Dame Amanda Milling | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2020 | |
| Lord Commissioner of the Treasury | |
| In office 13 November 2023 – 5 July 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Rishi Sunak |
| Minister of State for Asia and the Middle East[a] | |
| In office 16 September 2021 – 7 September 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Nigel Adams |
| Succeeded by | Zac Goldsmith[b] |
| Chairman of the Conservative Party | |
| In office 13 February 2020 – 15 September 2021 Serving with Ben Elliot | |
| Leader | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | James Cleverly |
| Succeeded by | Oliver Dowden |
| Minister without Portfolio | |
| In office 13 February 2020 – 15 September 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | James Cleverly |
| Succeeded by | Oliver Dowden |
| Government Deputy Chief Whip Treasurer of the Household | |
| In office 28 July 2019 – 13 February 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Boris Johnson |
| Preceded by | Chris Pincher |
| Succeeded by | Stuart Andrew |
| Member of Parliament forCannock Chase | |
| In office 7 May 2015 – 30 May 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Aidan Burley |
| Succeeded by | Josh Newbury |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1975-03-12)12 March 1975 (age 50) Burton upon Trent,Staffordshire, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | University College London |
| Website | www |
Dame Amanda Anne Milling[1]DBE (born 12 March 1975) is a British politician serving asMember of Parliament (MP) forCannock Chase from the2015 general election untillosing her seat in 2024. She served asMinister without Portfolio in the UK cabinet and, alongsideBen Elliot, asChairman of the Conservative Party from February 2020 to September 2021. She also served asMinister of State for Asia and the Middle East from September 2021 to September 2022. She previously worked in market research.
Milling was born on 12 March 1975 inBurton upon Trent,Staffordshire, England.[2] She attendedMoreton Hall School, anindependent day school inShropshire.[3][4] Milling then studied economics and statistics atUniversity College London, graduating in 1997. Milling joined theConservative Party while at university.[5] Following university, Milling joined market research firm SW1 Research. She left the company in 1999 to join Quaestor where she eventually became a director.[5] Milling then worked as head of clients for Optimisa Research between 2010 and 2014.[2][5]
Milling was elected as a Conservative councillor for the Helmshore ward on theRossendale Borough Council inLancashire in 2009. Three years later she was promoted to deputy group leader on the council. She resigned her seat in 2014 after her selection as the Conservative candidate for theCannock Chase constituency in Staffordshire.[6] The incumbent Conservative MPAidan Burley had previously announced that he would be standing down at the next election.[7][8]
In the2015 general election, she was elected with a majority of 4,923 (10.5%).[9] The following year, Milling was one of a number of MPs investigated by theElectoral Commission and the police forallegedly breaching spending regulations in the election.[10] The Commission fined the Conservative Party £70,000 in March 2017 for "significant failures" in its reporting of campaign spending.[11] After completing their investigation, the police referred the matter to theCrown Prosecution Service who concluded that, although there was evidence of inaccuracy in the reporting of spending, they would not take further action as it was not clear that candidates or agents had knowingly acted dishonestly.[12][13]
During the 2015–2017 parliament, Milling served on theBusiness, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, Education, Skills and the Economy Sub-Committee.[14] Parliamentary enquiries that she was part of include the collapse ofBHS,[15] and the working practices atSports Direct.[16] She also served on Bill Committees including for theWelfare Reform and Work Bill[17] andPolicing and Crime Bill.[18]
Milling supported the UK remaining within theEuropean Union in the2016 UK EU membership referendum.[19] After the referendum, she helped to organiseBoris Johnson's2016 Conservative leadership campaign.[20] In the2017 general election, she was re-elected with an increased majority of 8,391 (17.6%).[9] She was made an assistant government whip during thereshuffle on 9 January 2018.[21] Milling voted for then Prime MinisterTheresa May'sBrexit withdrawal agreement in early 2019.[22]
After the election of Johnson as prime minister in July 2019, she was appointed asDeputy Chief Whip andTreasurer of the Household inhis ministry.[23] She voted for Johnson's Brexit withdrawal agreement in October 2019.[24] In the2019 general election, she was re-elected with an increased majority of 19,879 (42.9%).[9] As part of the2020 cabinet reshuffle, Milling was promoted toChairman of the Conservative Party andMinister without Portfolio.[25]
At the2021 British cabinet reshuffle, Milling was made the newMinister of State for Asia and the Middle East, making her the only cabinet minister to leave the cabinet whilst remaining part of the government.[26] In May 2022, she visited theBritish Virgin Islands (BVI), an overseas territory, following the arrest by theDrug Enforcement Administration of former premier,Andrew Fahie, for alleged drug trafficking and smuggling inMiami,Florida.[27][28] The following month, the government decided not to impose direct rule which had been recommended by the BVI's governorJohn Rankin as part of an inquiry into governance in the territory in April 2022 but instead allow time for reform by the local government overseen by Rankin.[29]
Milling endorsedNadhim Zahawi during theJuly 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.[30] She was succeeded as Minister of State for Asia byZac Goldsmith and asMinister of State for the Middle East byTariq Ahmad, Baron Ahmad of Wimbledon in September 2022.[31][32]
In theNovember 2023 British cabinet reshuffle, Milling was appointed aLord Commissioner of the Treasury.[33]
Milling became aPrivy Counsellor in February 2020, entitling her to the honorificThe Right Honourable for life.[34]
She was appointedDame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) on 9 June 2023 as part of the2022 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours.[35][36]
{{cite news}}:|last= has generic name (help)
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forCannock Chase 2015–2024 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Treasurer of the Household Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Commons 2019–2020 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister without Portfolio 2020–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Asia 2021–2022 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Conservative Deputy Chief Whip in theHouse of Commons 2019–2020 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Conservative Party Serving withBen Elliot 2020–2021 | Succeeded by |
Johnson cabinets | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
_(St_Edwards_Crown).svg)