental health assessments for those seeking abortion, and she also voted againstextending abortion rights to people in Northern Ireland.[57] Her views on abortion were criticised by Clare Murphy, CEO of theBritish Pregnancy Advisory Service.[57]
Coffey continued to defend Johnson in July 2022 when he was accused of overlooking MPChris Pincher's alleged sexual misconduct when he was appointed Deputy Chief Whip. Coffey went on record to say that Johnson was "not aware" of "specific" allegations relating to Pincher. She went on to say in several interviews that she felt Johnson had dealt with the issue decisively.[58]
Coffey was campaign manager forLiz Truss in the parliamentary stages of theJuly–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, and she remained in a campaign role in the members' vote stage of the election.[10]
Truss appointed Coffey asdeputy prime minister andhealth and social care secretary inher new government on 6 September 2022. Her appointment made her the first woman to serve as deputy prime minister.[59] In September 2022, Coffey identified four priorities for the Department of Health "A, B, C, D" – ambulances, backlog, care, and doctors and dentists.[60]
Asked about nurses leaving to go abroad, Coffey said: "It is their choice of course if they want to do that, but then we also have an open route for people to come into this country who are professional staff". These comments came following a minimum estimated 38,000 nurse shortage;[61] the number of nurses leaving the NHS in London had risen by 24% the past year and more than two-thirds ofNHS trusts were reporting a "significant or severe impact" from staff leaving for better paid jobs in retail and hospitality.[62]
On 15 October 2022, it was reported Coffey was planning to allow people to obtainantibiotics frompharmacists without a prescription from ageneral practitioner, which led to criticism by medical experts due to it increasing the risk ofantimicrobial resistance (AMR).[63][64] At the same time, she received criticism for admitting to giving her own supply of antibiotics to others, which also increases the risk of AMR.[65][66][67] This act – of sharing an antibiotics prescription with others – was also described as being illegal.[65][68][69]
On 18 October 2022,[70]Dan Poulter – a medical doctor and former Conservative health minister – criticised Coffey's failure to tackle smoking and obesity, saying it leads to worse health and strains the NHS.[70][71] Since entering the House of Commons in 2010 Coffey repeatedly voted against measures to restrict smoking, including the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces and the requirement that cigarettes be sold in plain packaging.[72] In May 2011, Coffey had accepted £1,100 in hospitality and gifts fromGallaher Group tobacco firm.[71][73]
FollowingRishi Sunak's appointment as prime minister, Coffey was retained in Sunak's cabinet and appointedsecretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs on 25 October 2022, but lost her position as deputy prime minister.[74] She had previously held the positions of parliamentary under-secretary of state and minister of state for environment and rural opportunity within theDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
On 23 February 2023, Coffey was criticised for suggesting peoplestruggling to afford food could work for more hours to buy food, as well as suggesting that people eat turnips instead of tomatoes duringa shortage of salad vegetables in the UK.[75][76] Labour MPRachael Maskell said, "It's very shocking that the Environment Secretary shifted blame for food poverty onto people because they are on low wages and are poor." Coffey acknowledged that inflation was "really tough at the moment" and that support schemes were in place.[77]
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She resigned from the role on 13 November 2023 during acabinet reshuffle, stating "I consider it is now the right time to step back from government".[78] In aBBC Radio interview on 15 November, Coffey citedwork-related stress as a reason for her resignation, stating that she had "nearly died" after becoming ill because of the stress of being a minister five years previously.[79]
At thegeneral election on 4 July 2024, Coffey lost her seat in parliament.[5]
Coffey was nominated for alife peerage by Conservative leaderKemi Badenoch in late 2024.[80][81] She was createdBaroness Coffey, of Saxmundham in the County of Suffolk and of Grassendale in the City of Liverpool, on 17 January 2025,[82] and wasintroduced to the House of Lords on 21 January.[83]
Coffey is single and is described as a private person.[10] Coffey employed her sister Clare as a secretary in her parliamentary office starting in 2015.[84]
Coffey is an avid football fan, supportingLiverpool Football Club. She signed anearly day motion in 2011, set down by LabourLiverpool Walton MPSteve Rotheram, requesting aknighthood forKenny Dalglish.[85] She enjoys gardening, karaoke, and music.[43]
In an interview withThe Sunday Times, Coffey said she spent a month in hospital in 2018 after the stress of being a government minister led to abrain abscess.[86]
On 4 July 2024, Coffey was appointedDame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the2024 Dissolution Honours for political and public service.[87][88]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forSuffolk Coastal 2010–2024 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Assistant Government Whip 2014–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Leader of the House of Commons 2015–2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Opportunity 2016–2019 | Succeeded by Herself asMinister of State for Environment and Rural Opportunity |
| Preceded by Herself asParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Opportunity | Minister of State for Environment and Rural Opportunity 2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 2019–2022 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 2022 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Health and Social Care 2022 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2022–2023 | |
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